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After listening to John Guernsey sharing
about the transformation process taking place in Cali Colombia with the
SOMA Executives who were on retreat in Richmond, Virginia' in
October 1998, a well known Church Leader from Cape Town, Rev Trevor
Pearce was absolutely gripped by the story. So too were the others –
they all knew that God the Holy Spirit was planting something in their
hearts that would burst forth in some exciting way. He returned home
excited about what they had heard and with treasure - a copy of an audio
tape and a booklet produced by George Otis, Jr. which tells of the work
of transformation taking place in Cali,
Columbia, and the hope contained in these principles which they
believe could be contextualized in other parts of the world.
Trevor returned to Cape Town with its drugs, crime and violence with a
quiet sense of excitement and anticipation. He shared copies of this
tape with Pastor Eddie Edson and a few other pastors. Soon these various
copies were being copied again, fast and furiously, and shared with many
other “hope hungry” people in their city. They recognized that the
principles of prayer, unity, leadership etc. were biblical principles
for universal application. Soon “Community Transformation – Cape Town”
was born. The initial prayer meetings and gathering of leaders
culminated in their first citywide prayer meeting in June 1999. He was
back in Washington for a SOMA Executive meeting, which was strategically
positioned alongside a conference on Community Transformation at which
George Otis also launched the video “Transformations”.
They arranged a telephone link up with that first prayer meeting at
which 1,200 people had gathered to pray throughout the night. Now, there
was no turning back.
The video resulted in an exponential spreading of the vision. He
couldn't keep pace with one video so he ordered 20 more – then 50 and
was swallowed up by people desperate to have copies. Bennie Mostert,
(then NUPSA now
Jericho Walls) - a prayer network for Africa, took over and to date
over 20,000 copies have been distributed in Africa. Wherever the video
was shown, God ignited fires in the hearts of His people. Wherever the
video was shown, God brought together some of the most unlikely people.
Relationships were being forged across denominational, racial and
cultural divides as never before.
City wide prayer meetings were held at approximately 3 monthly intervals
and the numbers grew to 2,500, then 5,000 at an open air venue at the
heart of our city, 6,000 in a small athletics stadium etc. Prayer was at
the heart of what God was doing. When Rashied Staggie, the most
notorious gangster in Cape Town turned to Jesus, the impetus increased
magnificently. People saw a difference at a very high level (or were it
at a very low level?) People could now believe God for a breakthrough
and they prayed with greater faith. Small breakthroughs led to bigger
breakthroughs. After a bombing campaign of 22 bombs in Cape Town, the
perpetrators were caught the very next day after a major prayer meeting
focused on this group asking God for a breakthrough. Headlines in the
papers the next day: “Breakthrough”.
Graham Power, a successful businessman and relatively new convert, also
saw one of the videos. In June 2000 God gave a vision to Graham that
Africa will become the “Hope to the world” and this vision had 5 stages:
The first stage was to get the Churches in Cape Town (Southern point of
SA) united in a Day of Prayer when 45 000 Christians got together on the
Newlands Rugby stadium. Hundreds of testimonies can be shared of lives,
communities and a city that was transformed. This started a process that
changed the lives of the people and the city of Cape Town forever.
Following the day of prayer held at the Newlands Rugby stadium in Cape
Town, 8 other areas across South Africa hosted similar events in 2002.
(Stage 2 – South Africa) In addition the event was broadcasted live on
DSTV and SABC TV and was shown in dozens of rural Towns - Community
Centers, Churches, Correctional Facilities, Retirement Homes, Town
Halls, and private dwellings, not to mention the fact that it was seen
in African countries as far north as the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Kenya. These events so captured the hearts and minds of people
all over the continent that it was decided to put together a strategy
that will take the process of Transformation forward. On 29 May 2002
history was made when + 80 people from different regions, cultures and
denominations came together in Cape Town to discuss the Transformation
process in Southern Africa and Africa for 2003 and years to come.
A Summit was held from 22 – 25 September 2002. 220 Church- and Community
leaders, Businessmen and delegates from 9 different African countries
were gathered. The representatives decided on a mission and vision for
Transformation Africa.
The vision is “Africa for Christ” with the mission being “Transforming
Africa through Unity and Prayer as we mobilize the Body of Christ and
all spheres of society, Community by Community, Nation by Nation with
the full Gospel of Jesus Christ”
The challenge facing the regions then was to unite all the churches in
the different regions to work together towards transforming South Africa
and Africa. People need to take hands over a broader spectrum, not only
with regards to black and white, but also over the boundaries of
different church denominations.
The same year (2002) saw the
International
Prayer Counsel (IPC) gathered in Cape Town South Africa. At this
International consultation a proposal was made to network a Global day
of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday, 15 May 2005. This coincides with the
vision of Transformation Africa and simultaneously, in other parts of
the world, the same vision emerged independently from South Africa and
the IPC.
All over the continent everyone was so inspired that 77 South African
regions and 27 African countries (66 cities) committed themselves to
participate in the process of Transforming Africa and taking part in a
Day of Prayer for Africa on the 1st of May 2003. (Stage 3 – Southern
Africa)
2004 was the realization of the fourth stage of the vision. The Day of
Prayer for Africa was held on 2 May 2004. Our aim was to reach all 56
countries in Africa to participate. Part of the planning was to involve
every town/community in Africa. We are happy to say that more than 273
cities/towns in South Africa and all 56 countries in Africa (more than 1
200 towns/cities) committed themselves to the process of transforming
Africa and participated in a Day of Prayer for Africa, raising a canopy
of Prayer across the continent involving more than 22 million people.
This was a day that changed the face of Africa forever.
Although no official count was given we understand that 1,300 stadiums
and another 1,000 non-stadium venues across Africa participated in this
event.
The fifth Stage will see a
Global Day of Prayer which will take place on 15 May 2005. The plan
is to start praying as the sun comes up in the East (New Zealand) in
different time slots until the Sun sets in the West (USA). This planning
will involve leaders from all 6 continents and will include more than
240 countries around the Globe under the auspices of International
Prayer Council (IPC). |
