Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

Xenophobia

Issues resulting from the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in April, when a Mozambican was murdered, continue to be very concerning. There are tents in Maputo, housing people returning from South Africa, with cross border transport and business disrupted. The latest development is the deportation of over 400 Mozambicans from South Africa this week. See BBC news item 17 May.

There has been much soul searching over this tension. You may want to read some of the news we have shared on our facebook page:

• Statement from an Extraordinary meeting of the ACSA (Anglican Communion of Southern Africa) Synod of Bishops 25 April including resolutions on xenophobia

  We discussed the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in recent weeks. Bishops from Mozambique, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and other areas of South Africa reported on the situations in their dioceses. We resolved to:

  • Urge that the crisis brought about by the violence and the search for solutions should be viewed as a regional issue, involving South Africa's neighbours and nations elsewhere in Africa as much as South Africa itself;
  • Condemn the violence unequivocally, and to lift up the stories of compassion and hope which have emerged in response to the brutality of some;
  • Endorse the Archbishop's interventions in recent weeks and align ourselves with his calls for a “new struggle” in South Africa, directed against inequality, especially inequality of opportunity.

• Archbishop Thabo’s reflection ‘Foreigners are God’s people too’
• Mia Couto’s letter to President Zuma.
• President Zuma’s response to Mia Couto

Please pray for the various Governments and the Anglican Province, the ACSA, which encompasses many of the countries involved as they seek resolution

1. Diary Dates

Thursday 4 - Wednesday 17 June. ALMA Co-ordinator to Mozambique visiting both Lebombo and Niassa and attending Diocese of Niassa Strategic Review (Wednesday 10 - Friday 12 June).

Sunday 27 June - Monday 13 July. Visit to Twyford School by headteacher and two pupils from Maciene School

Monday 6 - Monday 13 July. Visit to London by ALMA Partner, Bishop of Niassa (Northern Mozambique)

Tuesday 7 July. Link Priests’ lunch with Bishop Mark Van Koevering 12.30 - 2pm LDH Main Hall

Tuesday 7 July. Bishop Mark Van Koevering to attend Diocesan Synod

Saturday 11 July. MANNA AGM at St John’s Waterloo

Sunday 12 July 6 pm. ALMA Sunday Eucharist at St Paul’s Cathedral, preceded by

3.30 -5pm. ALMA Reps and Friends afternoon tea at St Andrew’s by the Wardrobe (close to the cathedral). With Bishop Mark and Revd Helen Van Koevering. Please RSVP. Any offers of help and cakes greatly appreciated.

August. Twyford School Teacher, Sophie Da Silva, to Maciene School

October. John Tasker, ALMA Twining Officer to Angola

Tuesday 20 October 6 - 8pm. Reps and Friends Meeting, Main Hall, Diocesan House.

2. News from our Partners

a) Angola

• Pray for the Huambo region where there are continuing repercussions since a stand-off between police and an isolationist cult in April. Details of the death toll remain disputed with MPLA and Unita taking very different positions.

  This reminds us of the fragility of peace and the continuing need to pray for continued peace in both Angola and Mozambique.

• 7 May was a double birthday for Bishop André - the anniversary of his birth and of his election as Bishop of Angola in 2003
• May also saw recognition of scouting in Angola, with both boy and girl scouts on parade.
• Benguela School, and St Stephen’s School (Luanda) building projects continue.
  

  

  

  Beguela School

b) Lebombo

• Tête was a place of joyful celebration and warm endorsement of parish twinning! Five visitors, including Revd Dilly Baker, John Guest, Ann Flett, Jonathan Gebbie, Sarah Robson and Michael White from St Mary, Stoke Newington travelled to Tête for the blessing of the new Church of the Epiphany. Both parishes have been involved in fundraising and building for several years. How wonderful to see ALMA Rep and banner maker supreme, Ann Flett, in Tête in the church she and others have literally sung their hearts out for! Who can forget the concerts for Tête? Read more about the visit on St Mary’s Blog
  

  The inscription can be translated as:
  “Serve the Lord with gladness. Built with support from the parish church of St Mary, London, to the glory of God. Dedicated on 19 April 2015 by the Bishop of the Diocese of Lebombo, the Rt Rev. Carlos Simão Matsinhe”

  

  

  The blessing of the new church of the Ephany at Tête

• The new team in Lebombo is well in place now and it is so good to be meeting them in June. Please do hold Bishop Carlos, Revd Sergio Bambo, Diocesan Secretary and Ivan Macie, ALMA Link Officer in your prayers. They have already been to visit existing ALMA, and link Parish projects and produced a very helpful summary document which is really encouraging.
• Please remember too Emeritus Bishop Dinis - still deeply involved in the peace process between Renamo and Fremlimo post elections; and also our former link officer Josephine Mutemba and family as the second anniversary of Fr Juliao Mutemba’s death approaches on 23 May.

c) Niassa

• Joanne Beale and the WASH project (Water, sanitation and health) is certainly making a splash or we hope it will when rainwater enters the newly constructed rainwater harvesting tanks in Mambucha and Ngema (twinned with St Mary’s Littleton). These tanks have been constructed using local labour and largely local materials and are a major triumph. They offer so much potential to rural communities where there is either too much or not enough rain depending on the season.

  The photographs from Joanne and Christine in this blog  show the many stages of construction and the sheer hard work of the volunteer’s team trained in a new discipline. Just a couple here – Do look at the blog for more!

  

  

  

  WASH pictures of Water Tank construction
  ©Joanne Beal and Christine Cambrook

3. London

• We had a very successful ALMA Reps meeting on 21 April and there is a full report in the meetings section of our site.
• All ALMA Singers are warmly invited to join the Diocesan Choir for the ALMA Sunday Service 6pm, 12 July at St Paul’s Cathedral. Rehearsal at 3pm. Please contact Mervyn Hogg at mervyn.hogg@blueyonder.co.uk
• We also said farewell to Bishop Paul, our Bishop for ALMA, at the end of April and this July we will say goodbye to Archdeacon Rachel who has chaired ALMA so wisely. Please remember them and your ALMA London Team at this time of change.