Methodist Church in Mozambique supporting sustainable agricultural development and clean water provision in rural areas.
As part of a joint visit with the Mission Department of the Methodist Church in Southern Africa, it was inspiring to spend Sunday attending church and visiting projects in a remote rural community in ‘Gaza Province’ of southern Mozambique, with the Bishop of Mozambique, the Rev. Maria Macumba. (The Methodist Church in Mozambique is a District of the Methodist Church in Southern Africa).
As in so many rural communities in Africa, locals are doing their utmost in the face of many challenges to provide basic needs for their community – including clean water for village households and crops, improved agricultural yields for income generation and development purposes, and better education provision for the young majority.
We received a warm welcome at the Sunday service in the village of Chitlango in the Macia Circuit, and then visited the village school, an extensive agricultural project, a water well, solar water pump and water storage and distribution facility for local homes, all of which have been provided by the Methodist Church in Southern Africa. During Covid, the MCSA made water available for the community by having a borehole drilled that supplies water to the households in the village. For the first time ever, local homes have taps and running water in their homes or yards.
Sharing lunch provided by the villagers, it was moving to hear that the Church was established by two local Christians at the start of the 20th Century and that the Church and school was further developed by a British Methodist missionary who lived amongst the people for 30 years. The heritage of those who sought to improve living conditions for local people in years gone by is remembered with much appreciation and today the local Methodist Church continues that legacy.
A leader of the local government attended the service and spoke about the vital importance of the Church’s work for the well-being and development of local communities.
With support from Capacity Building Funds from the World Mission Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain, the Methodist Church in Southern Africa hopes to supply two more water tanks to enable clean water provision to more local village homes and further develop the impressive agricultural food security project, so that it can provide ongoing sustainable income generation. This will further improve water, agricultural and education provision in the area, and support the work of the Methodist Church in Mozambique.
It is encouraging and humbling to see the efforts that are being made in the face of great challenges.
Andrew Ashdown.
Partnership Coordinator for Africa.
Global Relationships Team.
Methodist Church in Britain.
8 April 2024
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Seeking a holistic community response to the impact of violence in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique
Seeking a holistic community response to the impact of violence in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique.
It has been a privilege to visit the Cabo Delgado Province in NE Mozambique with the Mission Director and Director of Justice and Service of the Methodist Church in Southern Africa, Rev. Musi Losaba and Nancy Herron, and with Rev. Dinis Matsolo, formerly Methodist Bishop in Mozambique, and now the Executive Director of PIRCOM (Inter-Religious Platform for Health Communication) in Mozambique.
Since 2017, there have been an increasing number of Insurgent attacks in the region by an ISIS-linked group, Al-Shabab, that have resulted in the displacement of over a million people in Cabo Delgado Province. The severity of these attacks led to the deployment of an International Force of South African and Rwandan soldiers (SAMIM) in 2021, who until early in 2024, had helped to improve the security situation and enable some of the displaced people to return to their homes. However, in 2024, there was a further upsurge in violence leading to a further 100,000 people fleeing their homes for safer areas. A Military Adviser for SAMIM who met with us said that the difficulty both for the Mozambique Government and for the SAMIM forces, (who will be completing their deployment in August 2024) is that the Province alone is three times the size of Rwanda and much of the territory is forested and difficult to access. He further concluded that the solution cannot be purely a military one but must engage ways to address the reasons for the success of these insurgencies and the social insecurities that exist within local communities.
The conflict is resulting in multiple challenges. We met with the District Administrator of the Chiure District which recently received 100,000 refugees – an influx that has added to the existing 400,000 population of the District. He spoke movingly of the humanitarian need both for the local population and for the displaced, who need land, food, water, education, health care. Much effort is being made by Government Agencies, NGOs and the ecumenical Christian Council of the Province to develop Capacity Building training for local communities; to integrate displaced persons into the community; to improve and provide sanitation; to improve food security; to engage in peace building and dialogue; to provide the security and stability for those who wish to return to their homes to do so, and to provide stability for those who feel unable to return to their communities for fear of ongoing violence. The Agencies are also working with local communities to address issues of Gender-based violence, the impact of climate change, and providing education and working skills for young people.
We were particularly struck in our meetings with local officials, including the Governor of the Province who met us in Pemba, by the clear commitment of the authorities to a holistic approach to addressing the situation. They were keen to point out that this is not a ‘religious’ conflict per se, but that social and political inadequacies, especially for the majority young population who are unable to find work, have provided fertile ground for the fostering of extremism and conflict.
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We visited a Displaced Persons Camp in Chiure, a 4 hour (due to poor road conditions) 120km journey from Pemba, in an area not far from where the most recent attacks took place in February 2024. This camp is one of many in the area. Land is provided by local people for the refugees to set up a home and have a small plot for crops. Approaching along a dirt track, we passed the mud huts of homes built by displaced persons who had arrived a few years’ ago. Those who arrived in the last couple of weeks were living in tents provided by a number of Agencies. During our visit, it was good to see that members of the camp were meeting under a tree to discuss capacity-building initiatives to provide food security and develop the facilities. We were not asked for any ‘hand outs’. Rather, the emphasis is very much on empowering the local people, with the help of local people, to address the needs and provide lasting solutions.
The Methodist Church in Mozambique (which has been supported by the World Mission Fund of MCB) is a part of the Christian Council of the Cabo Delgado and has taken a lead in promoting dialogue and reconciliation and training local communities in peace-building and local empowerment. This work continues. The situation is fragile. With the peace-keeping force leaving the area in the summer, and a recent upsurge in violence, there are fears for what lies ahead. The urgency for continued multi-faceted holistic local solutions to addressing the many challenges that are faced, remain.
Dr. Andrew Ashdown.
Partnership Coordinator for Africa.
Global Relationships Team.
Methodist Church in Britain.
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Religious Leaders in Cameroon meet to discuss strategies for progress and peace in the country.
“The Level of Unity, Representation and Commitment that we have achieved here has never before been experienced in this way in Cameroon.” This wonderful statement by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Yaounde in Cameroon truly summed up the ethos and outcome of a Roundtable of Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders that took place in Yaounde, Cameroon from 7-11 August 2023. In a meeting that brought together the most senior religious leaders of all the religious communities and denominations in the country, the results exceeded expectations.
Called by the Ecumenical Forum for Justice and Peace in Cameroon, the meeting was coordinated by the All Africa Council of Churches to strengthen collegiality between the religious leaders and agree a plan of action for a common commitment by the Religious Leaders to work together for justice and peace in Cameroon. International partners were present to encourage and support the gathering and to emphasise the significance of its purpose, not just for Cameroon, but for the cause of peace and justice in Africa and further afield. The Methodist Church in Britain contributed funding for the meeting to take place.
For 6 years, there has been a deepening and frequently violent conflict between the Anglophone north-west and south-west of Cameroon and the Francophone majority in the rest of the country. For years, the economic, political and social marginalization of the Anglophone region by the rest of the country has caused disenfranchisement and resentment. The violence that has spilled over from Nigeria and the Sahel region into the North and West of the country has also increased tensions.
Within this context, the role that religious leaders play – in a deeply religious country – in ensuring, sustaining and promoting national cohesion and stability cannot be overstated.
For two days, Christian and Muslim leaders engaged in a sincere and honest consideration of the challenges and possibilities of achieving progress in ensuring the peace and well-being of the nation. All present contributed to discussions. In one session, participants were invited to share two things that they would change if they could. What emerged was the profound commonality of concerns and aspirations of all those present. This in turn enabled priorities for action to be easily identified and agreed. Through discussing the shared difficulties and aspirations of local dynamics, trust was built and ideas for constructive collaborative action were shared.
During the last session, three significant courses of action were agreed and a new Standing Committee, comprising 6 Christian and 5 Muslim senior leaders was chosen by those present. They will implement the decisions made and seek to enable the concerns of all groups within the country to be heard so that transformative resolutions could be sought and embraced.
The significance of this meeting for Cameroon cannot be overstated. Senior leaders of all the major Christian and Muslim denominations in Cameroon were present and supported the agreed outcomes. Moreover, in a meeting with the Cameroon Prime Minister, the Prime Minister expressed his support for the process, for the actions agreed, and for the efforts and importance of the mediating role that religious leaders play in ensuring stability and peace within the nation.
It is a blessing that the Methodist Church in Britain was invited to be a part of this process. It is an example of the on-going model of partnership and friendship that is possible with our partners. Such initiatives are one of the many ways in which we are able to share the gifts of solidarity, support and friendship with the global Christian community.
Dr. Andrew Ashdown
Partnership Coordinator for Africa.
Global Relationships Team.
Methodist Church in Britain.
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- cameroon roundtable mcb partnership coordinator with imam tukur adamu of bamenda
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Food security and the Methodist Church in Africa.
Food security is one of the key global issues today. Famine, natural disasters, environmental degradation and water scarcity have all increased in recent years. Climate change is impacting everyone and especially the most vulnerable. Across Africa, the Church has numerous projects to enhance food security for families and local communities. In Kenya and Zimbabwe, Church-run Agricultural Institutes are leading the way in teaching villagers techniques for maximizing both livestock and food production.
In all 16 African countries with which the Methodist Church in Britain partners, agricultural training and the development of market gardens in church compounds and family plots are a key part of Church Strategic Plans for Mission and outreach.
A couple of initiatives in Cape Province, South Africa illustrate this well. In Heidelburg Circuit, West Somerset, Cape Town, the Minister, Rev. Ralph Afghan has established a small vegetable garden in an inner courtyard of the Church. Tended by members, vegetables are grown and can be picked free of charge by any families in particular need.
Not far away, in Otters Rd Circuit, Evangelist Terence has established a food sustainability project using a large section of the Church property to develop a large vegetable garden. The garden is not only supplying local people in need but is being used as a training project for members and young people in agriculture and food sustainability.
Nearby, a major wholesale Nursery of seedlings of vegetables and fruit trees has been established. The nursery supplies local businesses and families in order for them to increase their food production at home. Local people are invited to visit the Nursery to learn the techniques of plant production so that they can use them at home. The nursery therefore provides both an important service to the local community and is a significant income-generation project.
Such projects in one part of Cape Province, South Africa, are replicated across the Continent and are a vital Church contribution to food security and sustainability in a fragile context.
Andrew Ashdown
Partnership Coordinator for Africa. Global Relationships Team.
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Methodist ministries in Northern Namibia.
As part of a visit with the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, it was a privilege to visit some of the Circuits in Northern Namibia. Namibia is the second least populated country in the world and one of the largest in Africa. Rundu Circuit covers much of Northern Namibia, with Rundu itself situated on the Okavango River on the Angola border. The Circuit has 6 churches, two in Rundu, and four rural outstations up to 200kms from Rundu. Most of his outstations started as small communities worshipping under a tree and are now flourishing congregations serving the needs of their rural communities.
The Superintendent of the Circuit is Rev. Everestu Kameya, an inspiring and dedicated Minister who was himself a refugee from Congo. He does not possess a car so uses a taxi to visit his far-flung societies. The World Mission Fund of MCB supplied his laptop and wifi at his office and this has become an essential tool for enabling him to do his work and keep in touch with the rest of Namibia.
Despite the challenges presented by distance and lack of resources in poor, isolated communities, there is no shortage of vision, faith and resilience. In each Church we visited, we were met with singing, dancing and prayer. All churches are seeking to establish income-generation projects that provide both sustainability and service to the local community. The greatest shortage is of Ministers. Here, there is only one Minister covering an area the size of England and Scotland put together, so there is a great need to train both Ministers and Evangelists to undertake the work.
The Methodist Church in Namibia faces many challenges yet is a profoundly missional church dedicated to providing pastoral care, education and being a Christian light and witness, particularly amongst the poorer and marginalised sections of societies. The Methodist Church in Britain, through the World Mission Fund, has supported the Methodist Church in Namibia in its ministry and is encouraging more encounter and exchange as we learn from one another and discern together what it means to be Christian disciples and witnesses in the different contexts of the global Church.
Andrew Ashdown
Partnership Coordinator for Africa. Global Relationships Team.
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- namibia rundu circuit ncumgoro church without walls
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- namibia rundu circuit. david turtle with local members
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- namibia rundu circuit. rev. everesto. office equipment provided by mcb
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- namibia rundu circuit. okavango river border between namibia and angola
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Methodist Ministry amongst Refugees in Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia.
During a visit to Namibia last month with the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, it was inspiring to visit the Osire Refugee camp 225kms north of the capital Windhoek. In the camp, the Methodist Church has a ministry to asylum seekers and refugees from countries across Africa and further afield. Most of the refugees at Osire come from war zones in Angola and Congo.
The Methodist ministry in the camp was begun by the inspiring ministry of Rev. Everestu Kemaya, himself a refugee from Congo, who is now the Circuit minister for the Rundu Circuit in the north of the country, bordering Angola. And although there is no Minister currently serving the camp, the church is served by an Evangelist, Malanda Boniface Kassander, himself a refugee who lives in the camp.
We met in the simple mud-brick, tin-roofed building that serves as their Church and were joined by about 30 church members of all ages who proceeded to spend the next two hours singing, dancing and giving thanks to God for the gift of life and for what He provides.
The Methodist Church is committed to providing a ministry amongst the refugees, particular of pre-school education and providing basic needs. Of the three Kindergarten schools in the camp, two are Methodist. Each month the residents are given maize meal, beans, cooking oil, salt and sugar. Because of the shortage of wood in the area – it is a barren landscape – they are not allowed to collect wood outside the camp, so they are sometimes given wood and paraffin for cooking. Many grow their own vegetables both to feed themselves and to supplement their income.
Life in the refugee camp is not easy. It is possible to find work outside the camp but to do so requires a permit from the government. Moreover, the nearest town is a long way away; public transport is expensive and there is high unemployment in Namibia. Repatriation to their home countries is impossible for most residents due to political instability and violence in the countries of origin, and settlement in Europe or beyond is extremely difficult in the current political climate. Many are skilled but they do not have the money to buy the equipment that would enable them to work. Many would like to undertake Courses online, but there is little wifi availability and few people possess computers.
In spite of these many challenges, we were moved and inspired by the resilience, positivity, faith and determination of the residents we met. Most had been through horrific experiences in their lives and yet they were determined to build a better future for their families and make a positive contribution to wherever they might be able to settle. In the meantime, they are involved in contributing to the life of the Refugee Camp itself and to providing hope for their children. The Methodist Church seeks to be a partner in this endeavour and being life and light amidst troubled contexts.
Andrew Ashdown
Partnership Coordinator for Africa. Global Relationships Team.
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Linda Haines is an Accompanying Volunteer in Utila (Honduras) working alongside and supporting her husband, Revd Chris Haines who is our ordained mission partner in the Belize/Honduras District of the MCCA*. While Accompanying Volunteers on do not have all the roles, responsibilities and benefits of mission partners, their volunteer work is nonetheless as valuable as a mission partner’s. Linda is involved in supporting many church activities and the local Methodist Bilingual School. It has been a blessing to see Chris and Linda working as partners in God’s mission in Utila.
MCCA women across the Americas are well organised, passionate about God and about meeting together to fellowship and deepen their relationship with Jesus. I participated in a women’s Bible study yesterday evening with Linda. We had a fantastic time with other women who clearly loved Jesus and were committed to learning more about how to apply God’s word to their everyday lives. There was much laughter and joy during the Bible study- they clearly enjoyed being together!
Every blessing,
Sandra
*MCCA-The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas
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Rotan and Utila are part of the Bay Islands that the British handed over to Honduran rule in 1861. Older Utilians still feel much affection for Great Britain, whereas younger generations on the island are more aligned with their Hispanic, Honduran identity.
This is reflected in Methodist Churches here that deeply value their British Methodist heritage and conduct most service in English. This bilingual and dual cultural context is where Revd Chris Haines is working as a mission partner, and his wife Linda Haines as an Accompanying Volunteer.
Part of Chris’ role is to work as a circuit minister on Utila and other nearby Bay Islands, as well as serve as a governor on the Board of the local Bilingual Methodist School. Linda is also serving on the school’s board of governors and is involved in women’s fellowship, youth discipleship and Sunday School.
Together they teach Bible classes at the Methodist School, sharing the good news of the gospel with the 184 children between reception and GCSE years and teaching on Methodist identity. The school is a Bilingual School, the aim of which is to equip its students with a solid foundation in English and Spanish in the hope that their language skills will give them good career opportunities.
In coming alongside the school and the church with their gifts, talents and their pastoral care, they are doing what Mission Partners are expected to do: be a source of encouragement, an expression of God’s love and brothers and sisters in Christ who accompany and serve brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
Every blessing,
Sandra
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Methodists around the world were celebrating Aldersgate Sunday this past weekend. This day is very special for Methodists on the Honduran island of Roatan, and the activities on the day serve as a witness to their community of the power of God to transform lives and societies.
It was a day for remembering John Wesley’s conversation through art, poetry and music. What was particularly striking was the walk of witness that Methodists on Roatan do every year, departing from a local congregation and concluding in their first church, Wesley Methodist Church. In the procession were young people from the Methodist Bilingual Educational Centre, who played the music with skill, flair and a Caribbean twist to well-known hymns and gospel songs.
After the service, food and fellowship was share, proceeded by Aldersgate Fest- a relaxed afternoon of competitions and a heritage quiz for the young people. These Honduran Methodists may well know more about Methodist heritage then us in the UK! The quizz was very tough!
Every blessing,
Sandra
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I have been in Central America for over a week, visiting the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) in the beautiful country of Panama. The building of the Panama Canal was a crucial starting point in the history of the MCCA there, bringing in Methodist West Indians who worked on the canal and settled in the city. Panama City was a crucial place for Methodist Mission in the country, which also extended to rural, indigenous communities in the Bocas del Toro region with the support of Methodist Ministers from Panama and the UK.
Panamanian Methodists are committed to their history and proud of their Methodist heritage, notably of the work of Revd Ephraim Alphonse who pioneered mission work among indigenous Ngäbe people (in the Bocas del Toro region) and then became the regional coordinator for the Methodist Church in Britain in the mid 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of an autonomous MCCA in 1967.
The Panama Circuit of the Panama/Costa Rica District has a number of heritage properties and the District is working to obtain grade listed status for a very important building, Wesley Methodist Church. This church played an important role during the construction of the Panama Canal in that it became one of the only churches in the city where black workers from the West Indies could congregate and worship God together. In the past it has enjoyed a large congregation of 200-300 people, but now it has a dwindling congregation of about 50. Structural and cosmetic repair work is badly needed for the church and the adjoining manse which is currently not safe enough to live in or use for community events.
Bishop Juan Simpson (pictured in the photo pf the church), the current District Bishop, shared with me his vision for Wesley Methodist Church to become a place of outreach to the existing community, which is a hotbed of social need and deprivation. Bishop Juan also shared with me that the church has applied for heritage status, which will bring in much needed income and access to state heritage funds by officially becoming a part of the Casco Viejo (the historical area). That signifies that it will be put on tourist maps and have the potential to help the local church generate income for repairs and outreach. The hope is that by making the church fit for mission and outreach, the church’s social outreach and evangelism work will help regenerate its local community and bring new people to a commitment to Christ. It will also allow them to share the gospel with visitors through telling the story of the link between the construction of the Panama Canal and the West Indians workers who settled in the area with their families and worshiped at the church.
Every blessing,
| Sandra Lopez Partnership Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean | The Connexional Team |
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Global Relationships 