Reps Circular
From Sheenagh Burrell ALMA Communications Officer
sb@burrell1980.freeserve.co.uk T: 020 8567 7400
Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,
This circular includes
We unite with the Angolan Church and all who have prayed for Bishop André in giving thanks for his progress and continued recovery. His collapse seems to have been connected with a very serious car crash on 15th March from which he initially appeared to be unharmed. He has been treated in a clinic in Luanda and has now spoken by phone with Bishop David Beetge, Provincial Secretary of CPSA and Bishop of the High Veld. It is unlikely now that Bishop André will be transferred to South Africa but he may instead come to London in due course for a full check up. We pray for ongoing recovery and rest as Bishop André regains his strength.
This is a unique opportunity to meet REBECCA the HIV Co-ordinator in Niassa. This will be at 6pm in Room A at London Diocesan House 36 Causton St, London SW1P 4AU, Pimlico Tube. This is a smaller room than the meeting hall where we usually meet so it is important you tell me if you are coming by Thursday 3rd May. If we have larger numbers than the capacity of the room we are looking at moving the meeting to another Pimlico location and will let you know this by email on Friday 4th May.
Rebecca does amazing work: you can read her profile. Do also have a look at the Niassa 2005 HIV Report ‘Equipas da Vida’ (
903KB).
Bishop Dinis told us of the Armoury explosion in Maputo on 22nd March in his March letter (see: news from church leaders).
St John’s Greenhill have heard from Father Juliao of their link Parish in Bagamoyo Maputo and seen some photos of the damage. The old corrugated-iron church at St Monica at Malhazine (where the bomb exploded) collapsed. The church of the Good Samaritan at Zimpeto will need re-roofing. The damage at St Barnabas is not as serious although it has a number of large shell holes on the roof, and at least one very large shell was found inside it (compare the shell with the rubber headed mallet in the picture). These three churches are in Father Juliao’s care. Some 4000 pieces of unexploded ordinance had been collected around the city, but Zimpeto, Malhazine and Bagamoyo had not yet been cleared
St John’s have raised a considerable sum in a Sunday collection towards the reconstruction work now needed.
Damage caused by an armoury explosion in March 2007 to the churches of the Good Samaritan at Zimpeto and St Barnabas in Bagamoyo, both located in the suburbs of Maputo, Mozambique.
(Click the picture for a full size image.)
Thank you all so much for your response to the ALMA Emergency Appeal for the Floods launched on Ash Wednesday. It was quite a feat juggling this with a Diocesan Lent Appeal on human trafficking, yet entirely consistent with the complexity of our walk of faith: one a planned Lenten discipline and one a sacrificial response to tragedy.
I am pleased to report that a total of GB £11,346 was transferred to our Link Dioceses on Easter Tuesday, concerning the ALMA Crisis Appeal (Ash Wednesday):
- Diocese of Angola: £2,500;
- Diocese of Lebombo: £2,500 plus £1,282 restricted donation;
- Diocese of Niassa: £2,500 plus £2,564 restricted donation.
Donations to the Crisis Appeal are still coming in and I anticipate a further transfer to each Diocese in May.
To see and read more about the floods and the flood relief effort you might like to look at www.mercyair.org where you can see photos and video clips of the rescue helicopters in action. Mercy air has been providing an air service to missions in southern Africa and mainly Mozambique for the last 15 years. Many thanks to Christopher Ramsay for putting us in touch with Paul and Cathy Middleton of Mercy Air.
Holy Trinity, Twickenham Common have very kindly donated some former choir robes to ALMA including four white cassock albs with rope ties, 9 white surplices; 8 black cassocks. Chris Owens and Clare Rider have already taken 2 to Pemba with them and it would be good if people going on visits are able to transport a few. Please get in touch.
Another suggestion for small items to think of taking on a visit, or even sending to a link parish comes in correspondence from Revd Helen Van Koevering:
Perhaps the ladies in your church might like to send out small things like scissors, threads (even embroidery), pins and needles (sewing, machine, knitting and crochet) which can't be bought here. Some simple patterns for clothes and embroidery designs would also be helpful. Since we were given the beautiful wall-hanging for our Cathedral from Felicity Scroggie, everyone wants hangings for churches! Sewing items for remote parishes can be sent c/o Diocese of Niassa, CP 264 Lichinga, Niassa, Mozambique.
In November Richard Bartlett and Sheenagh Burrell went on the Partners In World Mission Conference in November. The theme was hospitality ? something very important for us in our ALMA Partnership as we learn how both to be good hosts and good guests. Take a health check by reading some of the talks and bible studies from the conference. These are now available on the Partners in World Mission website.
The contents of the bible reflections can be read by following these links:
Increasing amounts of interesting writing on Mozambique is only circulated electronically and is not easily accessible. An archive has been established by Joseph Hanlon (Open University) to make this material more broadly available. Do sign up if you would like to receive this digest of news.
Thursday 10 May 8pm Concert at St John’s, Friern Barnet Road.
Saturday 12 May 7pm Concert at Bourne Methodist Church, Southgate.
With Elizabeth Tucker (ALMA Rep Friern Barnet parish) on piano and two friends on cello and violin. Donations to African charities, including ALMA. Refreshments will be served after the concerts.
Sunday 20 May 5pm St Mary’s, Stoke Newington. Back by popular demand the PrimaDivas give a second concert for ALMA with music “from Popular Classics to Broadway”.
Please continue to send me your news for the circulars. I do hope to see as many of you as possible on 9th May. Please DO LET ME KNOW YOU ARE COMING.
with all good wishes
Sheenagh