South Africa Trip (part 2)

"The church in Mokotjela is the result of a great initiative called Foundations For Farming, previously know as Farming God’s Way"

Last time I was with Steve Oliver he told me about two new churches started in Lesotho.

Mokotjela is located in a remote mountain village and the other Maloseng, a church that meets under very large tree. After spending an enjoyable time with Pete West and John Mokoona, two of the leaders overseeing these churches, we then embarked on a breathtaking drive through the mountains in a 4x4 vehicle to Mokotjela. The church in Mokotjela is the result of a great initiative Pete West leads, called Foundations For Farming (previously know as Farming God’s Way).

Soil erosion is a massive problem on the hilly slops of Lesotho, as in many parts of Africa. This is often due to the way farmers cultivate the land, leaving the freshly ploughed soil exposed to the rain washing the topsoil away. After a time this way of cultivation results in very poor harvests. Pete teaches the farmers a way of soil conservation farming that has resulted in many of the farmers increasing their annual harvests by 10 times.  For subsistence farmers who have small tracts of land this method of farming can be the difference between starving and having enough food to live on. Visiting this very remote mountain village, meeting a farmer, and seeing some of the land being prepared for the next crop to be planted was impressive.

The rest of the weekend we were in Clarens spending time with the leaders and preaching in the Dihlabeng church. This is a great church, very multicultural with a fantastic African feel. I love worshiping in African churches. The songs are simple to learn, the whole congregation seems to move with the beat and their enthusiasm is infectious. One of the things that I notice is the way children connect with this type of worship. So often in the UK our more complicated words and music style leaves the children (and sometimes the adults) very passive and bored, as they fail to connect with what is going on.

I love my home church, Christ Church Manchesterr, and Sunday afternoon when I am away I eagerly wait for news of how things are going. The leadership team decided to wind me up sending texts outlining doom and disaster. After putting my mind at rest with some more encouraging feedback I thanked God for a great bunch of hard-working and fun young guys who genuinely want the best for each other and who I can trust to lead the church well in my absence.

South Africa Trip (part 1)

"I am spending time with around 70 of the leaders, teaching on the theme of leadership in a time of change and challenge"

I am now half-way through a 19 day trip to South Africa, looking out over the mountains of Lesotho on a beautiful sunny day.

This is so different to the many two-to-three day international trips I have done this year to places like Russia and Dubai. I seem to always be trying to redeem time using overnight flights and then very intense short stays. Now I have the chance to enjoy the country and spend time reading and thinking.

I arrived with my eldest son Josh on August 27 – this was a trip I had been promising him for a while. Landing at Jo’burg we then had a four hour drive up to Clarens. This is always a little challenging after a sleepless overnight flight. It is now the end of winter in South Africa and we are around 6,000 feet above sea level. We were advised to bring clothes for very warm and cold weather. Happily for sun-deprived Manchester men, it has been very sunny and warm for nearly all our trip.

Church leader Steve Oliver and his family moved to the farm in Clarens a few years ago from Cape Town to plant a church among the Basotho people. Clarens is in the Free State and borders with the very poor nation of Lesotho. They have seen a remarkable move of God with a number of churches being planted, firstly in Clarens and then in the nation of Lesotho. There are many changes happening to the churches and Steve wanted me to spend time with around 70 of the leaders, teaching on the theme of ‘leadership in a time of change and challenge’.

I worked through the story of Zerubbabel leading the people of God from Babylon back to Jerusalem, with a great vision to build a temple, a city and a nation. Zerubbabel is one of my Bible heroes and I was very encouraged with the positive feedback people gave me at the end of the day. Many were applying to themselves some of the leadership challenges they had identified with, from Zerubbabel’s epic task.

A Praying Culture

"Finding the right rhythm for the prayer life of the church is vital."

In September we launch our new Culture series with 'A Praying Church' . I have now been in Manchester over 15 years and prayer has been a vital ingredient to the success of planting and building churches around the city.

Finding the right rhythm for the prayer life of the church is vital. It is so easy to think that what worked before will work again.

We had a season when we would gather up to 200 people for all-night prayer meetings. What an amazing time we had as a new band would take up the lead every two hours as we lingered in the presence of God and prayed our hearts out for the city. We also had a season of praying every morning at 6am. For a year-and-a-half the grace of God sustained us as we gathered to pray for the nation.

We are now finding the Spirit’s leading for this next season. At the moment we gather on Wednesday evenings every week in September, January and April to pray, each month of prayer culminating with a week of prayer and fasting.

Our preaching series In September reflects this as we embark on four great prayer themes: Powerful – city changing prayer (Sept 6th in Hyde); Faith – to see miracles happen (Sept 13th in Hyde); Fasting – and prayer that shapes history (Sept 20th in Hyde); Holy Spirit – helping us in our weakness (Sept 27th in Gorton and Oldham).

I always look forward to seasons of prayer, and this time is no different. Listening to preaching and testimonies on prayer should only increase our faith and expectation.