Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

I hope you have all had a good summer and enjoyed the exuberant news from St Stephen’s Luanda as much as our ALMA Link Officer in Niassa! Revd Helen van Koevering responded: ‘What a wonderful report. No wonder you wanted to do a separate circular. Great. We can learn a lot from them’

Please keep sending in your link parish news and news of ALMA events. Sharing like this strengthens, encourages, energises and affirms the whole link and serves as a catalyst and an ideas exchange!

None of us who attended the Canto da ALMA Concert at St Mary’s Stoke Newington organised by 19 year old Sarah Warren, which raised over £1000 for the building of a church in Tete, will ever forget the wonderful singing from Sarah, her friends and ALMA Rep Ann Flett. It was all set against the majestic George Gilbert Scott pulpit from which the Rivers of Prayer fabric flowed – all the way to Tete!

The Concert

The performers

Ann Flett

The Pianist

Click for full sized pictures

1. Diary Dates

Two ALMA Meetings with visitors from Mozambique ***

Wednesday 5 October 6 - 8 pm, Main Hall at London Diocesan House

Fr Germano

Fr Germano Mandjate, Priest at St George’s Beira, and previously at Maciene, is visiting his link parish St John’s Friern Barnet for the celebration of their centenary on Sunday 9 October. We’re meeting Fr Germano on Wednesday - all Reps and Friends welcome and especially Lebombo links.

Wednesday 12 October 6 – 8 pm, Main Hall at London Diocesan House

Rebecca Vander Meulen

Rebecca Vander Meulen, Diocese of Niassa Director of Mission, and previously head of the Equipa da Vida is coming through London. Again all Reps and Friends are welcome especially Niassa Links and those involved in Health Issues and Advocacy. It’s a few years since we heard directly from Rebecca in May 2007 on her last visit to London so please do take advantage of this opportunity to hear about the expansion of the ‘Equipas da Vida’, the Adeptos, the community development ministry and the Salt, light and Health project in the Diocese of Niassa.

Other Dates of Interest:

Monday 26 - Wednesday 28 September. Synod of Bishops in Southern Africa

Please pray for the Synod as multiplication of the Dioceses in Mozambique is on the agenda.

Friday 7 October. Concert at St Augustine’s Whitton for Mecanelhas

Sunday 9 - Monday 10 October. Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the Anglican Church in Mozambique and Malawi. The Archbishop of Canterbury will be going to Blantyre for the celebrations.

Monday 17 October 6.30 - 9.30 pm, and Wednesday 19 October 11 - 4 pm and 6.30- 9.30 (wine and canapés 7 - 8pm). Photographic Exhibitions Southern African Faces and Places - Southern Africa, Namibia & Mozambique at Christchurch Fulham church, 67 Studdridge St, SW6 3TD.

2. News from our Partners

a) Angola

• Domingos Mbomba Massala shares how the celebrations at St Stephen’s Luanda went:

  ‘We had a full weekend with many activities. The thanksgivings service was the central point of the anniversary celebration. We had a very very long service, from 10:00 AM to 3:00PM. We had Bishop Chukwudi Samuel Ezeofor from the Nigerian Diocese of Ogbaru preaching for us in the service. We also the holy communion, choir singing, etc. Bishop André also came to attend the service and welcome his colleague from Nigeria. One of Bishop André’s sons got married on Saturday at São José parish in Rocha Pinto.

  We were happy to welcome in our church two members of the Nigerian embassy in Angola, in representation of the ambassador. We also invited the ambassadors of the UK, of Brazil, of the USA and South Africa. But none of them came. The idea was to share the anniversary service with the official representatives of the countries in which we have the Anglican church and there is a friendship with their churches and the churches in Angola. We know they are very busy people but we’re sure they’ll come in a next opportunity. We also welcomed in the church one MP. After the service we had a big lunch in the church.’

b) Lebombo

• On 26 August Bishop Dinis featured in the Church Times reporting on the significant role of Anglican Church Choirs as a tool against malaria.
• Fr Agostino, Archdeacon of Inhambane sent two recent pictures: the Harvest festival at Chambone which ‘was the special day full of Joy. it was the time of happiness for all. I only collected one photograph when the youth where coming to the altar singing; the other photograph is from the choir in during their conference a month ago’.
  
  Harvest Festival at Chambone

  
  The Choir
• Hammersmith and Fulham Deanery Synod have assisted with the completion of Xai Xai church and also with the building of St Bernard Mizeki T3 church – a church plant from St Ciprien’s, Maputo. We have received photos of the laying of the concrete floor in Xai Xai –a major community effort. We have also just received information on the history and vision for T3 along with building plans.

c) Niassa

• Bishop Mark and Helen came through UK briefly, having taken their eldest son, Jake, to start University in Philadelphia. They did however, manage to squeeze in speaking at St Pancras and St Paul’s Ealing and met some of the Niassa reps and priests at an afternoon tea last Sunday. They return via their provincial Synod of Bishops next week and will be in Blantyre for the 150th Anniversary and then busy training – see below!

  Month	Trainings	Episcopal visits	VK school holidays
  October	10-30 Community Priests, Part 3	9-10 Regional celebration of arrival of Anglican Church in Mozambique/Malawi. 14-16 Chiundo 20-24 Ngoo 28-30 Chia
  November	8-19 Clergy retreat and ‘Training the Trainers’ training programme begins. 20-21 POT for deacons 28-30 Leadership training and planning with new diocesan youth leaders.	5-7 Chuanga. 25-27 Messumba
  December rains		6-7 Diocesan meetings 9-12 Sanjala	Schools end 2nd Dec

3. London News

• 
  Ann-Marie Turner with members of the ALMA Strategy Group
  Ann-Marie Turner our Finance Officer now has a full time job so, with regret, has had to hang up her ALMA hat. At strategy group we were able to thank her for her contribution, give her our best wishes for the future and give her a small gift on your behalf. Part of the gift was a necklace from Mozambique bought in unusual circumstances - at a market stall in Amsterdam where I, recognising the Mozambican batiks, spoke with the stall holder to find Ivony was not only an Anglican from Xai Xai but also knew Bishop Dinis and Fr Josias and that her family home was in Maciene! Small worlds.

  In the interim please will you send enquiries about finance and donations to me at almacoordinator@london.anglican.org or by post to ALMA, London Diocesan House, 36 Causton St, London SW1P 4AU.

• We have now written draft parish profile forms to assist parishes in drawing up their profiles. They are in no way meant to be prescriptive or to curb creativity but rather to assist by giving some pointers to the sort of information that may be useful. We’d very much value your comments on these if you are embarking on twinning.
• John Tasker will be visiting Angola 21-29 October so if you would like to send a letter or some photographs to your link parish you may want to prepare these and bring to one of the meetings this month.

4. Wider Issues

1. Landmines

   Years after they are laid, landmines remain one of the world’s deadliest weapons, claiming innocent lives, limiting farming, posing a risk to livestock. The HALO Trust estimates it will take another ten years to clear mines out of Angola’s land. See article in Flying for Life June 2011

2. Climate Justice for Southern Africa

   ACTSA has produced an article on the effects of global warming in southern Africa, and the challenge for the 2011 UN Convention on Climate Change.

3. Oil Companies in sub-Saharan Africa

   Chatham House has published a European Parliament Report ‘The Effects of Oil Companies’ Activities on the Environment, Health and Development in sub-Saharan Africa’

   “Negative impacts of the oil industry are a major concern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), threatening not only the health of local communities, but also the livelihoods they depend on.”

4. How financial speculation causes food crises

   Excessive financial speculation in food commodity derivatives has significantly increased volatility in the prices of staple foods, exacerbating UK inflation, global hunger and poverty.

   This effect was clearly seen in the food crisis in 2007-2008, when for example the price of maize rose by 180% before falling sharply. In February 2011, world food prices again reached new record highs.

   The US is enacting important new regulations and proposals from the European commission are due to be published in autumn 2011. It is vital for the UK government to support effective international regulation.

5. ALMA Book Club

‘More and Better Care. Farming, climate change, health and the AIDS epidemic’ by Anne Bayley and Mugove Walter Nyika published by Strategies for Hope Trust ISBN 978-1-905746-16-3.

A lot on food insecurity and permaculture.