Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

It was good to see many of you during Helen Van Koevering’s visit to the UK in February – particular thanks to Sandi and the St Peter’s Hammersmith team for hosting such a lovely evening.

We’re also looking forward to our next meeting - Tuesday 25 March back at Diocesan House when we will:

• Review ALMA Life during 2013
• Hear from Archdeacon Rachel about her visit to Lebombo in 2013
• Pay tribute to Bishop Dinis on his official retirement date today – the 38th Anniversary of his consecration as Bishop
• Start our preparations for ALMA Sunday 2014 where we have the opportunity to acknowledge the roles of both Bishop Dinis and Bishop Michael Colclough and thank them for their long service to the ALMA partnership

2014 has not started quietly either!

• January: the Diocese of Angola’s 4th Diocesan Synod in Benguela; on 31 January the newly refurbished school buildings at Maciene (Lent Appeal 2008 ALMA project) were blessed by Bishop Dinis as the school year began.
• February: announcement of Bishop Paul Williams appointment as Bishop for ALMA and Archdeacon Rachel as Chair of ALMA Strategy Group;  Helen Van Koevering’s visit to London & UK for MU.
• March: Diocese of Niassa - Synod and election of Padre Manuel Ernesto as Suffragan Bishop elect for Lurio (Nampula & Cabo Delgado area) and clergy conference; Diocese of Lebombo – series of farewell services for Bishop Dinis in Archdeaconries; London - ALMA Strategy Group Away day.

1. Diary Dates

18 - 21 March. Bishop Dinis at Maciene with the clergy

22 - 23 March. Farewells to Bishop Dinis at Bambela for Liguirne zone and Chambone for Homoine

25 March. ALMA REPS & FRIENDS MEETING at London Diocesan House, Main Hall. Light refreshments from 5.30; meeting from 6 - 7.45 pm. Please RSVP for catering purposes

29 March. Formal Blessing T3 Bernard Mizeki Church in Maputo (a project supported by Hammersmith and Fulham Deanery Synod)

30 March. Main farewell event in Maputo for Congregations of Maputo and Umbeluze, Secular Authorities, Ecumenical organizations, NGO’s and others in Maputo

13 July. ALMA Sunday Service 6 pm St Paul’s Cathedral. We hope to have an ALMA Reps afternoon tea before the service as we did last year. Details to follow. (John Tasker ALMA Twinning Officer will be in Luanda for ALMA Sunday there and will also be leading two twinning workshops in Luanda and Uige)

18 November. ALMA Reps & Friends Meeting at London Diocesan House, Main Hall. Light refreshments from 5.30; meeting from 6 - 7.45 pm.

2. News from our Partners

a) Angola

• 
  Bishop André at Benguela Church
  In January, the 4th Angolan Diocesan Synod was held in the Igreja Anglicana, in Benguela. (This church, twinned with St John’s Pinner who helped get the church foundations and walls up to shoulder height, has been finished after a local stewardship drive based on Haggai 1:7)

  During the Synod Bishop André commissioned the Benguela School site and laid a foundation stone. This is a 2010 ALMA’s Children Lent Appeal and St John’s Pinner project.

  
  Synod meeting

  Synod identified five key priorities:

  • Priority 1: Expansion of the church throughout all territory (cost implications: vehicle; funds for church building; and land purchase.
  • Priority 2: Construction of Diocesan Headquarters and Cathedral
  • Priority 3: Construction of Anglican University in Angola and primary schools
  • Priority 4: Training of staff at all levels
  • Priority 5: Rehabilitation of Church farm
• Recently Uige District has just laid the foundation stone for the start of an ambitious project to construct a district church HQ.
• Southern Angola, especially Huila and Cunene, and northern Namibia have been affected by minimal rain over the last four years. Drought is turning into the risk of a very serious famine. ACSA highlighted this in October. Please pray that recent rain may be enough for seeds to be planted, for the availability of seeds and for all working to improve resilience. As climate change impacts on us you might be interested in the Anglican Communion’s new Eco Bishop Initiative.

b) Lebombo

• 
  Maciene School
  At the start of the new school year on 31 January the newly refurbished Maciene School (twinned with Twyford School) was officially blessed and handed over for use. This is truly joyous for ALMA too as it is the culmination of a re-assigned Lent Appeal project. Huge thanks to the hard work of Dean Carlos Matsinhe in Maciene and Michael Collop (ALMA Mozambique Projects Officer) who have worked the wires to make this happen! Building work began in April 2013 and in a combination of renovating existing buildings and new construction, there are now seven additional classrooms, a new library building, and separate administrative blocks for the two schools – primary and secondary. There is a full report of the project and the handing-over ceremony(2845Kb), with stunning before and after photos.
• During February and March Bishop Dinis has been travelling around Lebombo and paying final Episcopal visits to churches and Archdeaconries. One moving visit was on 16 March on the 40th Anniversary of his ordination as Deacon - Bishop Dinis returned to his home parish Chihunzuine/Zamdemela where he was ordained.
• A highlight of February was the blessing of Xai Xai church, Salvador do Mundo by Archbishop Thabo who also paid fulsome tribute to the ministry of Bishop Dinis:

  Immediately after Lagos, Lungi and I were joined by our daughter, Paballo, to travel to Xai-Xai in Mozambique where I was blessing a new church, Salvador do Mundo (Saviour of the World). This was a wonderful occasion, with the Diocese’s largest parish packed to capacity. The worship was so joyful and moving as Bishop Dinis Sengulane and I moved around the church, sprinkling water amid clouds of incense, accompanied by the choir all singing in unison in Mozambique’s unique alto voices. The choirmaster had a small school bell and rang it harder and harder the more we sprinkled holy water around the building! Coming from an urban diocese, dedicating new churches is not what one does frequently, especially in Shangaan and Portuguese and wearing full vestments when the temperature is 30 degrees. We are grateful for Bishop Dinis, who will retire soon after four Lambeth conferences and 38 years as a bishop in the Church of God. We are grateful for his ministry not only in the Church but in highlighting the scourge of malaria and the need for peace in the world, particularly in Mozambique. We can only say, while +Dinis is still alive, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

  Hammersmith and Fulham Deanery assisted with part of the Xai Xai project and there are pictures of the construction process as well as Bishop Dinis’ account of the blessing on the site. On 29 March Bernard Mizeki Church at T3 Maputo will be blessed - this is the other project supported by Hammersmith and Fulham Deanery

• On 30 March there will be a solemn Eucharist to be held at Maxaquene indoor Stadium to which not only Anglican Congregations are invited but also the ecumenical family, secular authorities, NGOs and others with whom the Diocese has worked.

  Archdeacon Rachel and I will be travelling to Maputo arriving on 27 March, so will be able to represent you at this and share with you afterwards.

c) Niassa

• March has been a groundbreaking month in Niassa! Diocesan Synod 6-8 March, with three visitors from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa: Bishop Rubin (Dean of the Province and Bishop of Natal, Niassa's link diocese within ACSA), Gail Allen (Secretary to Archbishop Thabo in Cape Town) and Rt Revd Charles May (Dean of Johannesburg) saw the first election for a Suffragan Bishop of Lurio. Padre Manuel Ernesto is now the Bishop Elect.
• 
  The new priests
  On Synod Sunday there were eight ordinations to the Priesthood: Revs Domingos Komakoma (Mecanhelas), Vicente Msossa (Bairro Popular), Mariano Tomo (Morrumbala), Lucas Ngondo (Chuanga), Francisco Nacamo (Chia), Osvaldo Mzama (Kango), Jaime Muachuma (Messumba), Artur Suede (Murrupula). Please pray for them. Domingos, Mariano and Artur will be diocesan priests, the others are community priests.
• Clergy training followed Synod with Bishop Rubin and Revd Chris Fox (St Paul’s Ealing) and Revd Steve Melluish (New Wine) all taking part - some wonderful pictures of all of the men praying for the women leaders in Niassa - praying for their amazing ministry to grow and bear even more fruit, and of Chris talking with Ramin (with Rosa interpreting and learning of his extraordinary ministry - 19 churches planted, three more on the way!
  
  Men praying for Women leaders

  
  Chris finding out about Ramin’s work, Rosa translating
• This week we have heard of some more sobering news from Niassa. Helen Van Koevering has shared three deaths among the MU: Isabel Raite, Adepto and MU worker in Zambezia, has died of cerebral TB., Anastancia, District President for Lunho, living in Metangula, has died and also Monica, President of Bairro Popular in Lichinga. Please pray for the MU and all those who are grieving.
• 
  The ruins of Kuchijinji church
  Also, recent winds and rains have caused the collapse of the old, much loved church at Kuchijinji. All visitors to Lichinga will remember it.

3. London News

• There were several events in February while Helen Van Koevering was with us: the special ALMA Reps meeting in Hammersmith; a visit to St Augustine’s, Whitton, Dorcas group where Helen saw the banners made for their link church in Mecahelas; and a visit to St George’s Southall and Blair Peach Primary School to see the banner project that took place last year and to meet some of the children involved. We very much hope both sets of banners (11 in total) will be on show over ALMA Sunday this year before they travel to Niassa!
• Shortly after this visit to Blair Peach we learnt that a grant application led by our School Twinning Adviser, Revd John Seymour with Rachel Woods (who spoke at the last ALMA Reps meeting) to build up curriculum resources on ALMA: ‘RE with Soul’ had been successful. This is exciting news as it will build on the curriculum work in Twyford and the Southall banner project to produce accessible resources for schools.
• 
  The ALMA Strategy Group at its awayday
  The ALMA Strategy group had an Away day (in central London!) on 8 March and were delighted to welcome Pat Phillips to the ALMA Team as Projects Officer for Angola. Pat has considerable experience of Angola and also of project management. We looked back at 2013, were encouraged by the breadth and energy of ALMA Life, and ahead to 2014 and 2015 acknowledging that this is a time of change in all partner dioceses but felt very positive about this.
• Two ALMA Friends, who had both visited Niassa, have died this year: Marshall Lees and Cathy Webber. Our thoughts are very much with their families and friends. It was special that Helen Van Koevering was able to lead the prayers at Marshall’s funeral' tangibly showing that Partnership is a deep friendship between people - A parceria é uma profunda amizade entre as pessoas (from original ALMA Covenant).
• The Diocesan Lent Appeal for 2014 (for the Bishop of London’s Mission Fund and ALMA) interestingly picks up on the same aspect of partnership. It has as its focus ‘Helping Children be Children’. Do look at the small leaflet or see more online.
• A final piece of good news to share is that in November the collection at the LLM/Reader Quinquennial relicensing service was dedicated to raising funds to buy training sets of Africa Bible Commentaries in Portuguese for Catechist training. An astonishing £2700 was given which means there will be 140 Commentaries purchased - 47 for each partner diocese. Deus es bom! The shipping and transport means it will be a few months before these reach their destinations but a huge thank you to London’s LLMs and their supporters.