Mission Mozambique

deOliveiras

January 2005

 

Meeting in Gurué

 

Background Information

The churches of Christ in Zambezia and Nampula provinces have, according to the latest report from Jacob Michael missionary in Nampula, about 2,500 churches and 50,000 members.

 

They have split into two factions, the Churches of Christ and the Churches of Christ of the New Testament. Both churches are recognized by the government of Mozambique and each has its own officially approved leadership that includes a President (kind of head of the church) and Vice-President (all in the name of democracy J ).

 

The split came about as the result of fighting for preeminence among the leaders, specially among Mongesse (now vice-president of the Church of Christ) and Feliciano Dias (now president of the Church of Christ of the New Testament and with tendencies to change doctrine with every wind that blows from Malawi if he thinks that he can profit from it). He says that he has repented, I pray that that is so. I have known Mongesse since 1991 when I first visited Gurué and stayed in his house and have known Feliciano Dias since 1997 when he attended the Bible Training School in Swaziland. I must also explain that the split is stronger in the areas where these leaders live, the area of Gurué, Mocuba and Nauéla. Outside these areas all the churches continue to fellowship each other as before the split.

 

I have not visited the areas of conflict since 1993 when we were involved in the distribution of food and clothing for the poor even though I have on occasion met with the leadership of both churches in Nampula. The purpose of our planned meeting in Gurué was to redress our absence, as well as get some preachers from Gurué to come to Maputo for Bible Training.

 

Gurué

I arrived in Nampula on Tuesday and was picked up at the airport by Chad Westerholm, one of four missionary families that are hoping to be able to work in Cabo Delgado as soon as the government gives them the green light, and by Germindo Jaime my coworker who is doing an incredible job in Cabo Delgado (see a summary of his work below). Chad had very kindly offered to drive us to Gurué (about a seven hour driving through rough dirty roads) and I had asked Germindo to join us.

 

In Mongesse’s Home

We left early Wednesday morning for Gurué and arrived just after lunch time. As arranged we headed for the home of Manuel Mongesse one of the five leaders of the Church of Christ. We were immediately aware of a problem when brother Mongesse told us that he did not know about our visit until the previous day even though I had set up the meeting in December for the third week of January with Anselmo one of the other leaders of the church.

 

Anselmo and a group of preachers from other areas (Rosário from Cuamba; Almeida from Lioma; Arlindo from Mandimba; and Manteigas from Gurué) arrived at about 2.30pm and told us that because of jealousy and desire for power there was a lot of fighting going on among the leadership. Apparently the president, Joaquim from Mocuba, did not trust Mongesse and Anselmo and falsely accused them of keeping money that was for the church. He also said that Joaquim had not stayed for the meeting with us because he was not told personally by us about the meeting. It also seems like Anselmo purposefully did not tell the other leaders about our coming until one or two days before our arrival.

 

Meeting in Manteiga’s Church

The rest of the afternoon and the next morning we spent speaking to the preachers that had arrived and teaching in a local church that had been ready to receive us. It was a joy to be with them. A young church led by a good man, Manteiga, who somehow had managed to keep out of the problems due to the split of the churches. They have maintained the desire to work with both churches and to steer their own course.

 

Back in Mongesse’s house

Back in Mongesse’s house where we ate dinner. spent the night and had lunch the next day, Mongesse complained of Gurué never getting any missionaries to live among them. We explained that we don’t have a Missionary Society to send out missionaries where and when they are needed but that we would try to make people aware of their spiritual needs. Mongesse opened up and said that he was afraid of sending preachers to the Bible School because they would know the Bible better than him and they would come and “sit and pee on my head”. I assured him that most people who go through school develop a spirit of meekness, it is the ones that don’t know the Bible that try to take over.

In the morning we again met at Manteiga’s church and after lunch returned to Nampula where we arrived at 9pm.

 

Germindo’s Report from Montepuez, Cabo Delgado

In five years God has used Germindo to establish 24 churches (773 conversions) in a province predominantly Muslim. Five churches are strong enough to look after themselves, seven are good churches that need some attention, and eleven still need a lot of attention. In the district of Montepuez  alone seven churches have been started, the four missionary families working with the Makua tribe have initially targeted four of these churches to work with. Germindo seems to grow more convicted and dedicated with each passing year. Praise to God for his faithfulness.

 

Please keep the churches in Gurué in your prayers.

 

To God be the glory,

Manuel deOliveira