Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

This mailing contains news of:

1. The flooding in both Lebombo and Niassa
2. ALMA’s response
3. News from Angola
4. Diary Dates
5. London News snippets
   

***LAST CALL for 2008 Lent Appeal Materials …. Please email if you still need resources. See new bar on ALMA Home Page taking you straight to Lent Appeal information.

1. Flooding

(This section of the circular can be seen on the news part of this site.)

2. Response

ALMA will willingly channel any donations for flood relief to Mozambique as quickly as possible ­ please indicate that your donation is for this purpose. Do use Gift Aid, where appropriate, to increase the value of any donations (Gift Aid form available for download). Donations can be sent to Peter Southwood, ALMA Link Officer, 36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4AU.

Given that the 2008 Diocesan Lent Appeal ‘Education for All’ to build a primary school in each of our three link dioceses begins in just over a week on 7th February, the response to the floods will not be a formal appeal. Like 2007 we are called to practice discernment as we determine our individual and congregational responses to both the planned Lenten discipline and the emergency situation.

3. Angolan news

(from John Tasker, ALMA Angola Chaplain.)

Advent in Angola

As mentioned in the last ALMA Email Circular, we have received some wonderful pictures from Bishop André in Angola. These are now available here, so do please read Bishop André's letter, have a look at the pictures and be uplifted!

Opportunities to build new relationships

Is your parish interested in ALMA but hasn't yet got a twin parish? Do you know of another parish who might be interested in forming a link? The Missionary Diocese of Angola is growing rapidly, membership of existing churches is increasing (see story & pictures above) and new congregations are being planted. This church growth is wonderful to see, and Bishop André is keen to see his growing churches developing links with parishes in London through ALMA. We'd like to find parishes interested in twinning with:

• St. Mary, Kikolo in Luanda, whose school was the first built by ALMA in Angola. The parish has two church plants, 406 communicant members, 756 Sunday School members, with 600 pupils in the school. See pictures on this web site.
• All Martyrs in Uige. This is the mother church in the northern city of Uige, and is dedicated to the pastors murdered in 1961 when the Portuguese tried to wipe out the Mission to the North as the war of independence was starting.
• St. Joseph in Huambo, the second largest city of Angola.

Amidst these daunting stories, the Anglican Church in Angola is growing, and invites us to be part of that growth in solidarity with them. Bishop André would be happy to hear of parishes interested in linking with these three churches. If you are wondering whether God may be calling your church to a relationship with Christians in Africa, please get in touch with John Tasker, ALMA Angola Chaplain.

4. Diary Dates

6 February Ash Wednesday: Launch of 2008 London Lent Appeal by Bishop Richard at St John’s Primary School Friern Barnet, which is twinned with Zove School in Lebombo.

20 April: 3.15pm St Paul’s Cathedral Bishop Michael’s installation as a Canon of the cathedral.

24 April: ALMA REPS Meeting 6pm at Diocesan House, 36 Causton St SW1P 4AU. Please try and attend this meeting ­ we’ll have some information to share about …

13 July ALMA Sunday: 10th anniversary special service 6pm St Paul’s Cathedral with Bishop Andre, Bishop Dinis and Bishop Mark.

5. ALMA London news

Chris Owens and Chris Darling ran a half Marathon last year and raised some £900 which they hope to put towards finishing building the church in Chiure!

St James Hampton Hill have joined with SS Peter and Paul, Teddington and are sharing their links in Mozambique.

St Mary’s Stoke Newington will be hosting Lent lunches for ALMA. More details will be in Diary Dates shortly.