Visit Report 2015
[Source: Sheenagh Burrell]
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A very early taxi to the airport for the flight to Lichinga, via Nampula for the Diocese of Niassa Strategic review! Several other partners of the Diocese of Niassa were on the plane: including three people from Episcopal Relief and Development and Nets for Life; and joining us in Nampula - one from Anglo-cord, Australia and Jo Beale from London who works on the WASH project (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in Zambezia, who had been doing some training in Nampula. Helen Van Koevering waved us in from Lichinga airport balcony and sorted transport to Kuchijinji, the Diocesan headquarters where we met the two delegates from World Renew.
Even on that short journey it was interesting to see how much Lichinga has grown since 2012. Once the Diocesan HQ at the Kuchijinji centre was on the very outskirts of the town with almost no development between it and the airport. Now ribbon development has spread all along the road to the airport and the road to Metangula. There are a couple of new petrol stations too and of course a spectacular new church.
Later in the afternoon it was truly wonderful to visit the now completed church of Yohannah Abdullah (in the Kuchijinji site but facing outwards to the road and named after one of the first Yao converts to Christianity who went on to priesthood and subsequently to St George’s in Jerusalem). Helen, and also Gloria (MU, and now a trainee Catechist who I had travelled with in 2010) shared more of the stories of how the congregation worked so hard to finish the building, assisted by donations of money from friends and links, including the five Southall churches twinned with Lichinga, and by gifts in kind such as stones and shingle for the floor. The first time I visited in 2010 only the foundations were laid and the interior was a wilderness of vegetation. In 2012 the walls were at waist height, so to see the finished high vaulted church, with roof, windows, doors, concrete floor (the result of a huge effort by the congregation – especially the Mothers’ Union), and the eight Southall Banners on the walls, and the Southall pump well outside the church was truly special.
Yohannah Abdullah church - past and present
The main purpose of my visit, along with the other partners of the Diocese of Niassa, was to attend the Diocese of Niassa Strategic Review, to finalise the Diocesan goals for 2016-2020.
A full report, with current statistics for the Diocese, is here.
While the review was over for many of the attendees, the diocesan board took advantage of the presence of many of the attendees in Lichinga to meet (a reminder of the impact of the huge size of the diocese - every opportunity for the possibility of face to face meetings is maximised as they are so costly - both in money and time). Some of the partners left; two from nets for life went to Cobue on a field visit to the Salt and Light project with Jo, and I joined Helen Van Koevering, priest at Yohanna Abdallah church for an afternoon of baptisms - ninety six of them!
From tiny infants, small children, teenagers, to adults, the candidates and their padrinos (godparents - or perhaps more accurately senior church members) came forward for baptism. For me it was strange to see the padrinos role superseding that of the parents in presenting the child but there was no doubt in the sincerity of the prayers as they and the candidate held the baptismal candle. To the side of the font the Catechist and church warden were busy marshalling the papers with the details of each candidate, which when added to the baptismal register are a useful record in the event of someone subsequently needing to register their birth - an essential requirement for access to state education, healthcare, passports and even a mobile phone sim card.
Baptisms at Yohannah Abdallah church
As the baptisms finished there were several groups of young people, (the next day’s confirmation candidates) with buckets of water, brushes, and dusters preparing to wash the floor and dust the church so it was sparkling for the next day’s confirmation service.
If 96 baptisms had been special nothing could have prepared me for confirmation day at Yohannah Abdallah church where there were 116 confirmations and seven further baptisms. Even as I walked across Kuchijinji to the church, a sea of white was in evidence - a double row of candidates was lined up preparing to process into the church. They had been lovingly and reverently prepared by their teacher who must have been so proud of them.
They filled one entire transept of the packed church and fully participated in the service - with candidates reading lessons and prayers and singing the psalm. The service was of necessity long as Bishop Mark spent time with each of the candidates who came forward two at a time to kneel before him to be confirmed. It seemed like a never ending stream of candidates, who included three Muslim families, and they were first to receive the Eucharist. If my understanding of Portuguese has improved I am pretty sure Bishop Mark was encouraging them to be as effective as Mosquitos in their calling as Christians - there was a lot of buzzing and actions.
The young people paid tribute to their confirmation teacher and cheers filled the church. It was hard to believe, as we left to a sea of families celebrating, that we had been there for five hours.
On Monday I had a chance to catch up on some ALMA work with Bishop Mark and Helen and to share a meal with them, Jo and Rebecca before I left on Tuesday on my return flights which involved two changes - at Nampula (where Bishop Manuel joined me) and at Johannesburg. It was a very full but fulfilling visit. A sense of the ‘alma’ of our partnership being in good heart!