Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

Apologies for the interruption to the normal circular schedule. Of necessity this circular will be a catch up one: flagging up forthcoming events, in particular ALMA Sunday on 13 July with a very special visit from Bishop Dinis and Lina Sengulane (on her first visit to London) and with Bishop Michael, former ALMA Chair; highlighting the key events of the last couple of months; and with a plea to use the ALMA London facebook page to keep up to date between circulars.

In the last few months we have been able to share some of our Passiontide and Easter worship with each other via photos and reports on Facebook: from Palm Sunday at St Stephen and St Lawrence in Maputo, Palm Sunday in Lichinga, to news of the first ever Palm Sunday at Tottenham Hale – London’s newest church community.  More recently we have shared joy in Niassa at the consecration of their first Suffragan Bishop, Bishop Manuel Ernesto. Facebook is certainly helping us abolish distance and is giving link churches and schools a new way of being in touch and sharing ideas and developments in ministry and mission.

1. Diary Dates

12 July MANNA AGM St John’s Waterloo

13 July am Bishop Dinis will be preaching at St John’s Friern Barnet

3.30pm - 5.00pm ALMA Reps and Friends Afternoon Tea with Bishop Dinis and Lina at St Andrew’s by the Wardrobe (very close to St Paul’s Cathedral). Please RSVP to Helen at almacomms@london.anglican.org for catering purposes.

6.00 pm ALMA SUNDAY SERVICE St Paul’s Cathedral

There is also an opportunity for musical ALMA reps to join the Diocesan Choir for this service. Please register with the choir convenor:  Mervyn Hogg Mob: 07770 641645 Email: mervyn.hogg@blueyonder.co.uk

Rehearsal 15:00 Music to include : A Peruvian Gloria; Mass of St Cedd, P. Nardone Anthems: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, E. Poston Be Thou My Vision, B.Chilcott Hymn: Jesus Cristo em breve virá

17 July Bishop Dinis will attend Diocesan Synod

8 August Election for new Bishop of Lebombo will start at 7am with communion in Maciene Cathedral

2. News from Our Partners

a) Angola

• Angola’s Diocesan newsletter is now a regular feature on our website and it means we now share some of the special Sundays and events with our partners – including celebrations to mark World Day of the Child; the inauguration of the Parish of the Ascension; a visit from former ALMA Chair Bishop Graham Dow who has family connections with the Nora Sturgess Health Centre in Lobito.
• Sadly a fire in a neighbouring property spread to the Luanda Diocesan Office and caused considerable damage to the roof and to files. ALMA has joined with MANNA and two other partners of the Angolan church to make a contribution towards the repairs.
• Revd Maria Domingos, our Link Officer has visited Nsosso School which is now watertight and being used but awaits further internal finishing and an official opening in due course.

b) Lebombo

• Over the last three months events across Lebombo have taken place to mark Bishop Dinis’ retirement as Bishop of Lebombo after 38 years (which also made him the longest serving Bishop in the Anglican Communion). Archdeacon Rachel and I were privileged to attend the service in Maputo along with some Bishops from ACSA and Mrs Lunghi Makgoba representing Archbishop Thabo. This was broadcast live on national television and among the guests were the National Peace Committee who heard the message Ola Paz very clearly. Some photos of the service in the Maputo indoor stadium are on this site.
• We were also able to visit ongoing ALMA projects in Lebombo, including:
  • the wonderfully refurbished Maciene School which looked every bit as wonderful as Dean Carlos Matsinhe’s report and pictures
  • The Magumeto Children’s project where we witnessed the solar panels that will power the 120 metre borehole to provide water for the ALMA nursery school, church and village being installed. There are pictures on the project page of this website
  • The official opening of Bernard Mizeki Church in T3 area of Maputo at which Archdeacon Rachel was invited to preach – this was also on national television.
  • Visits to other projects including the church at Influene; the nursery building at Magoanine and of course catching up with many old friends
• Dean Carlos Matsinhe has been appointed Vicar General of the Diocese until the appointment of the new Bishop of Lebombo. Elections take place on 8 August at Maciene so please pray for the clergy and the potential candidates as they prepare for this day.

c) Niassa

• 
  The new Suffragan Bishop of Niassa, Bishop Manuel Ernesto, with his wife Laura
  The last week has been an extraordinary one for the diocese of Niassa. On Saturday 14 June Padre Manuel Ernesto was consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Niassa with special responsibility for Lurio (Nampula region) and Zambezia. Archbishop Thabo and his wife Lunghi and two Suffragan Bishops from South Africa were in Nampula for the ceremony which was a truly historic moment for Niassa - as multiplication starts! Please pray for Bishop Mark and Helen, Bishop Manuel and Laura as they start a new phase in building the kingdom.

3. London News

• In London we mourned the loss of a truly dedicated ALMA Rep, Rose Thompson of St John’s Pinner. Rose visited both Angola and Mozambique at turbulent times in their history and has championed them ever since, particularly Benguela her twin parish. Her funeral collection was for the school at which Bishop André laid the foundation stone in January and for which she has organised many concerts.  It will be a fitting legacy for her commitment.
• Several ALMA friends gathered at the Cathedral last week to be ‘ALMA’ as part of 24/7 prayer joining with others across this Diocese and beyond in this great wave of prayer.
• Several Londoners are visiting partners this summer:
  • John Tasker, ALMA Twinning Officer, will be in Angola for ALMA Sunday in July, leading a twinning workshop in Luanda, Uige and possibly in Cunene and visiting St Stephen’s, Canonbury link parish St Stephen’s Golfe
  • Canon Philippa Boardman from the Cathedral will be visiting Niassa
  • Rebecca Burrell from St George’s Queen’s Square will be visiting Zambezia and Milange and the two members of St George’s (Jo and Andy Beale) working for the Diocese of Niassa WASH programme in Milange.
  • Revd Chris Swift and Sandy Swift return to Niassa and their link parish, coincidently in Milange too, in September
  • Simon Gordon Clarke hopes to visit Angola in October in particular the Church of Patterson the Missionary
• Please do send any news from your link parishes so we can include it in the next circulars and do think of joining facebook if you have a computer!