Zove started almost 14 years ago

Bishop Dinis Sengulane, the Bishop of Lebombo, Mozambique.

In order to measure the impact of Zove in the surrounding villages I paid a leisurely visit from 10 to 13 September

• Meeting the Parish councillors of all Congregations to consider the theme of “growing in every thing, looking unto Christ ”Eph. 4, 15 which is the theme for this year in the Diocese.
• Taking the cross as the model for the type of growth we are being invited to (spiritual, material, numerical, social) we were helped to see what are the needs and opportunities in each Congregations from the leaders’ perspectives.
• Visiting the four existing congregations, (Zove, Mazungu, Marupanhe and Muxungwe) and the newly created congregation of St. John the Baptist, Inhamicombe. Baptism and confirmation were administered in all congregations but Muxungwe which is still training their candidates for November during the pilgrimage.
• Visiting a prison cell situated near Zove, where people imprisoned for crime are morally assisted once a month with teaching. Now they will become a Congregation with regular services.

Inhamicombe 30 km east of Zove was created as a Congregation as result of the Mothers’ Union response to an address given last year at their annual Conference about the importance of registering children. Back in Zove they got in touch with the government registry and they summoned 1550 children to be registered, with 350 in Inhamicombe. A school was established and now they are busy building the church, where 50 people were baptized and 20 confirmed during my first visit. If these children were not registered is as if they do not exist, so the registration of 1900 children means that education, health, water, agriculture and other aspect of life are now taken into consideration for them.

Water supply, building a Church at Marupanhe and Inhamicombe, a motorbike for the newly placed deacon in Muxungwe, Jacinto Cumbe and means for food security are the major challenges to be met as we see the Church growing numerical and also in its influence in society and consequently calling for a stronger presence of the leadership in the Congregations.

God has always a plan for His children and it is wise to seek to understand God’s agenda in all events in our lives – this was Berta’s strong conviction. We can see that God’s agenda connected with the accident in Zove is no exception.

In Christ
+Dinis Lebombo