ALMA London Diocese link with Angola and Mozambique pad Reps Circular
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ALMA EMAIL CIRCULAR 5 SEPTEMBER 2008

From Sheenagh Burrell, ALMA Communications Officer
T: 020 8567 7400

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

Today especially we join our prayers with those of our Angolan partners as the first election in 16 years takes place in Angola. You have already received, and I know many churches have been using, Revd Muanga's prayer for his country. Very recent news from Bishop André of the huge prayer meeting in the Cidadela Stadium on 31st August is already on our website along with further news references that John Tasker has provided. The election has had prominent coverage on BBC news today and you may be interested in ‘Angolans Vote in Landmark Polls’ and ‘Angola’s High Tech Election’.

Please continue to hold the entire electoral process - voting, transporting, counting, results - in prayer, echoing the cry of Revd Muanga: 'May love and faithfulness meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other in Angola so that your people may serve you in peace'.

This Mailing contains:

  1. DIARY DATES
  2. Millennium Development Goals, Think : Fast
  3. Stand Up and Take Action on Poverty
  4. News Snippets

1. DIARY DATES

13 September ALMA Task Group Awayday.

14 September is the 5th Anniversary of the Consecrations of Bishop André and Bishop Mark. We thank God for their leadership and dedication, and pray for them, their families and their people.

14 - 25 September THINK : FAST (see 2)

26 September (Friday) 12 - 3 pm ALMA Reps and Friends Informal Lunchtime Gathering
at Sheenagh’s home. Tube: South Ealing on Piccadilly Line (3 mins). Parking unrestricted 10 - 3pm on Dorset Road after junction with Weymouth Ave / +Trent Ave/ Overdale Rd/Windemere Rd - all within 2 - 3 minutes. All welcome - if you want to bring a contribution, a small plate of something savory, salad or sweet would be great. There will also be the opportunity to see “Music Man” a “Swords into Ploughshares Sculpture” created in memory of Edd.

17 - 19 October Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty and Inequality (see 3).

24 - 26 October Diocesan Celebration Weekends in Lebombo and Niassa.
Opening of rebuilt Health Centre in Messumba.

2. Millennium Development Goals, THINK : FAST

There are a series of services at St Paul's Cathedral to pray for the progress on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals which are of key importance to Angola and Mozambique. All services begin at 6 pm and are led by Canon Lucy Winkett.

  •   7 September: To achieve Universal Primary Education
  • 14 September: Time for God's Creation - A special Eucharist with the Bishop of London
  • 21 September: To Eradicate Extreme Poverty
  • 28 September: To Combat HIV/AIDS

14 - 25 September THINK : FAST

Bishop Richard proposes the period between the Creation service and the UN summit on 25 September should be one of special prayer and reflection on the fight against world poverty, including a day’s fast. He writes:

‘I myself shall fast on Wednesday 24 September, and would be delighted if others were able to join me. On that day we will issue a public message to the Prime Minister to fortify him as he prepares for the summit the following day.

To inform our observance of this period, we are planning a range of suitable educational material, and I am grateful to the Micah Challenge organisation for taking this on. This will be made available over the coming weeks, and we hope that some helpful wider publicity will be generated.

I am pleased that other Christian leaders in London have agreed to participate in THINK : FAST; and we are extending the call to our colleagues in the wider Church, to those of other faiths, and indeed to all people of goodwill in the community’.

25 September UN Summit in New York called to refocus efforts and energy on MDGs

3. 17 - 19 October STAND UP and TAKE ACTION AGAINST POVERTY AND INEQUALITY

In 2007 the Guinness World record for Stand Up was broken: 43,716,440 people in 6,540 events in 127 countries broke the 2006 record of 23.5 million. Among those people were a parish in Littleton and a parish in Lichinga. In 2008 we have the opportunity for our link to be made visible in STAND UP. Will you, your parish and your link parish or school be Standing Up together? The Stand Up website is helpfully available in Portuguese too! The Stand Up and Take Action logos are available for download in seven languages. ALMA is hoping all ALMA link parishes and link schools will Stand Up together.

If you want to make your Stand Up more than a church event and something that will impact upon your local community too there are many resources and suggestions available. One good image or tableau can generate a lot of interest and pictures of your link parish show why you are taking this action. Consider inviting your local Mayor, MP and press and DO remember to register your event via the Stand Up website and submit your numbers and pictures afterwards.

We would love it if you could copy ALMA into your submission so we can have a tally of ALMA Stand Up numbers and have some of the images on our website.

19 October Micah Sunday UK churches will be joining with thousands of churches worldwide to stand together in prayer that the firm commitments made by world leaders on the MDGs won't become broken promises. Micah Challenge will provide resources from sermon themes and creative prayer and worship ideas through to practical ways to engage with the issues. This will also include information about the Stand Up. Please see the Micah Challenge site.

4. News Snippets

Visits

  • Revd Tim McGowan, new curate in Fulham is currently on a visit with others from UK to the lakeshore communities of Messumba and Chuanga to encourage the leaders and church there and to attend and help out at a training conference in Lichinga.
  • Revd Ann Clarridge, who looks after HIV on ALMA Task Group, is off to Niassa on 11 September to spend time with Rebecca Vander Meulen and the Eqipas da Vida.
  • In October Revd Chris and Sandy Swift return to Niassa. Their parish has been involved in building Milange primary school.
  • Revd Felicity Scroggie returns to Mozambique in October for the opening of the rebuilt Messumba Health Centre which St Andrew’s Sudbury has raised funds for.

Visit reports

Do read the newly uploaded report from St Luke’s Chelsea on their very recent visit to Chimoio in Lebombo. These reports encourage and envision us all. PLEASE if you have an outstanding visit report do let me have it as soon as possible.

Service Report

For those of you who were unable to make the 10th Anniversary of ALMA Service we now have “the River of Life” service sheet complete with pictures from the service on the website.

A prayer

(from the 2004 ‘What can one person do’ Service on the MDGs at St Paul’s)

Most loving God,
As your desire for mercy for those who are poor is unrelenting,
May we be unrelenting in our pursuit of mercy for all:
As your compassion for the suffering of the poor knows no limit,
May our hearts overflow with compassion for all.
Open our eyes to the structures of oppression from which we benefit,
And give us wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity, and
perseverance to continue our work until it is finished.
Breathe your life giving spirit into your Church to free us from apathy
and indifference; Through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen

I look forward to seeing some of you on 26th September.

Sheenagh