Mission teams arrive!
We were thrilled today to welcome 50 SOMA team members who have travelled to Northern Ireland to take part in two weeks of parish missions across the diocese.
Before joining their parishes, everyone gathered in Banbridge for a Team Training and Orientation Day. It was also an opportunity for people to meet each other, and pray in their teams for the first time.
Our international visitors have come all the way from Australia, Brazil, England, Nigeria, Portugal, Scotland, USA, South Africa, Uganda, Ukraine and Kenya. They are joining up with 29 parish teams and will share in a wide variety of ministry and outreach activities from prayer walks to pizza nights.
Richard Moyes who leads SOMA UK and Henry Blair, leader of SOMA Ireland, have also joined us and will be leading teams.
You can’t leave Northern Ireland without understanding the meaning of craic, so it was a relaxed day with refreshments, lunch, worship, prayer and lots of encouragement.
Bishop David gave some background to the diocese and set the vision for the mission which is called Turning Tide.
George Newell led a session on sharing your faith in Northern Ireland which included cultural orientation and some evangelism basics while Andrew Brannigan delivered training on the safeguarding of children and adults.
The afternoon ended with Holy Communion and an act of commissioning.
It’s exciting to know that there are about 500 people in other parts of the world praying for the teams and we are full of expectation for what God will do among us.
