The Call Is Going Out!

Many of you have heard the story of how the Lord brought Farming God’s Way into being and how, right at the beginning, He gave us Isaiah 58 to guide us along His straight path. Isaiah 58 begins with a very loud Trumpet Call that announces God’s process that results in those, who are obedient to that call, being named as the “Rebuilders of the Ancient Ruins, on the Age-old Foundations, Repairers of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

A Dramatic Beginning
Well, for us in Africa, that call to the rebuilding process is really beginning to happen in earnest. We believe that the Lord is selecting Zimbabwe as His beginning point because “He chooses what is foolish in the world to confound the wise and what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” The most foolish and weakest nation in the world at the moment seems to be Zimbabwe. When we look at the international news, Zimbabwe is often depicted as the laughing stock of the world. We have recently witnessed the fastest crash in history of any nation’s economy and probably also its agricultural production. In FGW/Foundations for Farming the Lord has given us His foundational platform to address both of these collapses (ruins), because Isaiah 58 shows us that it first requires the right heart and motive of the True Fast, and then that Agriculture is the Entrance Point for the National Rebuild.

A Call Round the World
The Trumpet Call is being blown loudly to the churches in Zimbabwe at the moment and it will reach a crescendo just after this next Champs (7-9 September) on the 26th September, when a Call to Prayer will go round the world to the Zimbabwe Diaspora and all those interested in the Rebuild/Transformation of Zimbabwe and Africa. The Trumpet Call initiative is being co-ordinated through a partnership between the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and Foundations for Farming – and includes a team from the United Kingdom that is mobilising international prayer for the 26th September which will give support to the gatherings of hopefully between 300-500 000 in Harare, and large gatherings in the other major cities. Parallel to this there is an inspired initiative to have 55 Foundations for Farming sites prepared and immaculately ready by the 26th as training points strategically placed throughout all the rural areas of the nation. The vision is that the Church will truly be used by God to feed the nation this year!

The appeal is for all the churches in Zimbabwe to forsake their local gatherings and travel on Sunday the 26th to a huge central venue to worship and call out to God for the healing of the nation His Way. Because the rebuild begins with the faithful use of the land, we will be appealing (on TV and every available means) for everybody in the nation to plant at least a symbolic patch of maize On Time, At Standard, Without Wastage and With Joy! This patch can be as little as four plants, preferably in a prominent, easily visible position i.e. in front of each dwelling place, 75cm x 60cm apart, fully mulched, at the Highest Standard possible! We want to honour and lift up Jesus so that He draws a multitude to Himself!

Please Pray for this Momentous and Critical Time
The year 2011 brings the referendum for a new National Constitution followed by the National Parliamentary Elections for Zimbabwe. There has been a strategic lull in the tensions in Zim during the season of the Football World Cup, and we expect the Evil One to have one last diabolical attempt to maintain dominance of the nation. This siege may be the most violent and repressive of all. We pray that this will be a great prompt for the National Church to unite and turn back absolutely wholeheartedly to God and to seek His Face and His Ways. In fact this very turn back to God will be the best way to protect the extremely vulnerable ones from great harm and suffering. Please pray for them and for the clearance of the way for this exceedingly significant gathering to happen. It will need a miracle from the Lord!

This September Champs will Point the Way to the 26th
I appeal to the Champions and Supporters from the other nations not to think that this is just another “Zim thing”. It really is a Continental Quest that is beginning with the ‘Foolishness’ and ‘Weakness’ of the Zimbabwean situation. It is also a Significant Milestone in the Breaking of the Yoke of Poverty, Hunger and Injustice of the Downtrodden in Africa and the Whole World! We believe that the coming incredible contrast seen in the transformation of Zimbabwe from being the laughing stock to being a shining example will so astound the world and especially the nations of Africa, that it will truly be used by the Lord as a discipleship model to many, and perhaps all nations.

Please can we put away any differences and disagreements we may have and come and gather and unite before our Gracious Holy God and seek His face together at this next Champs! There will still be some of our usual teaching and brushing up for the coming season, as well as great fellowship and many brilliant testimonies of the amazing things the Lord is doing through FGW/Foundations for Farming. PLEASE COME and PLEASE PRAY!!!

Longing to see you all again!

Much love
Brian and Cath

The least is the greatest.....by Peter Cunningham

Peter Cunningham

Peter started the session by reading from Matthew 6:2 “Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”

How should we pray then? There are some specific needs that we can ask from God. We have to continue praying and God will answer our prayers.

Mark 1:14 – 15 “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 4:17 “From the time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Acts 28:30 – 31 “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

The difference between the 4 gospels and the Book of Acts is that Jesus was preaching and said The Kingdom of God is near while in Acts, it says that the Kingdom of God is here.

Matthew 11:11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of woman there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” If Jesus says “I tell you the truth”, He is about to tell you something that you don’t know – something astounding, a revelation.

The least is the greatest and this revelation is very encouraging for the Operation Trumpet Call farmers.

Summarised by Molly Manhanga

"How can we activate?" by Scott Marques

Scott Marques challenged the church leaders with “How can we activate?” and poured out his heart with all his usual passion as he sounded the Trumpet Call again. He said, “This is a time when God is going to give us capacity, and he has given us a mandate to be like Him! Jesus’ passion is for those who don’t know Him. Let’s do away with the rubbish that gets in the way. Scott reminded us that we must turn back to God. God is in absolute control, and our diversity reflects His glory and we are to be reckless in our love for each other.” Scott urged us not to be disconnected, but to really unify in the faith, which will lead us into faithfulness.

Scott exhorted us that it is time to roll up our sleeves because God has given us a key in agriculture. With the heart change there is action to be done. We need to be fully ready for the big events in September. He described the wonderful plan to have 55 discipleship modelling and training centres ready throughout the nation, so that a multitude of farmers can come and see how to farm God’s way on the foundations He has laid. This momentum is to lead up to the Global Day of Prayer, and the National Celebration Day. We need to be praying for the rural folk, and it is going to be tough.

We need to act practically ourselves, and God is showing us the “how” bit-by-bit. Scott then reminded everyone of many of the principles and steps of Foundations for Farming in his inimitable fashion. We pray that the passion for God can ignite us in all that we do.