Meeting Report
[Source: Helen Newman]
Sheenagh Burrell welcomed everyone to the meeting including Revd Helen Van Koevering and two visitors from Chimoio and then introduced several members of the ALMA Strategy Group – all in one place for the first time! The meeting began with a version of the Lord’s Prayer from the recent Ecumenical World Development Conference.
Sheenagh outlined the theme, materials and additional resources for this year’s Lent Appeal ‘Training God’s People’ and John Tasker joined her to explain more about the Africa Bible Commentary, recently available in Portuguese for the first time, as it is hoped one can be bought for every partner priest this year. All parishes were encouraged to participate in the Lent appeal even if they have a link parish as training is delivered at a Diocesan level and it is the most urgent priority identified by our partner Bishops: the growing churches need leaders and effective training courses. Sheenagh explained the next reps meeting would be on May 16 when we have a guest speaker involved with training on the ‘Rooted in Jesus’ course which is used in Angola and Niassa so we can learn more about this important training course.
Ann Peterken spoke about connecting fairtrade and ALMA during fair-trade fortnight via Mozambican fair-trade nuts. The company Liberation, produces Harry’s Nuts. There are several co-operatives involved in the production of these nuts, one of which is in Nampula, Mozambique. She asked that reps encourage their congregations to look for these nuts – available in Waitrose, Sainsburys and other supermarkets. For more info, visit www.chooseliberation.com. Fran Chandler from the Diocesan Fairtrade Campaign was also at the meeting and all ALMA Reps were encouraged to check that their churches had fairtrade certificates. If 8% more churches in London had fair-trade certificates we would be a fair-trade diocese!
Sheenagh welcomed visitors from Chimoio. Fr Domingos and Mrs Ana Jao Baptista had travelled overnight from Chimoio to their link parish St. Luke’s and Christ Church in Chelsea. They wanted to ‘thank all brothers of England for receiving us’, and said they brought greetings from St. Bernard Mizeki in Chimoio. There was a wonderful encounter for Ana and Elizabeth Tucker, former ALMA Rep for Friern Barnet, as Ana had previously hosted Elizabeth in Chimoio!
Helen van Koevering then gave a wonderful presentation entitled
Bearing capulanas, Helen told the reps that they were part of the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Bishop McKenzie’s arrival in Mozambique. These will also include a visit from the Archbishop of Cape Town in June when Mozambique and Malawi would come together to celebrate the 150 years since the establishment of the Anglican Communion in both countries. She showed a photograph here of a visit to McKenzie’s tomb.
Explaining that she wore several hats – as director of Ministry in Niassa, as the ALMA Link Officer and as Bishop Mark’s wife – Helen explained she would talk through the general vision for the diocese and the big decisions made at Synod last September.
Spontaneous growth – congregations don’t wait for churches to be finished before they start using them. 110 churches have been built or renovated in the Diocese of Niassa since 2004.
Conversion is not discipleship. Helen talked about the progress of community priests and explained some of the most dynamic growth has come through community priests.
In 2004 the Diocese agreed to women’s ordination, she remains the only female priest however. A catechist course for women will start in April, attendees will all be ex-presidents of the Mothers’ Union. The MU have also developed a Sunday School and St. Agnes groups for girls aged 9-16. There will be a focus on youth in the middle of this year, looking to develop youth groups (for ages 12-35) around the Diocese. This is a bit weak at the moment but it is hoped a new leadership will emerge from youth conferences.
Sustainability. There have been some difficulties around this but the principle is that people are now learning how they can raise up communities and take ownership of projects.
Integrated Mission – summed up by a sign advertising the Happy Bar and a football club. The Church is advertised too, somewhere in the middle!
Doctors can point to an improvement in children’s health by 50% since the church started getting involved in healthcare projects. 325 Equipa da Vida teams reach 40,000 people and have established good relationship with health professionals which benefits everyone.
Three diocesan schools are providing education for 4,000 and supporting others through parish links.
Helen provided a reality check here. The UN says Mozambique is the 7th poorest country in the world with an under 5 mortality rate of 1 in 7.
54% of people are in absolute poverty, 65% are illiterate and life expectancy is just 47, dropping to 37 in some areas.
Several deaths amongst priests recently also mean numbers are down.
The power of multiplication
2003 – 2011 has seen a 97% growth in members and a 114% growth in congregations.
Mothers Union membership is up by 238%
Mission Adeptos has gone up by 1100%
Equipa da Vida groups risen from 0 to 325.
Growth in Niassa – mission is joining in with what God is doing.
Generosity
Reconciliation
Acceptance
Compassion
Encouragement
The end of Helen’s presentation was met with applause and some questions. She explained that
Dinos Kousoulou took the floor to explain that USPG will cease their funding of Bishop Mark and Helen’s ministry at the end of April as they are making fundamental changes in the way they work overseas. However, he added that Mark and Helen’s work is far from complete and they need five more years to transfer everything over to local leadership. An appeal, completely separate from ALMA, will be launched in March looking to establish a trust fund to pay their expenses and school fees for the children – an amount of £175,000 over the next five years. 100 people or groups each committing £25 per month for five years would enable this target to be reached. More details will follow. Anyone who would like to receive information on this is invited to email Dinos dinok50@hotmail.com
The meeting ended with the Grace in English and Portuguese.