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ALMA Reps Email Circular: 12 October 2007

From Sheenagh Burrell ALMA Communications Officer
sb@burrell1980.freeserve.co.uk T: 020 8567 7400

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

The call to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn has been given to ALMA in the last month. We rejoiced at Bishop Dinis’ visit to London, the news that Bishop Andre ordained seven priests and three deacons on August 17 in Uige (see top story on the website for photos of this) and that in Niassa there was an exciting Diocesan Synod that ended with a city centre Eucharist of 1500 people including the governor.  We also mourn the loss of two priests serving in Uige District:  Revd. Bento Garcia Domingos and Revd Pedro Bimba through illness and of a Luandan Catechist who was serving in a new Congregation named Simeao Romao Rodrigues who died in a road accident. From Niassa there is news of a serious assault on Revd David Geraldo of Mandimba and the loss of another, as yet unnamed, priest in a road accident. Please do hold their families and churches in prayer.

This mailing has news of:

  1. Diary Dates
  2. Bishop Dinis’ meeting with ALMA Reps
  3. News of Chihunzuine Educational and Health Project for Children
  4. Lent 2008 ADVANCE NOTICE
  5. New items on ALMA website
  6. ALMA REPS NEWS + plea for Visit Reports and Parish Profiles for the website!

1 Diary Dates:

Tuesday 16 - Wednesday 17 October Global Week of Action Against Poverty:

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST POVERTY 24 HOURS

Fran Chandler, Kensington World Development Adviser, remembers: ‘Last year 23.5million stood up to remind governments that we still want to make poverty history and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. It is amazing to look at the pictures from the 2006 STAND UP sent in from around the world - one of the largest gatherings was in Zimbabwe and one of the smallest groups to stand was three people in a meeting in New Zealand but the sum total of these groups, their unity of purpose and the global connectedness felt very powerful. We don’t stand alone but we are each a necessary part of the body of Christ building the kingdom where there is no place for poverty, injustice and oppression. This year the goal is to increase the number standing up to 50 million’.

One of our ALMA Link partners Revd Joseph Cimpaye will be organizing a ‘Stand Up and SPEAK OUT Against Poverty’ event in Lichinga on Wednesday 17 October. It's not too late for us to Stand Up in solidarity with our partners in Angola and Mozambique and with the world's poor. This is such a simple action and act of solidarity. One West London footballer is STANDING UP too …Didier Drogba!

Thursday 18 October 12.30pm  ALMA CHAPLAINS MEETING with Twinning officer & Communications officer @ London Diocesan House.

Monday 3 December 6pm ALMA REPS MEETING @ London Diocesan House.

This meeting will be held jointly with Christian Aid and their Angolan partner Luis Samacumbi who is visiting London. This will obviously be of more interest to those twinned with Angola but all ALMA Reps, ALMA Friends and those in your parishes interested in Angola are warmly welcomed. Please let Sheenagh know you are coming by 26 November so refreshments can be arranged.

Monday 10 December 6.30pm: Lecture by Prof Paul Hunt  (the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health): Poverty, Malaria and Right to Health: exploring the connections @Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), London University, WC1H OXG.

This is the first Annual Lecture on Malaria and Human Rights. It is hosted by the UK Coalition Against Malaria and the European Alliance against Malaria. To attend please send an email RSVP to info@coalitionagainstmalaria.org.uk mentioning ALMA.

2 Bishop Dinis visit and report of ALMA Reps Meeting 12 Sept 2007

(This section of the circular can be seen in the meetings part of this site.)

3 ALMA’s Children funds St Peter and St Paul’s  Chihunzuine, Education and Health Project

(This section of the circular can be seen in the projects part of this site.)

4 Lent 2008

2008 is the 10th Anniversary of ALMA and the beginning of the five year period within London Challenge 2012 to raise £2,000,012 for development in Africa by 2012. Bishop Richard has agreed that Lent, for the five years 2008 - 2012, will be devoted to this goal. Primary education is of pivotal importance to development. Many of you know that ALMA has already contributed to the building of several schools in Angola, Lebombo and Niassa. Lent 2008 will have a modest goal of raising £75,000 - the cost of building and equipping a primary school in each of our link dioceses.

Please will you see if your church will commit to being a part of this? Materials - of the non glossy type -are being prepared and will be available both online and as hard copy. It would be so good to know if you plan on joining us – perhaps with an email to me and also via the responses link on London challenge 6c. ALMA Reps and ALMA Friends are key people in enabling this to happen in parishes across London!

5 New Items on ALMA Website

Please do have a look at these new additions:

6 ALMA Reps News + plea for Parish Profiles and Visit Reports!!

With best wishes to you all,

Sheenagh