Live blogging the Mighty Men of God 2010

If you're interested to see some of what is taking place in Greytown at the Mighty Men of God weekend I'll try to post pictures and short videos. Please check the following URL's

http://www.twitter.com/digitaldion
http://www.friendfeed.com/digitaldion
And for video http://www.qik.com/digitaldion or http://digitaldion.tumblr.com

With over 400 thousand men cell phone access to the Internet is not always that reliable, but I'll try to post tweets, pictures and videos as I'm able.

For the geeks, I'm using an iPhone 3GS with echofon for tweets, qik for video and the tumblr app for other updates.

A video of the worship below

Be blessed today wherever you are! I'd love to hear any comments and feedback on the comments link below.

Dion

Final reflection on day 3 below.

I'll try to find some time tomorrow to post a decent reflection with some more photos and thoughts.  

I cam simply say that it was a worthwhile weekend for me and the guys that went with us.  I was truly blessed by the many men who were together - it was particularly encouraging that there were men of all different ages, races and theological perspectives together.  The challenge was simple and clear - men need to take up this responsibility in society.  I don't believe that this is a challenge to the role of persons who are not Christian, or a responsibilty that excludes any Christian grouping, or women (as some in the media have reported).  Rather, it was a simple challenge to men to work for social transformation, racial reconciliation, responsibility in their families.

Cape Town for Jesus - what a wonderful day!

Yesterday was truly a special day at the Cape Town (Greenpoint) stadium.  I'm sure that the 22nd of March 2010 will be remembered by many of the 50 000 people who arrived for the special event.  The program went off very well with a great mix between praise and worship, prayer and some speakers.  I was particularly pleased to leaders and members of various Churches and ministries in the City of Cape Town from all sorts of denominations and groupings in attendance.  The Moderator of the Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian Churches were in attendance, as were many Methodist colleagues, senior leaders from the Anglican, Catholic and Baptist Churches, as well as many pastors from independent, charismatic and pentecostal Churches. The spread of ages among the participants and attendees was also a point of great joy.  There were so many young people participating in the program and in attendance at the event.  In fact 32 youth soccer teams came dressed in the national colours, with flags, for the nations that will be participating in the upcoming world cup soccer event.  Then, it was also so encouraging to see the political leaders of the nation and city arriving to be prayed for - it was particularly special since the leaders had a chance to stand on stage as children from the city prayed for them and their leadership and responsibilities in the nation.

Angus Buchan was the main speaker at the event - and he was well received!  The first part of his message encouraged South Africans to start taking responsibility for the nation, and to start making a really positive contribution towards transformation and renewal in society (which includes elements such as racial reconciliation, shifting the wealth of the nation, and of course also standing against crime and corruption).  The second part of his message encouraged men to live responsibility in their family lives and work lives.

Another notable element was the time spent focussing on the issue of human trafficking and child abuse.  The video clips that were shown, as well as Dr Ashely Cloete's input (from Child Welfare South Africa), was truly moving and inspired many to make a difference in this regard.

Graham Power and Steven Johnstone also gave a great challenge for the Unashamedly Ethical campaign for to which thousands of individuals committed to stand for values, ethics and clean living, as well as to establish communities for values and ethics.

I want to congratulate Etienne Piek and the Global Day of Prayer team for their exceptional arrangements in the stadium, and particularly to Etienne for his incredible work in putting together (and holding together) the diverse program on the day!  I played a small part in making sure that all of the members of the programme made it to the prayer room and on stage on time - it was a joy to run behind the scenes.  One of the persons that I had the privilege to meet is Hennie Smit (who is the actor that plays 'Bertie' in Egoli - what a nice guy!  He was so kind and patient with everyone, including myself).

So, all in all, this was an exceptional day on which the city came together to pray for Cape Town, to ask for God's blessing and protection during the world cup, and to chart the path ahead for a Christ renewed South Africa.

If you attended the event I'd love to hear your feedback!

I may be off the grid for a few days - I am on my way to Malaysia in an hour or so (via Hong Kong), and then to Singapore, and back to Hong Kong for a day's meetings before flying back to Cape Town just before Easter.  I hope to post a few photographs and reflections on the various meetings and speaking engagements we have over there (mostly they are around the Global Day of Prayer, Unashamedly Ethical, our new book 'Transform your work life', and Lausanne).

Cape Town for Jesus - the final countdown!

With just 19 hours to go to the start of the Cape Town for Jesus event at the new Cape Town stadium in Greenpoint, my excitement is growing.

I spent the day here with our wonderful Global Day of Prayer team running through the rehearsal and final arrangements for the day. Etienne Piek, the head of GDOP has done an incredible job on putting together a diverse group of participants - with a wide range in age, gender, race and theological background. Among the participants will be Graham Power, Angus Buchan, Nicky Cruz, Barry Isaacs, Zoleka Majola, AyJay Jaantjies and many others.

In the one picture in this post you'll see my friend John van de Laar who runs a ministry called Sacredise.  John is a gifted musician who has his own CD's and has even written books on worship.  His particular specialty is bringing together diverse styles of worship (contemporary and liturgical, as well as African and more western styles - see http://www.sacredise.com for more on his ministry.  Some of the other musicians who will be leading worship include Retief Burger, Trevor Sampson and Usher Bell.

The stadium itself is something to behold! It is incredible!  There is a high priority on security - could I please warn you not to bring bags of any kind with you (women may bring a small handbag, but that's about it).

Remember that the gates open at 11am and you must have sourced your ticket from Computicket beforehand at http://www.computicket.com - I have had a few people contact me regarding the parking arrangments for the event.  Please see this PDF document for details of parking around the City of Cape Town for Cape Town for Jesus.

If you're attending look out for me and say hi! I'll be running behind the stage in a bright orange golf shirt with a GDOP logo on it. Also please leave a comment below to let me know what your experience of the day was.

When last I heard 50 000 of the avialable 55 000 seats had been allocated. So we're looking forward to an awesome time!

Cape Town for Jesus! iKapa lelika Yesu!

I attended the program committee meeting for the Cape Town for Jesus prayer gathering that will be taking place at the new Cape Town (Greenpoint) Soccer stadium on the 22nd of March.

The incredible variety of participants in the program is so exciting!  It is going to be an awesome time of diverse worship, many opportunities to focus upon and pray for important issues (among them are the City of Cape Town, the Soccer World cup - there will be 32 soccer teams in attendance!, issues such as human trafficking, racial reconciliation, crime, poverty, HIV/AIDS, ethics and values and a whole host of other important issues).

I had the joy of speaking with uncle Angus Buchan at the Turn2God event in Pretoria on Saturday - he is so excited about speaking at the Cape Town for Jesus prayer event.  I also had a chance to speak with Helen Zille and Kenneth Meshoe (who have both indicated that they will be in attendance at the event).

Please could I ask that you publicize this event as widely as you possibly can?  Please put it in your Church's notices, get your youth groups, women's and men's groups, your friends, cell groups and family to get their tickets as soon as possible.

Tickets can be purchased from Computicket (either online, or from any Checkers store).

There are only 2 Sundays left before the event, so please don't miss the opportunity to give it some exposure in your notices this Sunday.  Gates open at 11am, the worship will start soon after that, and the official program will run from 13.00-16.00.

For more information you can see the Global Day of Prayer, South Africa, website at http://www.gdop-sa.com

Lastly, if you use twitter you can follow the events for Cape Town for Jesus at http://www.twitter.com/CapeTown4Jesus

Below are a few images from Saturday's Turn2God event at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.  

Some of the volunteers

A few of the Christian sports personalities in attendance

Angus Buchan and Helen Zille

Some of the leaders in prayer

Cape Town for Jesus tickets available! 22 March 2010

UPDATE:  Here is the direct link to book your tickets for this great event.

I had the joy of attending the Turn2God event in Pretoria this week and it was so special!  Cape Town for Jesus will be just as great!

Original post:

I received the following email from our Global Day of Prayer offices this morning. See http://www.gdop-sa.com for more.

This is going to be a special event where people of all ages, races and denominations will gather to pray for the city of Cape Town and for the World Cup soccer events that will be taking place in the city (and the nation). I would encourage you to be part of this special event! I would love to see all my friends in Cape Town joining together to pray for our city.

Let's not allow theological differences to keep us from celebrating our love for Christ, our commitment to our city, and modeling our Christian unity in diversity!

I remember the first Transformation Africa event at Newlands Rugby Stadium in 2001 - it was such an awesome time to see young and old, poor and wealthy, white and black worshiping and praying together for the city!

Mayor of Cape Town (Da Plato) and our Provincial Premier (Helen Zille) will be in attendance, as will a number of Christian sports persons, soccer world cup ministry leaders, and of course many Christian leaders from across the country and the world! I hope you'll be among them!

Good News!!

Tickets for “Cape Town for Jesus” prayer gathering are NOW OPEN FOR SALE at Computicket.

'A great prayer gathering will be held on Monday 22 March (public holiday) this year at the new Cape Town stadium'

This special occasion will be the first opportunity in which this beautiful new stadium will be fully utilized prior to the handover to FIFA for the Soccer World Cup tournament.

The program for the day will have as its focus prayer and blessing for the stadium; our city; provincial and national leaders; the Soccer World Cup Tournament; our children and youth and the emergency services operating in and around the stadium. Uncle Angus Buchan will be the main speaker on the day. Let’s join together with 68 000 others to commit our city, our nation, and the 2010 soccer stadiums to the Lord!

Tickets can be booked at Computicket http://www.computicket.com/web/event/cape_town_for_jesus/110515079

Entrance: R40pp (all persons (including babies) are required to be in posession of a ticket)

Gates open from 11:00 Prayer program from 13:00 to 16:00

There is no limit to the number of tickets you are allowed to purchase, so BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment!

Visit http://www.gdop2010.com for more information.

Finally, there are 10 000 tickets that are made available at R10 per ticket (this covers the cost of the train and / or bus into the city) for persons who cannot afford to travel to the city, or cannot afford to pay the regular ticket price. These tickets can be booked via the GDOP offices at 021 856 3130. The regular tickets, at R40 per person, cover the cost of some of the city amenities that we're using (safety officials, permits etc), plus the cost of hiring the stage and equipment for the day.

Please consider advertising this event in your Church bulletin, or letting friends and family in the Cape Town area know about it.

Thanks!

Dion

Update on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 10:59PM by Dr Dion Forster

A reader of the blog sent me an email expressing some concern about needing to 'pay to pray'.  I understand his concern and so sent him an email in response.  I am not sharing his email here since I have not asked his permission.  The gist of it, if I understood him correctly, was that it is not a good witness to persons who are not Christian that the event organisers are asking Christians to pay to come to the Cape Town stadium for a day of prayer.  He suggested that we should make it free and 'trust God to provide' for the costs incurred.

Here's my response to him.  I'd love to hear your perspective!

Hi Mr X,

Thanks so much for your email.  I appreciate it a great deal.  It is always great to connect.

Mr X, the event itself was at the invitation of the City of Cape Town (in fact it was Mrs Zille who invited Graham to take it up).  They needed to test the stadium's systems, but since it is getting close to the world cup they wanted something that could test the systems without putting much load on the pitch.  A concert or other such event was the perfect choice!  She thought of us since we pray with her fairly regularly and that's how it all started.

Of course there are costs involved in setting up such an event.  First, we have to pay for the all of the permits and city officials that are necessary for the event (emergency services, traffic officials, security, stadium staff, cleaning staff etc.)  This is a test event and so they have to use their staff and systems.  Then there is the additional cost of setting up the stage and sound for the event.  This is a soccer stadium and so all of this equipment has to be brought in.  Computicket is the world cup ticketing system.  We did want to do our own tickets but could not do so, they takes a fee (in the region of R15) per ticket.

Then of course there is the cost of providing trains and busses for 14 000 persons to get to the stadium from the various areas that cannot afford to travel here.  That costs hundreds of thousands of rands.

At the end of the day it is costly to do set up such an event for our city.  In better times some individuals, or groups, may have been able to fund the event entirely.  This is not currently the case.  While we have a number of very large donors the shortfall had to be made up out of ticket sales.  Surely you would not expect the tax payer to pay for an event such as this?

Mr X, my suggestion is that you pray for our city without feeling the need to be at the stadium.  Those persons who wish to gather will be there (both those who could afford to purchase a ticket, and those to whom tickets were supplied without charge).

I disagree that it is a poor witness.  If someone stood to make money from the event then that would be one thing, however the event will cover its own costs and at most a person would have to pay R40 for an incredible day with other believers, praying for the city and nation.  What a joy!  I think it will be a wonderful testimony!

Thanks for your email.

Together with you in Christ,

Dion

Just to mention that while I have participated in the arrangement of the event I am not an official spokesperson, this is merely my personal opinion and perspective on this wonderful event.