Reflections On Soma School
Reflections On Soma School
I spent the last week of January in Tacoma, Washington doing a week long immersion with Soma Communities. Going into the week I was fairly familiar with Soma and had borrowed much of what they do for our church plant. Heading into the week I hoped to nail down a few questions I had about their systems and solidify my understanding of what they are doing. I expected to enjoy my time but did not expect anything spectacular out of the week. That would happen to the dudes going who had no clue about Missional Communities and were hearing about it for the first time.
What happened over the course of the week was unexpected. I have still not completely unpacked it but I know the Holy Spirit was moving. I had expected to come back with a refined system and what I returned with was a renewed awareness of my need for the Spirits power. In fact, Soma was less impressive than I had imagined. They were ordinary people desperately in need of an extraordinary God to show up and move amongst them. The missional communities we visited were messy and full of real people with real problems. There were stories in process that didn’t yet have a clear cut beautiful ending.
I got to spend most of my time with the Ticas family. Sam and Dina Ticas hosted Jonathan Dodson and myself. From the first day we stepped into their home we were treated with hospitality and treated like family. They didn’t just provide us with a place to sleep, but a place to be at home for the week. Sam is a pastor at Soma and all throughout the week he let me pick his brain as he answered my numerous questions. Dina fed us with some amazing(healthy as well) meals. As the week went on I felt as though I had gained a new brother and sister. Their three kids (Katie, Mason, and Lazaro) were hospitable as well. They were shy at first but after a few days of having me in their home they went on as if I was a regular part of the family.
During the days we had long hours of classroom training. Each training allowed us to pop the hood of Soma and see what they are about. I picked up some valuable nuggets here, but overwhelming message that came through was a huge love of the Gospel and a desperate dependance on the Holy Spirit. It couldn’t have come at a more critical time for me.
The highlight of the weekly trainings was Friday. In the morning Jeff Vandersteldt unpacked Gospel Fluency (the ability to speak the gospel into everyday situations) and Abe Mysenburg closed out the day by taking us through the 4G’s (God is Great, God is Good, God is Glorious, God is Gracious). As Abe was unpacking the 4G’s I realized that it had been a few months since I had dug deep into my own heart and motives. The Spirit was pressing in on my heart and moving me towards repentance. I realized that I had been going so hard and fast with church planting that much of what I was doing was in my own power. My dependance was rooted in my reason, not in the Holy Spirit. This had manifested itself in the prior weeks as I found myself more and more easily frustrated and stressed. I had begun to carry the weight of church planting on my shoulders when only Jesus can bear it.
After Abe walked us through the 4G’s we broke up into groups of 3-4 (gender specific) and took turns confessing to one another. The Spirit was at work as every guy in our group very honestly confessed junk in their lives while the other guys pressed into the ugly reality of that sin and then proclaimed the truth of the Gospel in a way each guy needed to hear. For me it was a breath of fresh air. It had been several months since I had confessed sin this honestly or even considered the inner motives of my heart. Here I was with guys I barely knew freely confessing the junk in my heart. It was a much needed grace for me.
The day was capped off with a time of worship. During worship our group of 4 guys went and took communion together, proclaiming Christ’s provision to each other. It was the first time I have experienced communion in a way that felt like more than me and Jesus. It was a family around a table, all in need of Christ broken body and blood shed to sustain us.
By the end of the week the Soma school participants felt like family. We had shared a common experience and an undeniable move of the Holy Spirit. The last night we were all there we met at the Shakabra (Restaurant owned by some people from Soma) for a time of reflection. Each person went around the room and shared what God had taught them over the week. It was obvious that nearly every participant had been deeply impacted by the time they had spent there with the Soma family. After everyone had shared one of the Soma school participants asked if we could pray for Soma. For the next thirty minutes the entire room prayed together for Soma and a continued move of the Holy Spirit as people go back to their own cities.
Over 60 people packed in a room and all together in one Spirit asking God to continue the work he started. People desperate to see their cities transformed with the Gospel realizing their deep need for the Spirits empowering. It was an unexpected and yet fitting ending to the week. I went home changed by it. Not because Soma is special or because I learned some new strategy. In fact, I learned very little that I did not already know. I walked away changed because I witnessed and experienced a community where the Holy Spirit is alive and well. A community where everyday people are living ordinary lives with Gospel intentionality, trusting in the power of the Spirit.
*For a more detailed and better written review of Soma school you can check out Steve McCoy’s blog HERE.
