Reps Circular

As August draws to a close and we prepare for the busier pace of September let’s look back over summer as well as ahead to the autumn! The highlight of summer was the visit of the Bishop of Angola, Bishop André Soares to London in July.

1. Look Back over Summer

a) Bishop André’s visit

During the visit, we celebrated the 18th Anniversary of the ALMA partnership on ALMA Sunday in St Paul’s Cathedral and enjoyed an afternoon tea at St Vedast beforehand where Bishop Rob Wickham, London’s Bishop for ALMA, and Bishop André met.

Bishop André Soares with the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres

During Bishop André’s visit, he

• preached at St Marylebone and the Cathedral
• addressed meetings at Chatham House, the All Party Parliamentary Angola Group, Anglican Communion Offices and at Diocesan House with ALMA Link Priests
• attended the Area Day ‘Edmonton Re-visited’
• led prayers and was interviewed at Diocesan Synod
• travelled to Winchester, Liverpool and Stockport with MANNA including meeting Bishop Graham Dow
• worked with the ALMA Team reviewing priorities, projects and planning ahead.
• became the last ALMA Bishop to visit while Bishop Richard is the Bishop of London – Bishop Richard’s retirement in 2017 was announced during Bishop Andre’s visit (Bishop Richard has been Bishop of London for the entirety of the ALMA Partnership).

There is a full photo library of the visit on the ALMA London facebook page (including some social time!)

b) Visits to Lebombo

While Bishop André was in London two ALMA visits were taking place in Lebombo where ALMA Sunday was celebrated in style.

• St Paul’s Knightsbridge on their first visit to their link parish (L) All Saints, Nhamavila
  

  
• A group from Twyford School visited their link School in Maciene (R). We hope to hear from both these groups at our Meeting on October 18

c) African Bishops’ Conference

Bishop Carlos Matsinhe (Lebombo) and Bishop Manuel Ernesto (suffragan Bishop in Niassa) were both attending the African Bishops Peer Mentoring conference on Church Sustainability in Swaziland over ALMA Sunday. Bishop Carlos wore his Alma Stole as he presided over the main Sunday Holy Eucharist at the Church of St. George of Manzini with Bishop Chad Gandiya from Zimbabwe preaching. Both Bishops shared that prayers and words of appreciation were offered throughout their congregations on ALMA Sunday,

Bishop Manuel concludes “'We thank you all for your friendship and common witness in the Anglican Family of Churches. May the Lord continue blessing our people and communities”.

2. Diary Dates

1 September WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION (see wider issues for more)

2 September Angola Youth 4th Annual retreat

1 September - 4 October. Creationtide

8 -16 October Speak Up on Climate Change

Tuesday 18 October. ALMA Reps Meeting at Diocesan House Main Hall 6-8pm. Light refreshments from 5.40pm

November. Festival of Non-Violence at London Interfaith Centre featuring Swords into Ploughshares sculpture ‘Music Man’

Advance Diary Date! Sunday 9 July 2017 ALMA Sunday with Bishop Carlos Matsinhe. 6pm St Paul’s Cathedral

3. News from our Partners

a) Angola

• There are eight new Priests and seven new Deacons to pray for!
  
  • 14 August. Nzadi a Lukizi Archdeaconry welcomed four new priests and a new Deacon: Revd James Simoes - parish S. Simão Cireneu Revd Jeremias Armando- parish of Visitação do Nsosso Revd Miguel Filipe-Parish of S.Matias Revd Sacadura C. Icua - Parish of S. João Baptista Deacon António Teca -parish of Visitação Nsosso
  • 26 June. Ordinations in Luanda: Four new priests: Morais Antonio Pedro, Manuel Luimbi, Rodrigues Pedro Banza, Tiago Pinto Six new Deacons: Rogerio Jovete Neves Antonio; David Hephzibah Okwuchukwu; Moises Justino Samuel; Antonio Andre, Augusto Pedro, Francisco Santano Issenguele
• Anglican Youth are very busy in Angola! 2-5 September is their 4th annual retreat, and during August in Uige the youth of the parishes of Martyrs and S. Philip camped in the province of Kwanza North in the municipalities of Camabatela Ndalatando to strengthen the establishment of the church in the region of the country.
  
  

  
• Bishop André’s session at Chatham House was widely reported in the UK and beyond– do read the Anglican Communion News Service article. He was also interviewed by Radio Merseyside when he shared the special historical links between Liverpool and the Anglican Church in Angola through the missionary Archibald Patterson, and spoke about being church in a developing country with many problems.

b) Lebombo

• Training has been underway at Chambone (Inhambane district) where the clergy are ‘Ready to teach, preach and heal, following in the footsteps of Jesus’. (Matt: 9: 35) and the Catechists or Lay Ministers were trained by the Anglican Social Action Team on evangelism, education and health.
  
  
  Catechists or Lay Ministers

  
  Anglican Social Action Team
• In Manica Province the Anglican Church has been helping rural schools with equipment provision and encouragement.

c) Niassa

• The entire Mission team gathered in Lichinga in July – this was also the last gathering for Jo Beale and Andy Beale before they left Mozambique after Jo’s two plus years working on the WASH (Water sanitation and Hygiene) project. This photo was taken and then shared on facebook to demonstrate the speed of social media responses – hope the participants were encouraged!
  
  Niassa Mission Team

  
  Niassa Clergy Team
• The Niassa area clergy also met and a new community priest, Padre Lourenco, ordained at Yohannah Abdullah Church where he served as Deacon, joined their ranks. The photo below shows the new priest being greeted and conveys the lively service.
  
• It was also very moving to read the message from Niassa to Bishop Mark and Revd Helen Van Koeveing, and people of West Virginia after the terrible flooding they suffered.
• Revd Chris and Sandi Swift from St Nicholas Shepperton return to their link parish – Simão de Sireneu Milange – in September, and are planning a larger parish visit in 2017.

4. London

• How special that St Mary’s Hampton, linked with St Paolo, Mandimba in Niassa, has become the first London parish church to receive an Eco Church award! As you read the next section please consider if this is an intentional act of discipleship your parish might want to follow? What a witness it would be if every ALMA Link parish could do this.

5. Wider Issues

• Christians praying and caring for Creation – together. On 1 September a historic moment takes place when Anglicans, Catholics, the Orthodox Church and the World Council of Churches invite us to join in the World Day of Prayer for Creation. Visit www.seasonofcreation.org for more information and sign up to say a prayer wherever you may be.
  
• You may be interested in the new children’s resources from ACSA on creation care: Ryan the Rhino goes to Mozambique and Angola

  “Ryan the Rhino has become loved throughout the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. This is a ten week manual which teaches Sunday School children to care for Creation in fun, practical ways. The manual is based on the Genesis stories of Creation and also shows how we as human beings are messing up Gods Creation. But it shows how we can make a difference even as young children. Now it is time for Ryan to visit Mozambique and Angola and take the message to the Portuguese speaking countries. We are delighted to announce that Ryan o Rinoceronte is ready and eager to take the message on! If children are raised to love and understand the sacredness of the Earth then they can influence their parents and truly we can see a brighter future for this Planet! You can download the manual for free.”

• Drought continues to affect southern Mozambique and Angola – another strand for our Creation-tide prayers.
• Unrest

  We continue to remember and pray for Mozambique and the ongoing security situation which remains very concerning. Please pray for the peace negotiations and that a breakthrough may occur. You may want to use the Litany for Peace written by Emeritus Bishop Dinis in 2013. We also remember that reaching a sustainable peace is a concern for several African countries as the ACNS recently reported.

• Inflation and Currency devaluation are making life difficult in every way –particularly in Angola where the fall in oil prices has had a devastating impact. Everything costs more and prices are going up every week.

Look forward to seeing you in October and to be praying alongside you on Thursday!

Sheenagh Burrell
ALMA Co-ordinator
Tel: 020 7932 1231 Tuesdays Diocese of London, London Diocesan House, 36 Causton St, London SW1P 4AU.