New wine flowed at inspirational Worcester conference

Testimonies of nations changed through prayer and discipleship

Worcester, which is a small town situated just over 100km north of Cape Town recently played host to a strategic conference held under the banner of the Impact Network. Impact, which is an acronym for International Ministries of Prophetic and Apostolic Churches Together is a network founded by Apostle John Eckhardt. Eckhardt who is based in Chicago, Illinois is the New York Times bestselling author of the book, “Prayers that rout demons” published by Charisma House. He is a sought-after international speaker who is one of the leading voices of the new apostolic reformation movement.

In South Africa this conference was organised by Apostle Neil Isaacs who is a director of Impact Southern Africa. Isaacs is also the overseer of City of David Apostolic Worship Centre, a ministry which is based in Queenstown. This ministry runs the largest Christian school in the region and this school in turn has become the largest employer in the area.

This annual conference attracted delegates from the United States of America, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and various parts of South Africa. Worcester which is renowned for some of its world-class wine cellars served a different type of “wine” in this conference. Not only did the delegates drink deep from the well of the Holy Spirit but they also were also inspired by various testimonies pertaining to nations changed through prayer and discipleship. Bishop Godfrey Malassy from Tanzania shared about the prayer movement in his nation that has become a catalyst for transformation and church unity. For over 10 years now the nation gathers for prayer every 31st of December in various stadiums around the country. He shared that even the president attends this prayer event and almost all the local media reports on it. This success in their country led to them gaining favour to do ministry in the predominantly Muslim but strife-torn island of Zanzibar.

Influence and honour
Apostle Martin Ssuna, a Ugandan running a large church in Nairobi, Kenya also shared about the impact the Lord has allowed him to make in his native nation of Uganda. He brought home the point of making inroads and ministering into the lives of those who hold power in a nation. It became clear that the Lord has given him influence in the political and corporate spheres. When listening to him you could not help but imagine the difference you could make when you can have the ear of your country’s president and other influential role players. Amongst the speakers there was also Apostle Daryl O’ Neil from Chicago who spoke on the message of honour. Amongst many of his messages this is one that resonated with me and this man emphasised the importance of walking in integrity and respect towards every person.

A sense I had while attending this conference is that the hope of Africa lies with God’s people, the Church. Not that I did not know this before travelling to Worcester but there I listened to people who were practically doing work that was making a defined and sustained change. I had a sense that the apostolic message is being refocused to its main purpose which is to disciple the nations. We cannot continue focusing the bulk of our ministry on regurgitating and recycling worn out and expired messages designed to titillate and bless believers who are content with the status quo. God is a God of the nations and we, on the other hand, have a disposition towards selfish and neurotic thinking. It is for this reason that we need to be challenged through timely conferences like this one.