Reps Circular
From Sheenagh Burrell, ALMA Communications Officer
almacomms@london.anglican.org T: Tuesdays: 020 7932 1231
Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,
It has been good to see many of you during the course of Father Nunes visit to London. Thank you so much to Revd Simon Brandes and St Nicholas Chiswick for hosting Fr Nunes, and to the many people who have accompanied him on journeys across London, and indeed to those of you who journeyed to the ALMA Reps meeting. It has been a privilege to listen to and share in the story of the growing Anglican church in Angola, and to get to know Father Nunes on his first visit here. He returned to a larger church in Angola! On 29 November 14 people, who had completed the 3 year Ministry and Mission programme were ordained as Deacons in Luanda. In October 24 Deacons, also trained via the M&M programme, were ordained in Uige.
Our link deepens as our friendships grow. Bishop Dinis added four key phrases around the 1998 ALMA Covenant. One was: ‘Partnership is a deep friendship between two people which engages their families and their offspring’. As the ALMA family we rejoiced with his family at the baptism of his grandson Alexander, and then mourned at the death of his mother the next day. Fr Carlos Matsinhe, Dean of Maciene Cathedral, has also lost his mother. May they both rest in peace and rise in glory.
From Niassa there is news of growth and encouragement alongside the ongoing concerns about the health of Archdeacons Artur and Damiao, and Padre Luciano. In two years the number of congregations has increased from 325 to 450. Mothers’ Union membership has also increased and there are now 185 Equipas da Vida with more than 4000 members. Rebecca Vander Meulen’s reflection for World Aids Day on the work of the Equipas is the top news story on our website. PLEASE read this – it is the essence of our partnership.
This mailing contains:
5 December Countdown to Copenhagen ‘The Wave’ Climate Change Lobby. Service 11-12 noon at Westminster Central Hall followed by march. See last circular for fuller details plus information on the impact of climate change on Angola and Mozambique.
15 December Concert 7.30pm at St Peter’s Hammersmith for charity including their link parish of Messumba in Niassa Mozambique.
24 January 2010 Concert – vocal baroque - with cake at St John’s Pinner 3pm to raise funds for the building of a school in their link parish in Benguela, Angola.
27 January 2010 ALMA REPS MEETING 5.45 light refreshments. Meeting 6-8pm at London Diocesan House, 36 Causton St, London SW1P 4AU. Tube: Pimlico. Agenda:
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS MEETING IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN. We have the main meeting hall and the smaller rooms booked for Chaplaincy Time. All Welcome! RSVP to Sheenagh for catering purposes.
May 2010 Rooted in Jesus training programme in Angola
Please pray for the 38 newly ordained deacons who are going to be a key part in realising the church’s mission to be present in every province in Angola.
Currently there are Anglican churches in twelve of Angola’s eighteen provinces. Recent information from Bishop André show that there are now:
Father Nunes brought something very precious to London – a first edition of the newly printed Angolan Church Hymn and Liturgy book. This simple volume (picture on the website) has hymns in 5 languages: Portuguese and 4 local languages and liturgy in Portuguese and Kikongo.
In May 2010 a Rooted In Jesus training course will be held in Angola. This team will be led by Bishop John Hayden, pioneering bishop of Rooted in Jesus in Tanzania, working with Bishop Mark and Revd Helen Van Koevering from Niassa, Mozambique and a team from the UK.
… is now available online
This edition covers the debate on Angola’s proposed constitutional reform and visits to the country by President Zuma and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It also highlights the agreement between Angola and the DRC to end expulsions between their borders and look at internal evictions in Luanda. The Aid and Development section focuses on how landmines are affecting development in Angola’s villages and other health news.
Angola news hounds may also be interested in an article in The Times on 9 Nov on the role of China in Africa which shows Angola is China’s biggest trading partner in Africa with $25.3bn in 2008 mostly oil.
23 November: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a 27-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with Angola in the amount of SDR 858.9 million (about US$1.4 billion) to help the country cope with the effects of the global economic crisis.
Christian Aid’s Angolan partners OMUNGA and SOS Habitat were awarded prizes in Angola. See the Pambazuka News site for fuller story.
Christian Aid also thanks ALMA for supporting Father Mauricio Camuto in the Guardian Achievements in International Development Award. Sadly he didn’t win the prize but everyone was pleased he was one of the five finalists among a field of 100 from around the world.
Revd Helen Van Koevering forwarded some results of the Mozambican Census which was held in August 2007. Here are some interesting points:
NB: This last section underlines the role of the church in helping with water and sanitation and the assistance the 2009 London Lent Appeal ‘Living Water’ will bring.
See the All Africa Global Media story for further census details.
Aga Khan Foundation, in partnership with Progresso and Mozambique’s Ministry of Health (MoH), will implement a three-year, $1.48 million malaria prevention and treatment project targeting nine districts in the Cabo Delgado Province of the country. The program will directly reach 400,000 people, including an estimated 110,000 pregnant women and children under 5 by delivering malaria prevention and education programs increasing access to ACTs, and promoting household ownership and proper use of ITNs. The program aims to promote sustainable malaria control in the target areas by strengthening community capacities for health promotion activities and treatment services, and by establishing strong linkages between communities and government health care services.
From the press release at USAid.
New IRIN photo galleries are up, including Mozambique and DRC
‘A joyful weekend, marked by a beautiful Baptism service of Alexander Sengulane Linnman, the Bishop’s first grand son on Saturday 21 attended by more than 50 people at the Bishop’s chapel and a colourful and Spirit filled Sunday celebration at Choupal with about 70 people confirmed with over 600 present on 22. At 21:00 Rosita, the Bishop’s mother died peaceful in Xai-Xai under a caring Love of Melta one of her daughters. Bishop Dinis visited her twice in the last week and many people from Maciene and Xai-Xai parishes had seen her in the last 24 hours of her life on earth with loving affection.
Aged 96 she was mother of 8 children about 50 grandchildren and 60 great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren. May the Angels lead her to Paradise’
Father Juliao Mutemba has sent news of the Mama Rosita’s Funeral
As you might have known from different sources, that Mrs. Rosita Massango, the mother of our Bishop, the Rt. Revd. Dinis Sengulane died on 22nd November, 2009, the funeral service took place last wednesday 26th November 2009, in her home village Zandamela. The Eucharistic Service was held in the church of SS. Peter and Paul, Chihundzuine, where among many people who came from different parts of the diocese, some dignitaries were present, such as the Chairman of the Parliament and the Governor of Inhambane Province, who stayed for the whole service. After the Eucharistic Service followed the burial in the family graveyard located in the family site under the shade of the mango trees, between the graves of Mr. Solomone Sengulane and Mrs. Esperanca Berta Sengulane, (the Bishop's father and Bishop's wife respectively).
The entire ceremony was led by the Very Reverend Carlos Matsinhe, Dean of the Cathedral; Venerable Elias Muholove preached and the other clergy members participated in different areas of the service. Messages of condolences, support and witness from were also presented. I can recall some who presented messages, like: Sengulane family represented by children and grandchildren; Maciene cathedral, Archdeaconries of Maputo, Umbeluzi and Pungue, Diocesan Representative presented on behalf of the clergy and the staff, the Governor of Inhambane Province, the representative of the Church World Service, and it was mentioned that some other messages had been received from different partners in London, Sweden, USA, Australia and so on. Most of the messages praised the fact that Grandma Rosita was illiterate but a teacher of good moral living not only within her family, but to the community at large, so she deserves to rest in peace.
According to the local tradition, the family members stay together in the same place for eight days or days symbolising eight, where they can be visited by community members who come to talk and pray with them. The closing of this moment of is going to be on Saturday with a service at 8:00 AM.
To end, I want to join the Sengulane family in thanking you all, who by prayers, or presence or good intention were close to Sengulane family during the time of physical death of Vovo Rosita Massango.
We also remember with deep sorrow that the Dean's mother passed away two weeks ago. May they rest in peace. The good Lord be their shepherd.
St Peter’s Notting Hill and its twin parish Santa Monica, Homoine in Inhambane Province were an ALMA first last Sunday – a Skype conversation during their Mozambican evening!
Father Juliao reports on a new initiative in Lebombo and some history of the Diocese:
The clergy spouses in the districts of Maputo and Umbeluzi have developed a good initiative of visiting each other, on a Saturday, as a way of providing for themselves spiritual, moral and material support. When they meet, they start by a session of prayers, bible reading and reflection based on the themes they create. The spouses of the clergy have invited me to join them on this pilgrimage from settlement to settlement, where I am the only priest who is following the mothers. After the prayers, they discuss their issues, as spouses of the clergy, as mothers in the families and their integration in the Mothers Union in church. They also have established a monthly contribution on an amount of 300, 00 meticais per person (about USD$10) which is applied on purchasing goods which are needed in the family that is being visited. The group now has 10 participants, since not all the clergy wives have joined the initiative, and it raises about $100,00 every month. Because of that contribution, the session after discussion of issues is to handover the things that were bought, such as cooking pans, plates, glasses, bedding sheets and pillows, or in cash to those who want to build their houses. It had been a beautiful party, which includes songs and dances. The next phase is to request the host family to address us, and normally, the priest who is the head of the family will convey the words of thanks, praising the initiative, telling how the family is, expectations and so on. Lastly, food is served. Every participant brings food from home and placed on the same table to be shared. Since the mothers are 10, plus me and the host priest we make twelve disciples around the table, and of course, Jesus is always present, we make a good prelude of the Lords Supper.
I wonder how these mothers are so happy in what they are doing, and their work has made a great change in our houses. In November 7, we went to visit Mrs. Lucia Moiana and family at Namaacha, close to the borders of Swaziland and South Africa, by the Lebombo mountains. It reminded me that the Diocese of Lebombo, its formation started from Lebombo mountains in 1893, and the Parish of St. Andrew is one of the oldest structures in our Diocese, although I do not know yet how old it is. Some people among the group did not know Namaacha, like Mrs. Celeste Muholove, whose husband is on retirement process. While we were there, we met the Administrator of Namaacha District, who had come to the church with his brother from Niassa, to show him the church building which he said; it was very similar with a church in Messumba (Niassa).
We thank God for all this wonderful work of the mothers.
It was so good to be able to hear from Bishop Mark in person this September and to share the visionary 5 year plan for Niassa becoming “a communion of communities in Christ Jesus”. The dream was:
And the reality? Helen Van Koevering writes:
‘An enormous disappointment earlier in the year was the huge decrease in funding through Tear Fund due to the crunch in the UK (but which promises to come about next year), but the foundations were already laid and much has happened. At our Family Day celebration just last week we learnt from the clergy and other meetings that:
In two years, our congregations have grown from 325 to 450, consisting of around 65,000 people now.
In four years,
- our clergy have increased from 21 to 48, with 11 ordinands studying;
- women’s membership in MU has grown from a stable 1800 to an active 2078, now the 8th largest diocesan MU in our province of Southern Africa;
- 185 ‘Vida’ groups have been established, with more than 4000 members. — 16 ‘adeptos’ (fieldworkers) are now working to deepen the work of the Vida groups, which began with a focus on HIV/AIDS work, but now are becoming the groups for involvement in all development work and expansion of our ministry/mission programmes everywhere (see World Aids Day Reflection)
- 80 churches have been built or renovated;
- at least 7 clinics have been built or renovated on the Lakeshore through Dr Peg’s great community health programme (which has seen a 50% improvement in child health in the communities of 20,000 in that area);
- 8000 hectares of trees have been planted through the forestry companies and 3000 or more people employed;
- and lots of smaller projects (flood response, health, agriculture, wells, literacy) have touched the lives around our diocese, this northern half of Mozambique with a population of 8.6 million.
It is remarkable!
Many setbacks have occurred, and this year hasn’t been easy, especially with Helen more involved with the forestry projects and Kylie on the other side of the world (in the US at school). Oscar, who ran our discipleship work, especially ‘Rooted in Jesus’, died with an asthma attack in July; Charles, who worked with link projects and our Peace & Reconciliation programme, left for study; two priests have been suspended; and another three are presently ill, Archdeacons Artur and Damiao, and Padre Luciano. But discouragement has been met with encouragement, frustrations with enjoyable times, failures with successes, and paths have been found through some issues. Home leave in the UK and USA was a welcome break, particularly our retreat week at St Bueno’s, and it is always a good encouragement to meet folk who support you. We were so sorry not to meet up with more old friends and family, but time was full. Please don’t give up on us!’
Godwin Mnyawa from Todos Santos Anglican Congregation – Nacala Port sent news about developments in Nacala:
‘The congregation is intending to build a new church a bit spacious than the current one. It has been decided and agreed that we elect a commission that will lead us in this great project and the date earmarked for the elections is the 29th November,2009 after the routine prayers.
It a very challenging exercise and could we request all to put us in prayers so that we are inspired to elect the right people who will be worth assisting the congregation in this project. Its a project that will take us some years before coming up with the building hence there is need for God’s guidance so that the elected Team/commission should guarantee the smooth running of the project
The project is big and will involve a lot of activities which will range from:
As you will see,there is need to change the minds of our people to accept the fact that we can tackle problems of this nature and making sure that we involve all members of our congregation in the decision making until we achieve.
Pray for us always so that we can one day achieve our long time dream’.
(All Saints Nacala is the school featured on the front of the ALMA leaflet)
Father Nunes’ visit was action packed and there were many opportunities for fellowship and the deepening of relationships, not least at the ALMA Reps meeting. A full report will be on the website shortly. The highlights were
This lecture by Rowan Williams is well worth reading.
Well done to the ALMA parishes and the Kensington Area Conference for being part of the 173,045,325 who broke the Guinness World record and are part of a global constituency for the MDG’s.
It was good to meet two other friends of the Anglican church in Mozambique, Roger and Helen LeCompte on their way home to Connecticut via London.
Phew! Best wishes,
Sheenagh
Sheenagh Burrell ALMA Communications Officer Diocese of London
Email: almacomms@london.anglican.org
T: Tuesdays 020 7932 1231