Mozambique Annual Conference Ordination - Dec. 2009
Ernesto João
During the 2009 Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Mozambique…
The following were ordained Itinerant Deacons:
Alexandrina Nassone Chume
Nelia Pedro Chicavele
Adelina Rafael Chilundo
Antonio Xavier Chissico
Ernesto João
Luís Tenasse Marengula
Vasco Alberto Matío
Micas Alfredo Munguambe
Mersina Arnaldo Novele
The following were ordained Itinerant Elders:
Filomena Samuel Basquete
Benjamim A. Chivale
Antonio Xavier Chissico
Marta Ricardina Cossa
Cornélio José Cucheza
Olívia Manuel Malevo
Bernardo Montinho
Interview with Ernesto João
Ordained itinerant deacon
Ernesto João is pastor who served the church of Pande UMC in Inhambane North district. After his graduation in 2008, he was assigned into the ministry field and completed one year of probation work for the church and communities, and returned to the annual conference session to be ordained deacon. He shares his experiences in the following interview:
The first Year of probation in ministry...
After a year of probation in ministry activities, I feel equipped to continue serve. It is long waiting a year, and we are all required to be patient and trust on His promises. The important thing is to work with the community in a fashionable way and allow an interaction with your members and turn negative aspects into positive for ongoing church activities. My first year of ministry activities was full of challenges and I learned ways together with my family and congregation, to overcome them through patience, humbleness, faith, respect and, above all, listening to others and interacting. The newly graduated students need to take these keys into consideration through this time until their ordination as deacons.
My family has been supporting me since I embraced the ministry. When needed at the community, they let me go as I was sent to serve the people of God. Behind my success is truly my wife and children who help in many aspects, and they pray for me when in difficulties and tribulations and give me joy to be close to them. They all understand my responsibility in the church and also the position I have in the church and society.
The meaning of being Ordained Pastor...
I feel comfortable and filled with faith and responsibility because, being a full member,
I feel that the church is on my shoulders. I need to continue work hard, demonstrating more love to my brothers and sisters, dedicating my efforts to church growth, and helping in the realization of the vision of the Church. After ordination as deacon, I feel capable and more equipped to do any church work that I will be assigned to do such as church development and defend the interests of this church.
I pray for myself and for the church and demonstrate to all and bring many people to Christ and showing maturity and growth of the church. To lead a church is not easy, because one deals with different views, behaviors and ways of interpreting things from our members, and so we are fully asked to understand all this to become communicative with congregations and meet their needs and make a strong congregation.
Working experience, and the vision of the Church in Mozambique...
We are all embarking in the vision that will put our church in a position where we can all prosper. This will require from us all a common understanding and team work so that the projects we are designing can be developed in a sustainable manner. We are all equally important and blessed to have leaders with intellectual capacities to move forward. This will require from us all to gather resources, both human and financial, from a single member’s contribution to the entire community. We will need to be accountable and transparent in all we do. God is the light and will shine upon all we are planning to do.
The Missouri-Mozambique covenant program...
After 10 years of our covenant partnership, the balance is positive in many ways and we have both made a huge difference in people’s lives and congregations both here and there. Our partners have taken us from under tree worship to a worship in a decent house of the Lord; from living at members homes to decent parsonages; from walking on foot to using bicycles and bikes to visit churches and congregations and, in a way, making true disciples. We have felt your presence as we communicate and visit each other.
There is an increasing need for continuous communication with our covenant partners so that we can have updated ministry information on both sides. It is true that we have constraints of our own because of our location and lack of resources to facilitate the flow of this needed information, but we are happy that at least we have the opportunity to write a letter at least once a year to our partner. We would like to be fed with the feedback whenever we write to them, because this will help bring us together in a common ministry as we are one in the same body of Christ. God is good all the time!
Ernesto João - Pastor, Pande UMC
December, 2009