Mozambique blog 8

The African Games are coming to Maputo next month. Posters are up all over the city: it’s a big event evoking national pride. Out near the road to the north is the brand new stadium – looking pristine and complete when we passed through that way early last month, though there still seemed to be work to be done to complete the village. Even from the main road you can see the coloured seats spelling out the word Mozambique for all the world to see. Your view is a bit impeded however by all the street traders who have apparently been given notice to move on: the authorities are anxious that Mozambique should present only its prosperous side to the world at the grand opening on September 3^rd.

Beating them by a month, the English language service at Khovo was launched last Sunday. This was part of the reason for my coming to Mozambique this time: after conversations I had with various people in the Church during my sabbatical visit in 2006 I wrote a paper outlining how one of our ministers might consider spending a few weeks here training up a group of people to lead the English language service that so many people felt was needed in the city. Other churches are holding them, so why not the Presbyterians?

I didn’t realise at the time that I was writing my own job description, but that’s how it seemed to work out. So alongside the other things I’ve been involved in over the past five weeks I have been hoping that we could get working together on preparing for this service. But as is often the case in Mozambique, things did not work out quite as (I at least) planned. My suggestion for a group to work and train together seemed to be overlooked; and instead we found ourselves in the situation where Hillian and I were to be largely responsible for the three Sundays when we were still to be around the place.

However, I’m thankful that there does seem to be a genuine desire to continue the service after that. The consistory (elders’ meeting) has given its blessing, and a number of pastors have promised to get involved. And whereas the original case for the service was based on the number of English-speaking visitors to be found in Maputo each weekend, it has become clear that much of the support is coming from Portuguese speakers who are keen to use and develop their English. So there’s potentially something for everyone here.

The service was duly launched at 16.00 hrs on Sunday August 7^th, and is to take place each succeeding week. Pastor Felipe introduced us by reminding the congregation that worship had been held here for 124 years, but that this was the first occasion it was to be offered in English. His reference to the Day of Pentecost fitted in well with thoughts that I was going to share in the sermon; and if the hymns were perhaps not typical of Presbyterianism  as I know it, at least most of the growing congregation seemed to know them – which was a well, as there were only about a dozen copies of the words.

From the first two or three rows being filled at kick-off time, by the time I was preaching there must have been 70 or 80 people present, and I think over a hundred by the time we got to the blessing. In fact the blessing was never pronounced; for having sung that we were marching in the light of God, we were told by Pastor Felipe that a Memento of the Launch was being prepared. Hillian and I had to sign the book as the first leaders of the English service, after which everyone present was invited to process to the table and sign their names as witnesses to the occasion. And with our friend Inãcio waiting patiently to whisk us off for a couple of days in Xai-Xai, we never waited for the queue to come to an end.

So the English language Presbyterian service is now a fact of life. If you ever find yourself in Maputo at a weekend don’t forget it: Khovo Church at 16.00 hours. The consistory are think considering how to advertise it, but I think this blog may be the first bit of publicity it gets. As our own church noticeboards used always to say: Visitors welcome.

John Durell