Presentations to Bishop Rachel Treweek and Bishop Mark Van Koevering

“Friends, our service tonight has celebrated the 17th anniversary of the ALMA partnership, but it is also the last time Rachel, Bishop Rachel as she now is, will be with us. She has already been sworn in as Bishop of Gloucester. Later this month she will be consecrated and in September will be enthroned.

Bishop Rachel with her new pectoral cross and a Tutudesk

We ask her to join us now as we want to take this opportunity to honour everything Rachel has been to ALMA and the role she has played in developing and strengthening our link. Since her first visit to Mozambique in 2002 she has been deeply committed and since joining the strategy group in 2006 she has been a wise and visionary deputy chair, and then chair. Her attention to detail, and simultaneous grasp of the big picture is legendary and she will be hugely missed.

It is a great joy tonight to officially launch the Tutudesk initiative - a project to which Archbishop Tutu has lent his name: it strives to provide a solution for the current generation of African children whose learning is impaired by the lack of desks in their schools. A Tutudesk is a large laptop tray that can provide a stable work surface for children sitting on benches or the ground. It is also a learning tool itself! Pupils from the Twyford and Maciene school link selected the various Items on the desk such as the alphabet, map of Africa, clock, shapes and colours, and Paper Jam, who do graphics work for the diocese, did the design work pro bono. We have 2200 desks being delivered from South Africa to Mozambique shortly, but are delighted, Rachel, to present you with the first ALMA Tutudesk. We hope it will be useful and also a reminder of ALMA.

Even in Gloucester some of the connections will continue: one of Gloucester’s links is with the Diocese of Västerås in Sweden which as many of you know is also linked with Lebombo, the southern Mozambican diocese!  Lebombo has played an important part in the peace and reconciliation process in Mozambique through emeritus Bishop Dinis and the work of the swords into ploughshares project which in the last 15 years has taken over 800,000 weapons out of commission and turned them into works of art like the throne of weapons in the British museum. Reconciliation work is another cornerstone of Rachel’s ministry and Bishop Carlos Matsinhe has sent this pectoral cross, made from bullet shells for Rachel, to journey with her. He writes,

‘This gift is made out of weapon bullet shells from the Arts Centre or TAE-CCM Mozambique and symbolizes our call to everyone to transform ‘weapons into ploughshares’ and thus build peace in the World. The cross is given with love and prayer that Rachel, in her new ministry, continues to keep abreast the commitment to peace-making amongst her flock and in the world’

and it is our privilege to present it on his behalf.

Bishops Mark and Rachel with their new stoles

In 2008 we had a memorable River of Prayer service marking the 10th anniversary of ALMA. Some of you will remember the rivers of blue fabric with prayers fastened to them which flowed along the aisles of this cathedral. Beryl, our intercessory chaplain, has lovingly cherished this fabric and Ann, one of our ALMA reps has been incorporating it into ALMA stoles.

Tonight we have two to present: Bishop Mark will you join us now? Here is an ALMA stole for you with St. Paul’s Cathedral on one side, Niassa on the other and the River of Prayer flowing between them. Could I ask Rachel to place this on Bishop Mark?

And, Rachel, we have a stole for you which we ask Bishop Mark to place on you - yours has the river of prayer flowing from St Paul’s Cathedral on one side to Gloucester Cathedral on the other. It symbolises the love and prayer that goes with you and Guy from London to Gloucester. Go well, go gently.”

There are also news stories on ALMA Sunday on the Diocese of London website: one about ALMA Sunday and the other on the launch of the Tutudesk Initiative