The Steps of The Safari 1. Enter - The Call to know 1 Corinthians 3:11 It has been said, and the saying is true, that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In The Safari, the first step in this exciting journey of faith is called Enter. At this Stage the participants are introduced to and/or reminded about the basics of the Christian faith – What it means to be a follower of Christ and how to cultivate a consistent daily personal relationship with God. It is also at this Stage that the participants are introduced to the full overview of The Safari and given the road map for the journey. The participants then embark on a practical experience together with a select few Safari Partners with whom they journey for the next several weeks before returning to base for checkpoint. 2. Encounter - The Call to Grow - Colossians 2:6-7 Whenever men and women encountered God in the Scriptures, they were never the same again. For example: Jacob went away limping but blessed; Isaiah cried over his sinfulness; Abram’s destiny was totally altered from a desert nomad to the father of nations; Each of the 12 Disciples had their lives and destinies totally transformed. This is why the second step in The Safari is called Encounter. It is designed to draw you into an encounter with God in a way that will leave your life totally transformed. Together with your Safari Partners, you will be ushered into a practical life changing journey that calls for faith, discipline, and great resilience. Through this encounter, you will develop habits that will keep you close to God for the rest of your life. 3. Embrace - The Call to Bond John 13:34-35 The world we live in today, especially in the urban centers, is characterized by high level individualism. It is a case of everybody for him or herself and God for us all. Even within Church, many people find themselves lonely and alone in the midst of large crowds. The truth is that God created us social beings and we all need each other. The spirit of independence, competition, and isolation we find in our society today is not of God. The third step in The Safari is therefore called Embrace because it aims at helping us learn how to embrace one another with arms of love. Packed with practical lessons and activities, this sector of the journey will help you develop a loving and caring spirit reminiscent of that of the Believers in the first Church. You will also be introduced to the place of the local Church and why it is important to belong. 4. Enlist- The Call to Serve - Ephesians 4:12 It was Vilfredo Pareto, the Italian economist who, in 1906, observed that economics seem to follow the 20:80 ratio, in which 20% produce for 80% of the population. It would seem that this Pareto principle applies to many Church congregations, where less than 20% of the congregation serves the idle remaining 80% observers. God never intended this to be so. If you are tired of being counted among the idle majority then you will find step four in The Safari just for you. It is entitled Enlist because it offers you opportunity to enlist in God’s service in practical and rewarding ways. In this step you will be helped to identify the gifts and talents that God has invested in you. You will then be introduced to avenues of service and ministry, some of which you may never have imagined you are capable of engaging in. Together with your Safari Partners you will be given opportunity for an exciting practical apprenticeship over several weeks before you chose which area of service to settle in. You can even initiate your own ministry in area of interest, if it does not already exist! 5. Engage - The Call to go - Matthew 5:13-15 It has been shown that the most fulfilling reality in any Believer’s life is to know and live in God’s purpose. Indeed, somebody [who?] has said: “The greatest tragedy in life is not death but life without a purpose”. This is why The Safari culminates with this final step called Engage. It is designed to prepare you to actively engage in serving the purposes of God in your life. Whether you are interested in serving God in Church or in the marketplace; whether you want to serve Him locally or internationally; whether among your community or you want to venture into cross-cultural ministry; whether you want to be a “full time” or a tent-maker; you will be equipped with practical tools to help you utilize your life, faith, resources and profession to serve Gods purpose in your own generation. The aim is to bring the reign of God in every sphere of life until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:23:45 +0000