Why we believe mission is important
Monique and Abraham recently spoke at St Stephen’s Church, Twickenham, who are one of SOMA UK’s mission partners. They both spoke about the importance of short term mission, but also some of the challenges which are involved in this Christian ministry. Here is what they both had to say:
SOMA or Sharing of Ministries Abroad is a short term charismatic mission agency which sends people to the hurting parts of the Christian body around the world through the empowerment and life transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
As we share about SOMA’s work running short term mission trips across the world I want to address a couple of things that may be running through your head...
I wonder what you think of when you hear the word mission or evangelism. Am I an evangelist or missionary? Perhaps you think it’s something out there in some corner of the world, or something someone else more qualified goes and does…
However, we are all called to be part of God’s mission. Both where God has placed us, here in South-West London but also further afield, in Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his disciples “[they] will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Judea, samaria, the world! Twickenham, London, the world!). This is the pattern set out for the early church and it’s been the pattern the church has followed for the past 2000 years. You, today, are part of this story. An evangelist is one who carries the good news of Jesus - if you are here tonight and you believe in Jesus then you’re an evangelist, you are called to live on mission. Now, granted, that might look quite different for each of you and later we’ll share more on some options and opportunities! When you go into your office, school, or university on Monday you are a missionary - you are Christ's hands and feet in the world.
Isn't overseas short term mission just a colonial remnant? Who are we to offer ‘aid’? How can we possibly help people whose lives look so different to ours? How can we minister out of our privilege in places of great suffering often catalysed by our own nation? Aren’t Short term missions which are far away unsustainable in their impact in the communities they visit...
These are VITAL questions to ask and conversations to be had, it’s something SOMA has been talking about for years, and really this is the heart of SOMA: to achieve a sustainable reciprocity in mission. So what do we mean by sustainable reciprocity?
New Testament pattern
First off missions are a pattern set out in the New Testament, Jesus commanded that we go into all the world with the good news, the apostle Paul sent teams to visit churches or letters to encourage churches - he sent people or teaching out to bolster local leaders that they might then better serve their local communities through their churches. The way SOMA missions work follow in this pattern.
SOMA trips are strategic, we visit a diocese, at their invitation, with the trips maximise relationship building, through equipping locals to work with locals. However, the primary focus is to pray with and be with leaders in places where the church is hurting, to come alongside. These relationships continue beyond the trip which is where it becomes sustainable - it’s not a swooping in, or a giving of temporary aid but a fanning into flame of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
God designed the global church, his global body, and when we express unity in our relationships and mutual learning and communing- it's not only beautiful and a source of great hope to those who don’t yet believe too! SOMA goes into missions as equals to those they’re serving, alongsiders, sharing in the spirit as equals - as brothers and sisters in Christ from one global family.
For those who go on teams it’s life transforming, it brings them back to their home communities inspired, with increased faith and expectation for the spirit to move and a deep humility. Huge possibilities for learning and leadership development for those who come on SOMA missions.
No SOMA mission is the same, however, in the past the charity has seen an almost 2 fold effect of a mission. The first of these is that a SOMA mission can be life changing for the communities/ people in those communities, again I have to stress that this is not because of us or what we bring but due to the power of the Spirit. Indeed, for whatever reason God uses us for his works and plans, this means that your presence on a SOMA mission genuinely means something for the people you visit. In Sharing - a minister in Uganda turned up at a retreat SOMA were running for leaders weary from his ministry and ready to give up but found his call renewed in spending time in the Spirit!
Ripple effect
The second effect of a SOMA mission is the change to individuals who go on missions (hopefully bringing change to their own communities in the UK). Team members and intercessors catch the bug of praying and come back as changed people. We also take young clergy members and ordinands in the Anglican Church- SOMA trips are like a shot in the arm of faith, they bring an inspiration of the Holy Spirit and grow a missional heart that will flow out to the Anglican Church in the UK and bring renewal to the home churches of those who have come onto a mission! Team members all note upon their return how getting out of their comfort zone gave God room to provide all they need, to place themselves in dependence on him stretched and grew their faith and changed how they live their lives at home.
A few weeks ago, as I was praying about speaking in front of everyone today, I had an image of a bird which was restrained, and then with a breath, the restraints are released and the bird soars away, I felt God was saying that he can and does release us outwards through his spirit. Maybe that's you, maybe you need to ask God to release you outwards. We have all things which restrain and sometimes we need to ask the Holy Spirit to send us out. In John 20:19-23, Jesus confers the power of the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Whether you feel like it or not, you have access to that same power to change lives and communities. This is the encouragement we want to share with you today.
We want to Release a sense of possibility among everyone here at St Stephen’s - about what God can do through you.
We are involved in SOMA because we don’t think enough attention in the West is given to the plights of other Christians around the world. We live in our society that sometimes fail to see the wider picture at play. SOMA is a great opportunity to support the Global Church, by getting alongside people and their struggles. Furthermore, it seems to me that we can only orchestrate change through the transforming presence of the Spirit. Those are a few reasons why we are personally involved in the work of this charity.
SOMA seeks to be like the Nervous system in the body - it’s job is to wake up the body when it feels pain, we’re a global family as the church and we have a responsibility to care for each part of the body in whatever part of the world.
