Blogs

Imagine reducing the number of district superintendants in southern Mozambique from 16 to 6. Imagine connecting in a country were only about 12% of the population has electricity.

The sun rose and emitted its first rays very early on Sunday, November 28, 2010.  Around 7 am people were already burning hot.  Hundreds started showing up at Bispo Escrivão Zunguze UMC in Zimpeto, about 50 minutes from center-city Maputo.  God again revealed God’s miracle – from tree cover chapel, through a chapel of local materials to a wonderful concrete facility – a magnificent house of the Lord, green and yellow, calling whoever hears or passes through the area to worship Christ as a church member!   Tears came from Rev. Jeff Brinkman’s face as he arrived in Mozambique.

Today’s lectionary scripture reminds us that every single day we have the privilege of making the “invisible God” visible at home and around the world.

Driving off the main road through coconut and cashew nut trees was a little bit tough – a safari-like drive in a convoy of two vehicles and a motorbike. We saw hundreds of people walking in the same direction, and we realized they were heading to Magumbane

Each year churches wish to provide Bibles and hymnals for congregations in Mozambique. Bibles cost about $5 and hymnals about $4 in local languages.

King’s Way UMC recently donated more than $700 for Bible and hymnals for each of their partner churches, Makhate UMC in the North and Malhazine UMC in the South.

When the people of Red Bridge UMC learned that their partner church, Milange UMC in Mozambique, had no transportation to cover the huge area of the congregation, an individual responded with a specially-designated gift.

With a new Bishop and with the changing times in Mozambique, we share a new and exciting vision for the church in Mozambique and how we are transforming the Mozambique Initiative church covenant partnership program to be in support of the new vision. 

Welcome to the Mozambique Initiative blog!

 “Somewhere out there” is how the story started. Some people had dreamed about the congregation, then about having a decent permanent chapel. There was little means to support this dream.

United Methodists at Goba will have a place to gather, people will give their lives to Christ, and a congregation will be in mission because the people of Chemba stepped out in bold sharing of the Gospel and because in the Missouri conference (USA), a family honored the memory of a lost son and a church in LaDue, Missouri closed. All will live on in the chapel they helped build in Mozambique.

 God always prepared a mission to His people through covenant, and Mozambique and Missouri is true model of this kind of relationship.