Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

The email circular may have taken a summer break this year but ALMA life has clearly shown no signs of adapting to a slower summer rhythm! Since we celebrated ALMA Sunday with Bishop André on 14 July so much has happened:

• Twyford School visit to Maciene School
• Niassa Diocesan Synod
• Opening Yohannah Abdallah Church in Lichinga
• Induction new Diocesan Secretary and ALMA Link Officer in Angola
• Bishop Dinis’ Pastoral visit to Beira Area
• Archdeacon Rachel and Helen Doery’s vist to Lebombo
• Commissioning of the Lebombo 2012 Lent Appeal Vehicle
• Three visitors from Maciene to Twyford – leading to UNESCO presentation at Parliament and Twyford being awarded UNESCO Associated School Status
• St Stephen’s Canonbury visit to Luanda where Chris Newman-Day led a youth workshop and John Tasker a twinning one.

And tomorrow, 14 September:

• The 10th Anniversary of the consecration of Bishop André and Bishop Mark.

We join our friends in Angola and Niassa in giving thanks for their ministries, the growth of the church. We remember too the sacrifices they and their families have made to enable this growth to happen. Deus es bom.

The ALMA London Facebook page has been a useful way of keeping up to date with ALMA life as events happen so if you are a Facebook user please do follow and befriend us!  Fear not if you don’t - we have an ALMA Reps meeting soon - 23 October!  

1. Diary Dates

14 September. 10th Anniversary Consecration Bishop Mark and Bishop André.

Bishop André will be in Nzandi a Lukixi for the ordination of three Deacons to Priesthood.

23 October (Wed). ALMA REPS AND FRIENDS MEETING at Main Hall, Diocesan House

5.40pm for refreshments.  Meeting 6 - 7.45pm. We will have a photographic round up of the ALMA Summer including photos from ALMA Sunday and Bishop André’s visit; reports from some of the travellers including Twyford; and present an IT challenge to ALMA Reps!

** Advance Dates for 2014**

Tuesday 25 March. ALMA Reps meeting, 5.30-8.00 Main Hall London Diocesan House

Sunday 13 July. ALMA Sunday Celebration Service 6 pm St Paul’s Cathedral

Tuesday 18 November. ALMA Reps meeting, 5.30-8.00 Main Hall London Diocesan House

2. News from our Partners

a) Angola

• July 28, in the Parish of the Missionary Paterson, the Diocesan Secretary – Revd Mansita Sangi  and Representative of the Alma in Angola, Revd Maria Domingos,  were inducted. The ceremony was presided over by Bishop Andre Soares and the Dean of the Diocese Revd Kiaku Eduardo Avellino, the Archdeacon of Luanda South district Simao Adolfo and many other ministers of God, representatives of the Mothers’ Union, Youth and S Bernard Mizeki and Christian community in general were present.
• The July edition of the Angolan Diocesan news Journal O Mensagiero is now on our website where you can see some photos from Bishop Andre’s visit to the London and to the Liverpool and Derby (with MANNA), as well as pictures of Maria and Mansita’s licencing. 
• The Journal, printed by St Joseph’s Rocho Pinto has received a real boost - Jesus Church Forty Hill, their link parish have made a very generous donation towards the cost of a new printer. ALMA, and a donation from St Clement Toxteth (Archibald Patterson’s home church) have contributed the remainder. We all look forward to regularly receiving and reading this comprehensive news update from Angola.
• On 25 August a team from Diocese of New Hampshire led by Revd Gail Avery and parishioners from Church of Our Saviour, Milford, travelled to attend the consecration of the new church St Andrew’s Ondjiva in Cunene province. It was a wonderful celebration attended by Bishop André, Fr Luimbi and Mama Kikala (MU), Bishops Nathaniel and Shilala from Namibia, Government officials and local VIPS. The new school, supported by Diocese of New Hampshire, has opened its five classrooms and is also home to a women’s literacy group meeting every morning.
• We very much hope to see ALMA Schools following a similar pattern! Nsosso School is currently being finished. Once it is complete work will start on Benguela school (funded by our 2010 ALMA’s Children Lent Appeal, and by Benguela’s link parish in London, St John’s Pinner, who have so generously made this project possible).  Building in Luanda is much easier –we frequently forget the huge size of the Diocese of Angola. The second floor of the St Stephen’s Golfe School project is also starting soon (funded by St Stephen’s Canonbury and ALMA’s Children).
• 5-14 September St Stephen’s Canonbury visit to Luanda –this includes a youth workshop and a twinning workshop.
• 12 -16 September 2013 Bishop will be travelling to the district of Nzandi a Lukixi for the ordination of three Deacons to the Priesthood: Revd Sebastião Bernardo; Revd Andriano Miguel and Revd Eduardo Bengui. Revd Andriano Migue is to be the new priest at Holy Innocents in Mucaba. Please hold them in your prayers tomorrow especially.

b) Lebombo

• 5-14 Twyford School Visit to Maciene School (where an ALMA refurbishment project on the School Buildings is taking place)
• 14 July ALMA Service in Maputo with greetings sent to London by Bishop Dinis and Diocesan Secretary Bento Michangula
• 19-26 August Bishop Dinis made a pastoral visit to Pungoe area and Beira. This extensive visit involved five hours of driving each day, 11 Eucharists, 340 baptisms and confirmations and witnessed the birth of three new congregations. Do read the full report!
• 22-28 August Archdeacon Rachel and Helen Doery visited Lebombo, seeing many ALMA projects and celebrating Harvest at Maciene Cathedral when Rachel had the opportunity to preach and to share Capital vision 2020. They also spent time with Jospehine Mutemba our Link Officer, Bishop Dinis and Lina.
• Many ALMA visitors to Maputo over the years have met and been driven by Paulino. During this visit Paulino’s wife, Celina, died. Rachel and Helen were able to represent us at her funeral. Please will you hold Paulino and his daughters in your prayers?

c) Niassa

• This has been a very special time for Niassa with the culmination of years of dreaming and huge endeavours coming to fruition as Yohanna Abdallah Church in Lichinga was commissioned.  The church is named after the first Mozambican Anglican priest Yohanna Abdallah (ordained in 1898). He was biblical scholar who studied Greek extensively and shared the good news with his fellow Yao people.

  There are stunning photos showing how the whole community has participated in building and getting the church ready – the five Southall parishes being part of this too! Hopefully next year when the walls are plastered and the windows in, the wonderful banners, made at Blair Peach Primary School which we saw at St Paul’s Cathedral on ALMA Sunday will be hung in Yohanna Abdallah.

• During the inauguration service six deacons were ordained including Albertina Mucona and Claudina Cabral the first two female deacons in Niassa. They paid fulsome tribute to Revd Helen Van Koevering and the congregation used this service to formally pay tribute to Bishop Mark.
• Just prior to the inauguration Diocesan Synod was held. Three key measures were approved:
  • ACSA bishops’ proposal to establish ‘Areas’ within the Diocese of Niassa (Niassa, Lurio and Zambezia) and to elect a Suffragan Bishop for Lurio and Zambezia.
  • Synod voted for the inclusion of the following from the history of our diocese to be included in our Church Calendar:
    • 27 February - Leonard Kamungu (from Chia and missionary to Zambia);
    • 6 March - Johanna Abdullah (1st Mozambican Anglican priest);
    • 11 October - Ailliam Percival Johnson (‘apostle’ to the Lakeshore);
    • 9 November - Arthur Douglas (Martyr in Cobue).
  • Synod voted for a limit to the age of ‘youth’: traditionally it has been up until age 35. ‘Youth’ is now 13-18, and young adults are 19-35.
• Interesting news report published by the Anglican Communion Office today on Niassa: Strengthened from Within – Niassa Communities Thrive. This is about the Diocesan salt, light and health project

3. London

• Bishop André’s visit went really well. There were many opportunities for him to meet people around the diocese and beyond. At the Reps meeting we will show the visit pictures which give an idea of the full itinerary!
• Hopefully you all enjoyed the afternoon tea at St Vedast (many thanks to Revd Alan McCormack) before we went together to the Cathedral for a very special service to mark ALMA’s 15 years!. Many thanks to the Cathedral, especially Canon Jonathan, Richard Moores and Jane Laws as well as to the St Stephen’s Canonbury Children who led the Angolan creed, and the two dedicated music groups from St Paul’s Old Ford and St John’s Greenhill Harrow who so ably led us and taught us the two Taize songs in Portuguese.
• If any of you missed ALMA Sunday this year you can see the Service sheet online. This, and the new ALMA Sunday section on our website are really good resources if you want to have an ALMA themed service in your parish.
• In the last week we have also welcomed three visitors from Maciene School to London: Mr Langa the head teacher and pupils Ismael and Euclidia. They threw themselves into life at Twyford Schol where they participated in a tripartite UNESCO debate with Twyford and visiting Chinese students  at Parliament. The UKNational Coordinator of UNESCO Associated Schools Project network, Robert Parrington, said they were the best presentations he had ever witnessed as he gave Twyford Head, Alice Hudson, Twyford’s Associated Schools Certificate.

Ps: In past circulars we have mentioned the importance of the church’s role in promoting Birth Registration. This recent article on the topic pays tribute to Fr Juliao Mutemba’s work.