ALMA EMAIL CIRCULAR 20 JUNE 2009

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

A slightly earlier circular than you might have expected as Bishop Dinis has sent news of the Bernard Mizeki Festival in Mozambique, which is happening this weekend (see 4 for full details). It would be good to surround this with prayer and also Michele Maund the youth leader from St Mary’s Littleton who is doing the three Peaks Challenge this weekend for ALMA and their youth group.

Rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn is another characteristic of our ALMA Community so we rejoice with the Sengulane family at ‘the birth of Alexandre Bros Bruno Sengulane Lynnman on 26 May, a big boy weighing 4,200kg, son of Johan & Fidélia.’ Bishop Dinis adds ‘It feels great to be a grandfather’. We send our warm congratulations to Johan and Fidélia and to Bishop Dinis.

This Circular contains:

1. ALMA Sunday resources
2. Diary Dates
3. Snippets of news since the last circular
4. Bernard Mizeki Festival - Background and Information

1. ALMA Sunday is 12 July

Intercession and Worship Suggestions are now available and will be circulated with Diocesan Mailing. When printed this is a double sided sheet of A4. There are some pictures from the Rivers of Prayer in the document that I have omitted in the email version.

2.Dairy Dates

26 June – 30 July Exhibition: Mozambique Mundo, Journey’s Dream in a Fascinating Destination at The Commonwealth Club,25 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5AP Featuring: Naguib, Malangatana, Vania, Donato, Ilidio, Mendonca , Chiboleca, Victor Sousa & Olga

28 June (Sunday not Saturday) Reminder of Jonathan Palmer’s Thames Float. 9am Richmond Lock.

11 July ‘The Big Brew’ Diocesan fairtrade day – use your Mozambican fairtrade peanut butter and cashew nuts too!

12 July ALMA Sunday

19 Sept MANNA AGM

3. Snippets of News since last Circular

• Chatham House has just published a fact sheet on Mozambique
• The new Wren Academy in N12 has nominated Zove as one of its charities
• 
  Meeting Father Isaias Andrice
  A few of us had lunch with Father Isaias Andrice from Beira yesterday and had the opportunity to share ideas and dreams for our ALMA partnership.
• 
  Father Juliao, his two children and ‘three boys who are part of those we help in the dump’
  Father Juliao (Bagamoyo, Maputo) thanks us for our prayers for Josephine, himself and their parish. We await news on Josephine’s health but learn ‘the parish we continue to give witness about Jesus in different ways. Today a team from the parish was at the [rubbish] dump to assist the young people who have been there for many years and now they live just across the dump with their wives and kids, so we help them to get identity documents so that they can be employed anywhere in the country, and also be able to register their children in order to be allowed to study’.
• The 2009 Lent Appeal has now reached 75% of its target with £45,000 having been received to date with further donations arriving almost daily. Thank you!

4. Saint Bernard Mizeki Festival 20 / 21 June

An account of Bernard Mizeki, and the Festival at Gwambene, from Bishop Dinis is now in the News part of this site.

Best wishes

Sheenagh

Sheenagh Burrell ALMA Communications Officer Diocese of London
Email: almacomms@london.anglican.org
T: Tuesdays 020 7932 1231