Reps Circular

Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,

This is a brief circular to draw your attention to a few things:

1. ALMA SUNDAY 15 July 2007
   • worship resources
   • update on Bishop Andre
   • a meditation on the MDGs
   • two services you might be interested in
2. NEWS OF EVENTS past and future
   • Elizabeth Tucker’s concert
   • Feedback from Rebecca Vander Meulen on the May Meeting
   • Beryl Warren’s pilgrimage
   • USPG Mozambique photo exhibition
   • ALMA MEETING 12 September 2007 with Bishop DINIS
   • Visits from and to Angola
3. CHRISTIAN AID CLIMATE CHANGE MARCH
   • using a poster with an image from Mozambique 

1. ALMA Sunday 15 July 2007

• I apologise if the email with the resources for ALMA Sunday was too large for your spam filter. I hope the second email alerting you to the resources did get through.
• I imagine many of you will pray on ALMA Sunday for Bishop Andre as he continues to recover form his surgery. He is doing well although not able to fly until after the end of August. After that he may come to London for a final check up.
• Fran Chandler, the Kensington World Development Adviser, has sent me a meditation from Cafod on the Millennium Development Goals which may be a useful to you.
• Two services you might be interested in:
  • Sunday 15 July, 6.30pm St Martin’s Ruislip World Issues Group invites everyone to join them in a special service focusing on ALMA and Africa where the church has a number of links. Mr. John Grange, Microbiologist and TB expert will give a talk.This event will remain first and foremost an ALMA event. There will be FAIRTRADE and a display of information. Music is to include African style, with drums. All are invited. Further information Phil Pye-Bereat.
  • Wednesday 18 July, 7.30pm
    Revd Graeme Watson and Beryl Warren will be leading a Mass with ALMA at the heart of it at St. Mary’s Church, Church Street, Stoke Newington, N16.

PLEASE DO REMEMBER TO USE GIFT AID, where appropriate, if you are taking an ALMA Sunday collection for ALMA. Envelopes are available from the ALMA Office and Gift Aid forms can be downloaded from the website.

2. News of events past and future

1. The Phoenix Trio’s two concerts in May, where our ALMA Rep Elizabeth Tucker played piano, raised (with gift aid) an incredible £4953 for the three african charities the trio support - ALMA, Hope and Christian Aid. A magnificent sum. Congratulations to the players and thanks to their generous supporters. Much of the funds raised has gone to help with projects in the Beira area following the floods and cyclone earlier in the year.
2. Feedback from Rebecca Vander Meulen (HIV co-ordinator from Niassa who spoke at an ALMA Reps meeting in May - report) on the use of terminology. Here in the UK we are accustomed to saying and writing HIV/AIDS. Rebecca comments that in Niassa they are saying “HIV and AIDS”. She writes “We make a big deal about the difference, both to give hope to those living with HIV (who do not yet have AIDS) and because HIV has no symptoms, while AIDS is normally quite obvious!”
3. Beryl Warren’s Pilgrimage to Canterbury 10-14 July in the lead up to ALMA Sunday. Beryl, ALMA Rep at St Mary’s Stoke Newington is not seeking financial sponsorship but is asking for a prayer commitment for each day of her solo pilgrimage.
   10 July: Aylesford to Thurnham Village; 11 July: Thurnham to Harrietsham Village; 12 July: Harrietsham to Westwell; 13 July: Westwell to Chilham; 14 July: Chilham to Canterbury. Go well Beryl.
4. USPG Photo Exhibition on Mozambique, which some of you saw last September at the MANNA celebration, is on tour! It has just reached St Francis Isleworth.
5. **DIARY DATE** Please remember we have BISHOP DINIS speaking at the ALMA REPS MEETING on Wednesday 12 September. This will be at 6pm as usual but we are looking for a larger central London venue as we want to encourage you to bring people from your churches with you and make this a very special evening. Offers to help with refreshments would be really welcome.
6. The four Angolan visitors to St Stephen’s Canonbury, from St Stephen’s Golfe, have just returned home but were able to meet up with some of the ALMA Task Group and Rosangela Ashdown who is going to Angola in August with the All Saints Fulham group to visit St Augustine’s Viana.

3. Christian Aid Climate Change Campaign and Cut the Carbon March

This summer from 14 July - 2 October 40 walkers, 20 from the global north and 20 from the global south, will walk 1000 miles in 80 days - from Belfast to London via Scotland, Wales and most major cities - to draw attention to climate change. The walk concludes with a service in St Paul’s Cathedral. Explore the issues and follow the march on the Christian Aid web site.

You'll be interested to see that one of the Christian Aid posters about climate change and the cover of “All creation’s groaning: a theological approach to climate change and development” by Paula Clifford show a picture from Mozambique: a heavily laden woman carrying possessions and possibly a baby, whilst holding two young children by the hand as they negotiate a very flooded road. The small boys T shirt is wet up to the armpits. They all look exhausted.

You might want to use this image if your churches are engaging with climate change, which is already a reality in both Angola and Mozambique.