Friday, June 22, 2007
Next Wave ship comes to Belfast
My history with YWAM and boats goes back quite a way. This weekend YWAM's newest sailing vessel has come to Belfast on its maiden sailing voyage. The Lord Mayor has turned out to see it and a number of pastors, business people and lay men and women with a desire to see first hand what YWAM is up to...
But YWAM has been operating ships for the past 2 decades. In about 1975, the year of my birth, YWAM decided to purchase a ship in New Zealand called 'The Maori', it was to be the first of a number of a 'mercy' vessels that would sail around the world fulfilling the 3 core elements of Youth With A Mission; to train, to evangelise and to do mercy ministries. The year before the purchase was a year of huge PR campaigns and fund raising. By the time the ship was nearly bought practically the whole population of New Zealand knew about this group called YWAM and the ship that they wanted to buy. The end of the story was that one day YWAM's founder, Loren Cunningham had a vision of a crowd celebrating the beauty of the ship, but in the shadows lurked a neglected Jesus. Immediately Loren felt convicted that YWAM had turned their attention from God to an infatuation with a ship. What followed was a very public decision to choose humility and to stop the purchase.
Interestingly enough my parents had put their names down on the list of people who wanted to go and be missionaries on the ship...how my life would have been different. I wonder how many other families and individuals lives were drasticaly altered by that decision.
In 1978 YWAM had finally purchased a ship, and in 1982 I boarded it for my first and only time, in New Zealand. The Anastasis was a huge foating hospital, relief and training vessel. As a 7 year old I was pretty much awe struck by this organisation called YWAM that seemed to be brimming with vision, ideas and enthuiasm. A year later, my parents finally joined YWAM and I began a new life initially in England and after a year there, we moved to Northern Ireland where I have been ever since.
25 years after first seeing the Anastasis, I boarded YWAM and Marine Reach's (Marine Reach is the marine arm of YWAM now) newest ship, a 52 berth ketch that has a very real beauty about it. What's it's purpose- well unlike other Marine Reach ships, its purpose is not so much relief, mercy and development work. The captain of the ship, Brian Sloan, said that in many ways it is a living prayer for a Next Wave of missionaries from these shores that will go out and demonstrate the love of God to the nations of the world. It is a vessel that will be used for hosting leadership and discipleship training schools as well as being able to host reconciliation events on board as it sails into ports in places such as Beirut.
It is here in Belfast for just 6 days, may it be a prayer for this island, that we would once again be a nation that blesses the world.
But YWAM has been operating ships for the past 2 decades. In about 1975, the year of my birth, YWAM decided to purchase a ship in New Zealand called 'The Maori', it was to be the first of a number of a 'mercy' vessels that would sail around the world fulfilling the 3 core elements of Youth With A Mission; to train, to evangelise and to do mercy ministries. The year before the purchase was a year of huge PR campaigns and fund raising. By the time the ship was nearly bought practically the whole population of New Zealand knew about this group called YWAM and the ship that they wanted to buy. The end of the story was that one day YWAM's founder, Loren Cunningham had a vision of a crowd celebrating the beauty of the ship, but in the shadows lurked a neglected Jesus. Immediately Loren felt convicted that YWAM had turned their attention from God to an infatuation with a ship. What followed was a very public decision to choose humility and to stop the purchase.
Interestingly enough my parents had put their names down on the list of people who wanted to go and be missionaries on the ship...how my life would have been different. I wonder how many other families and individuals lives were drasticaly altered by that decision.
In 1978 YWAM had finally purchased a ship, and in 1982 I boarded it for my first and only time, in New Zealand. The Anastasis was a huge foating hospital, relief and training vessel. As a 7 year old I was pretty much awe struck by this organisation called YWAM that seemed to be brimming with vision, ideas and enthuiasm. A year later, my parents finally joined YWAM and I began a new life initially in England and after a year there, we moved to Northern Ireland where I have been ever since.
25 years after first seeing the Anastasis, I boarded YWAM and Marine Reach's (Marine Reach is the marine arm of YWAM now) newest ship, a 52 berth ketch that has a very real beauty about it. What's it's purpose- well unlike other Marine Reach ships, its purpose is not so much relief, mercy and development work. The captain of the ship, Brian Sloan, said that in many ways it is a living prayer for a Next Wave of missionaries from these shores that will go out and demonstrate the love of God to the nations of the world. It is a vessel that will be used for hosting leadership and discipleship training schools as well as being able to host reconciliation events on board as it sails into ports in places such as Beirut.
It is here in Belfast for just 6 days, may it be a prayer for this island, that we would once again be a nation that blesses the world.
