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2012 Annual Report

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ALMA Annual Report 2012

Download a brochure version of the report (PDF254Kb)

Dinis Wedding Dinis Wedding ALMA Sunday ALMA Concert

2012 Key Events

January: Foundation stone laid at T3 church Maputo (L); Tropical storm Funso hits Maciene School (L); Flooding along Zambezi (N); 1st woman priest in Angola, Joana Francisco, ordained

February:  Launch London Lent Appeal  ‘Giving Ministry Wheels’; Opening of Songo School (A)- a joint project between St Botolph’s -without -Bishopsgate in London and St Barnabas Connecticut

August: Tenth Anniversary of Diocese of Angola with ACSA Archbishop Thabo. Celebrations in Luanda and Uige and foundation of Bernard Mizeki Guild.

September: Bishop Mark Van Koevering (N) visits London; peaceful elections in Angola - the 2nd elections, since the end of the civil war;

October: Bishop of Kensington, Paul Williams visits both Dioceses in Mozambique; 20 years of peace in Mozambique marred by tension between authorities and Renamo opposition

December: Death of Fr Germano Mandlate, priest at Beira (L); Marriage of Bishop Dinis Sengulane and Lina Valói by Archbishop Thabo in Maputo (L)

2012 Visits

The 1998 ALMA Covenant says ‘Partnership is a deep friendship between people their families and their offspring’.  Visits enable this to happen, as a 2012 visitor shares: ‘It changed the nature of the relationship completely - it went from being remote and impersonal to being close, personal and fun’

Visit

Three Parish visits to Niassa

Two Episcopal visits

One Visit to Angola for 10th Anniversary of the Diocese Celebrations

One Visit to Lebombo for the marriage of Bishop Dinis Sengulane and Lina Valói

Dinis and Lina

See the list of visits in 2012 here.

ALMA Links in 2012

2012 started with 55 active links.

Six new links started in 2012, four with Mozambique and two with Angola; and three existing Mozambique links closed

Angola

St Mary the Virgin, Primrose Hill twinned with St Peter’s, Cazenga in Luanda, and St Paul’s Primary School, Hampstead with St Peter’s School, Cazenga. These two links connect the first woman priest in Angola, Revd Joana Franciso (now Archdeacon of Luanda North) and her parish and church primary school, with Revd Marjorie Brown in London, the parish which she leads, and the associated church primary school

Lebombo

St Matthew, Yiewsley had been considering twinning for four years and we were pleased that the parish now has two keen ALMA reps to take forward the parish link with St Stephen, Matola and also between the two parishes’ associated church primary schools.

Niassa

The link between Edward Betham Primary School and All Saints School in Nacala developed an offshoot in the form of a connection between the two related Mothers’ Union branches in Holy Cross, Greenford and All Saints, Nacala. In addition, St Mary with St Alban, Teddington joined the existing link between St Peter & St Paul, Teddington and St James, Hampton Hill with Pemba.

ALMA London in 2012

ALMA London volunteer teamhas been enhanced by the presence of three new officers - Projects Officers for Mozambique (Michael Collop) and Angola (Ian Gleeson); Schools Twinning Adviser (Revd Dr John Seymour), and two dedicated LDF accounting personnel with time allocations for ALMA. The ALMA Strategy Group has four London Readers or LLMs from four different Episcopal areas. Three officers attended Partners in World Mission conference on ‘World Shaped Mission – becoming cross cultural Christians’

ALMA was invited to preach at St Matthew’s, Yiewsley; St Mary’s, Stoke Newington; St Andrew’s, Enfield; St Francis of Assisi, Isleworth; Holy Trinity, Tottenham; St Stephen’s Canonbury. Also led a Post Ordination Training session and a Mothers’ Union Prayer meeting in Cathedral

ALMA Presentations at Hackney Deanery Synod, and also at Hammersmith and Fulham and a display on impact of climate change on ALMA Partners at ‘Route around the World’

ALMA communicates through monthly email news circulars, the ALMA website and also a new ALMA London facebook page. The circular is received by 85 ALMA Reps and 200+ ALMA Friends including groups in London, Angola, Lebombo, Niassa, South Africa and USA. The ALMA London Facebook page now has 89 friends. Faster communication is encouraging and has helped in building relationships

ALMA Facts and Figures 2012

2012 London Lent Appeal: ‘Giving Ministry Wheels’ raised £63,535.27 for the purchase of a vehicle for Angola, Lebombo and Niassa. The vehicles for Lebombo and Niassa have been purchased and are in use.

Donations to ALMA in 2012:

Unrestricted Donations
(ALMA General Fund)
£8,394.62
Restricted Donations
(includes Lent Appeal; Special Projects; Link parish/school programmes)
£149,864.70
Donations remitted to ALMA Partners in 2012 £132,588.70

This includes: £25,000 grant from Hope Aid for Cobue Clinic; support for ALMA Link Officers in partner dioceses; support for Salt Light and Health project; water projects in Niassa; support towards the building of Yohannah Abdallah church; Bernard Mizeki T3 church; the St Barnabas Bagamoyo crèche; rainwater harvesting project at Homoine church; assistance to Maciene school after storm damage; support for community development projects in Mandimba and work of the church at Thlabane, Malhazine and Matola.