Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

I am sorry this circular is a little later than normal – it has been an extremely busy time for ALMA with work on the new ALMA leaflet, a presentation on ALMA to Diocesan Synod, work on the 2008 Lent Appeal for Education in Angola and Mozambique and preparatory work on the 10th Anniversary of ALMA in 2008.

This mailing contains:

1. Diary Dates & Events: two reminders for December events, and 13 July 2008
2. NEWS from parishes, links, Mozambique and Angola
3. Lent 2008
4. Useful Resources

1. DIARY DATES AND EVENTS:

Monday 3rd 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.  Luis has visited London before – do read the Church Times report on his 2005 visit.

Copies of the new ALMA Leaflet will also be available for ALMA Reps to take to their parishes!

Thursday 6th December ALMA TASK GROUP meeting.

Monday 10th December 6.30pm: Poverty, Malaria and Right to Health: exploring the connections Lecture by Prof Paul Hunt  (the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health):  @ 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.

Sunday 13th July 2008 6.00pm St Paul’s Cathedral There will be a special diocesan service to celebrate ALMA at the centre of other world-wide relationships which exist between different parishes. The service comes before the Lambeth conference and it is hoped that it will be attended, not only by the bishops from Angola and Mozambique, but also by other bishops from other countries where parish relationships exist. Please book this important date in your diary now and watch this space. Please also suggest coming as a parish to this unique celebration!

Currently the Christian Aid exhibition Children in Conflict featuring the artist John Keane’s response to his visit to Angola with CA is on show in Wolverhampton. We are hoping to have the opportunity to host these in London in 2008 – perhaps even on 13th July! For further information on this see the Christian Aid web site.

2. NEWS

1. We are delighted to share the news that Revd David Geraldo from Mandimba, Niassa (twinned with St Mary’s Hampton) has made a good recovery after being attacked. Many thanks to those who donated money for his medical expenses in Malawi.
2. From St Mary Magdalene Littleton and Niassa. St Mary’s have been fundraising to assist build a well in Padre Albano’s parish – the Shire churches in Niassa. The well is funded by creative fundraising in Littleton but on returning from a clergy retreat in Lichinga Padre Albano’s minibus ran into a truck, and he now has a broken leg and it sounds like a damaged hip. He is in the hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. We surround him in prayer.
3. Some eager eared ALMA reps heard Bishop Dinis being interviewed on Radio 4 on the day former President Chissano of Mozambique received his Achievement in African Leadership Award. See the ‘Independent’ news story for more on the award.
4. We have received two photo compilations from Messumba in Niassa showing the work on Cathedral and the health centre. These will be in the Picture Gallery section of the website along with a photo from Lebombo showing Bishop Dinis blessing the motorbike St Dunstan’s Acton have enabled their twin parish St Mark Matola to purchase.
5. John Tasker, Angola Chaplain, has sent two items on Angola:
   1. Cynthia Efird has completed her three year period as US Ambassador to Angola. Cynthia & her husband are members of the Episcopal Church, and have been part of the English speaking congregation at the city centre church of Christ The King in Luanda. She has been a good friend of the Diocese of Angola. See press report at Angola Press. There is soon to be a new UK Ambassador to Angola. She is currently waiting to present her credentials but has been in contact with ALMA prior to her departure.
   2. The New Colonialists “Oil-backed Chinese loans are driving reconstruction in Angola while expatriates are helping build a new society. Is China the heir to Europe’s imperialists?” Read this article published in the Financial Times Magazine on 17 Nov 2007, and find out!
6. Angola was featured in the One World Week Sunday Service (21st Oct) on Radio 4 from Birmingham Cathedral. Revd David Peck (the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for International Development) spoke of Angola in his sermon. This is well worth reading.
7. Last week Bishop Michael, Sheenagh Burrell and Revd Joe Hawes (All Saints’ Fulham) had the opportunity to make a presentation on’ ALMA 10 Years On’ at London Diocesan Synod. Three areas were looked at: ALMA: something to celebrate. ALMA: a growing relationship and ALMA: challenges to be embraced. The new ALMA general leaflet was launched and many copies were taken back to parishes. We hope to have an opportunity to share the powerpoints at a future ALMA Reps meeting and as for the Challenge to be embraced … see 3:

3. Diocese of London Lent Appeal 2008: “EDUCATION FOR ALL”

In London Challenge 2012 we have committed to engage with the Millennium Development Goals and build on our existing partnerships with the church in Africa especially in Angola and Mozambique (5b), and we have also embraced the challenge to Raise £2,012,000 for development in Africa by 2012 (6c). Universal Primary Education is the second MDG and a huge need in Angola and Mozambique where there are 2 million children without primary schooling. The five Lents from 2008 –2012 have been set aside for us to play our part in addressing this.

2008 begins modestly with the goal of raising £75,000 to build and resource a school in each of our link dioceses. The Lent Appeal Poster and materials request form are on the ALMA website, and a sample pack of materials will be sent to each parish just after Christmas – please do start thinking how your parish can be involved. Perhaps the cappuccino challenge might intrigue you: If half of London’s electoral roll gave a cappuccino a week for a year £1,786,000 could be raised for vital education work.

4. Useful Resources:

1. The USPG Prayer Diary features Angola from 30 December – 5 January.  How good to start 2008 with a worldwide company praying for Angola! We have these available for you in the GETTING INVOLVED/PRAYER section of this website.
2. Interview with Archbishop Rowan about his trip to Angola.
3. Archbishop's Sermon 11 March 2007 in Luanda.
4. A film on The Tree of Life (Swords Into Ploughshares sculpture) is on Youtube and can be easily accessed if you want to show this to a group.
5. The revamp of the Christian Aid website means some of the country pages have changes. However the following links might be of use:
   • Tree of Life article, with link to photo gallery:
   • Original Swords into Ploughshares article, with link to film: