Update from Catembe Mozambique

March 25, 2011

Dear Pastor Kathleen,

Greetings for Mozambique. I thank you for your letter, your thoughts and concerns to the children and our church ministries, especially the work at the chapel construction.

Here is what I can say in response to your questions: There are 5 public schools in the entire Catembe; from which one is a secondary school and the rest are primary schools. There is one private commercial school in the village. These schools are far apart from each other and are not enough still to accommodate the huge number of children in the communities and some from our congregation. We have a total of 46 children that are really in need (especially in school materials including the school outfit). These children are vulnerable and mostly orphans and they stay in people’s homes with no basic needs for food. Sometimes we send our contributions for these children in some food and clothing but it is a one time effort. We wish we could have an opportunity to have all these children in a kindergarten.

Under normal circumstances we would need the following in order to care for these (46) children:

• $19.35 per child for uniforms
• $6.45 per child for school books
• $130 for writing pads for all children
• $9.60 for pencils for all children
• $16.00 for pens for all children
• $9.60 per month for food (per child)

In the existing elementary school the children are overcrowded and they are unable to understand the teachings there. This is where the idea of kindergarten comes, because we will have our children in small groups and will learn better. Also these children come from long distances, lack school uniform and sandals and school materials.

There are issues related to HIV/AIDS in our community and also I believe there may be some members of our church with the disease. None have declared yet. One thing we do and taking into the advantage of the existence of 3 nurses in my congregation, they help us in delivering some workshops on HIV/AIDS and other diseases like malaria. This is helping us and the surrounding community to know the dangers of the diseases and work on measures to prevent contamination. Through the Mozambique Christian Center we identified children in our church and community living with the disease and we help with medication. Most do not go through the medication because of lack of food in their home. We pray for these people and help them understand that God is with them.

The Vision of the church of Catembe is to serve the community with knowledge from Christ’s life so that we can better contribute to making disciples, spreading the good news in the communities.

Thanks for your contribution to our mission. May God continue to bless you in all you do there and here in Catembe.

Francisco Rungo, Pastor in Charge
Catembe UMC Mozambique

Greetings to Pastor Francisco Rungo

March 2, 2011

Francisco Rungo
Pastor in Charge
Catembe United Methodist Church

Congratulations on your appointment as pastor of Catembe UMC. We are very interested in learning more about your ministries and your vision for the people of Catembe?

We have heard of issues completing the chapel. I understand that the roof is the next priority towards completing your chapel. We hear stories nightly about children and HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Our church works with our local schools to provide reading tutors, success bags and a community garden. We were wondering about the children, what are the educational opportunities? What barriers exist for your children to be educated?

Our church is also very passionate about HIV/AIDS ministry. We have had programs over the years of focused on inclusion and comfort. Has the disease impacted Catembe?

We pray for your success and the success of your congregation. We want to hear more of your vision and how we can be engaged in your ministries.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Kathleen Wilder
Lafayette Park United Methodist Church

The Wilder View - April 2011

I remember the first time Jim and I visited Lafayette Park UMC. We were active members at another church and I guess someone from Lafayette Park just asked us to come one Sunday and worship with them. I was working in corporate America at the time, never dreaming that one day I might be a pastor serving at Lafayette Park. I remember walking in the door at the front of the church and seeing two people standing in the area by the sanctuary door. There was a big sign that had a bunch of name tags on it, and the two people had name tags as well. They were smiling at us and greeted us warmly when they handed us a bulletin. I thought wow, these people have their stuff together.

We found a seat towards the back and before we could really sit down, someone came up and talked with us. They let us know where the bathrooms were just in case we needed it at some point in time. They also introduced us to someone else and we had several lovely conversations before worship began.
The service began and then there was the passing of the peace and we watched as the whole church jumped up and starting walking around and hugging each other. People walked from one side of the sanctuary to the other and there was such a great energy in the room. I remember thinking how great it was to be greeted so warmly. I left that day thinking, you know if I were looking for a church to be part of, Lafayette Park would be a great church.

Sometimes we can get busy on Sunday taking care of the various ministries we are involved in. Dare we confess that sometimes the passing of the peace is the time that we connect with various people on our ministry teams to work out logistics of the next activity? Dare we confess that we might just miss the opportunity of greeting that new visitor who is looking for a place to belong, a place where they can plug in and make a difference in the world?

We have been having new visitors each Sunday and I anticipate that as we draw closer to Easter we will continue to have more and more visitors. Easter Sunday I hope and pray that we will be a full church with people who want to connect with God but really haven’t had an opportunity to find a community where they feel welcomed and wanted.

I invite you in the next several weeks to be intentional about praying for God to draw new people to worship with us during the week. I ask you to be sensitive to new faces and ask that you be intentional about connecting with them. Who knows, what might look like a new face to you might be someone that has been worshipping here for a few months! Perhaps you might consider volunteering to be one of those smiling faces at the door who greet people and welcome them. Or perhaps you might be intentional about greeting the new folks who are visiting each week.

Lafayette Park UMC is a great church and we can extend God’s grace to people by how we greet them. Let’s be intentional to reaching out on Sunday mornings and welcoming people so that when they leave us they say, “Wow, it was great to connect with God today. If I were looking for a church, Lafayette Park UMC would be a great church.”

~Pastor Kathleen