| Chapter Nine Mission Beyond Malawi 9.1 INTRODUCTION In the previous chapter, dealing with evangelism, it was shown that Nkhoma Synod exerts great effort in spreading the Gospel to the people of its home region. In this chapter, their efforts at extending the effort across the border into neighbouring Mozambique will be highlighted. Missions logically follow evangelism on the home front, this is demonstrated by Nkhoma Synod as it continues to work hand-in-hand with its old ally, the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa. It will be shown how Nkhoma synod, because of its finite resources, has focused upon Mphatso Synod, which is linguistically and culturally closely tied to Nkhoma Synod. The long, protracted struggle against different antagonistic Mozambican governments, which needed to be dealt with before work could proceed freely, will be examined with the results demonstrating how their persistence finally paid off. 9.2 THE DRC AND NKHOMA SYNOD�S OUTREACH TO MOZAMBIQUE In his book Mission and Church in Malawi, CM Pauw explains how the DRC worked from 1909 to 1922 in the Angonia region of Mozambique, only to be shut down at the end of that period by the Portuguese colonial government. Decades later, in the 1950s, Nkhoma Synod itself decided to work with Mozambicans living in Zimbabwe, seeing that it was unable to work in Mozambique itself. From 1958 until 1967, it worked with Joint Committee of Reformed Missions and Churches in Central Africa. In 1967 this was replaced by a Council of Reformed Churches in Central Africa (Pauw 1980:102-9; 322). The 1967 MMSC report included the report that the Nkhoma Synod realized the importance of mission work in Portuguese East Africa (PEA). But because of all the challenges within its own area, e.g. the Muslim community �and the vast number of heathen�, it could not meet the challenge of starting work in the PEA. In co-operation with the MMSC it was decided that the church in the Transvaal was to be approached to consider doing missionary work in the PEA, seeing that it previously was part of the mission field of the Transvaal church. A letter was received from Malawi in which the personnel did not approve of the decision of the MMSC; because it was a matter of great urgency, and because it would involve that a Deed of Agreement would have to be compiled with the regional Synods of the Transvaal �Mother Church�. The meeting decided in favour of a joint mission endeavour of the Synod in the Cape and the Nkhoma Synod in the PEA, assuming that this endeavour would eventually become the responsibility of the CCAP. In 1968, Nkhoma Synod decided to undertake mission work itself; included in this would be the Indians of Malawi, most of who were Muslim. One of the Nkhoma Synod ministers, JM Kajawa, who had a good knowledge of Islam, offered his services. This was to be in addition to the mission work in Portuguese East Africa. It was decided to appoint an Nkhoma Synod minister to this work, as soon as the Portuguese government granted permission. In his �Annual General Report for 1969� General Secretary YA Chienda reported that it had been decided to establish a congregation in PEA near Mlanda in Malawi, though the Portuguese government still had not given its approval. A minister would be assigned to look after it, and he would stay in Mlanda. At the July 1969 meeting of the GMSC in Cape Town, the matter of assigning personnel for the evangelisation of Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) was taken up. Before the commission, which was appointed by the GMC to negotiate with the Portuguese Government in co-operation with the Nkhoma Synod, could do the assignment, the Reformed Council of Churches requested that that the church in the Cape should not act on its own, but that other churches like the CCAP Salisbury and the Shona Church (the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe, or RCZ), would be included. A meeting of the representatives of the churches involved was then held, and the following decisions were made: � That the Christians in Mozambique would be organized, in view of eventually founding their own church in Mozambique. � That the Christians in Mozambique, as citizens of Mozambique, would do the necessary negotiations with the government of the PEA, and not organizations from outside. � That the interest of the PEA Christians in South Africa will be aroused for doing missionary work in Mozambique. � That an ad hoc Commission would be appointed to get the approval of the parties involved, and act further as necessary. An ad-hoc commission was appointed to attend to the matter. A board of congregations was formed in PEA, awaiting their negotiations with the PEA government, in order to get permission for doing missionary work, and permission to recruit missionaries and funds from South Africa. A minister from Nkhoma Synod, Rev. L. Kamtambe, offered his services for working in Mozambique, should the opportunity arise. The CCAP Synod of Salisbury offered to send an evangelist there as their contribution. The General Mission Secretary informed the GMC that a Board of Elders was founded in Mozambique. This Board first contacted the lesser headmen, and then the Head Chief in connection with their assignment, and then they were supposed to discuss matters with the Administrator. Due to fear, they did not do the above-mentioned, but rather requested Nkhoma Synod to provide a local minister who can introduce them to the Administrator. The Mozambique Committee of the Nkhoma Synod, however, did not agree with this request, and decided to request the following from the ad hoc commission: � To regard the task of the elders as completed. � To continue getting permission to send missionaries. The Board of Elders then requested the Federal Council of the DRC churches to provide ministers and to take responsibility for their salaries. After earnest discussions the following was decided: � The GMC approve that the DRC negotiate with the government of PEA � The GMC approves the appointment of a South African missionary in the north of this country. � The ad hoc commission for missionary work in the PEA would be consulted on this matter. � The Financial Mission Sub-Committee and the Malawi Mission Sub-Committee, together with W.J. van der Merwe, was charged with the responsibility of taking the matter further. At a meeting of the Synodical Mission Committee held 4-6 August 1970 in Cape Town, it was learned that the ad hoc commission that handled the matter of mission work in PEA had contacted the Portuguese consul in Pretoria, but had not yet received a response. In the meantime, the Synodical Committee of Nkhoma Synod decided to investigate the possibility of forming a congregation in Mozambique, which could be served by an ordained minister who would stay at Mlanda in Malawi. The MMSC requested the Synodical Commission to be careful lest it hamper the negotiations of the ad hoc commission. The General Mission Secretary informed the meeting that the secretary of the Federal Board of the Dutch Reformed Churches had sent the information that the Governor General of Mozambique answered that the Portuguese minister of Colonies in Mozambique did not approve the request of the ad hoc commission to do missionary work in Mozambique. � The August 1971 SMSC meeting learned that the Governor General of Mozambique was still saying that the minister of colonies refused permission for the DRC to officially do work in that country. The matter was in the hands of the Council of Reformed Churches, with no progress being made. Meanwhile, work was continuing from Malawi unofficially. Nkhoma Synod noted a change in conditions in Mozambique in 1972. It observed that there was then freedom of worship and that members were building prayer houses and assembling in them, �without fear from the government�. In 1973, a Central Coordinating Committee for all the work in PEA was established. It was observed that various DRC Synods were working in the country, from Angonia to Lorenco Marques. The Synods that were represented by this committee included: � The DRC of the Cape Province � The DRC of Northern Transvaal � The DRC of Natal � The DRC of Orange Free State � CCAP Nkhoma Synod � CCAP Salisbury Synod � DRC in Africa � Northern Transvaal � DRC in Africa � Southern Transvaal � ARC in Rhodesia The Mission Secretary of the General Synod in Cape Town was named as the coordinating person. During the early and mid-seventies the Nkhoma Synod attempted to revive Reformed Christianity in neighbouring Mozambique. A promising work had begun early in the twentieth century, only to be suppressed when in 1922 all Dutch Reformed Church missionaries were ordered to leave the country. C. Martin Pauw explains the political factors that caused this. The Portuguese remembered that the DRC missionaries were operating in territory that once belonged to them, and a 1918 letter written by South Africa�s General Smuts further alienated them (Pauw 1980: 106-107). In 1954 The Presbytery of Nkhoma decided to find an evangelist to work among the 50,000 people from Mozambique living within the jurisdiction of the Salisbury congregation of the CCAP. Rev. MS Daneel found such an evangelist, Genisis Nowa. By 1956 Daneel could report that Nowa�s work was bearing fruit. Then, in 1974, Rev. Pieter Botha and Rev. NA Katundu were called to serve the Mzewe and Mawi congregations in Mozambique (Labuschagne 2002: 118-119). The Synodical Committee heard from the Mozambique Committee that Rev. Katundu�s salary was in arrears and Mozambique Committee asked Synodical Committee to make up the difference. It also said that as from 1 October 1974 Nkhoma Synod should pay his full salary, as Mozambique church members were preparing to call their own ministers. It also requested a second missionary, and then wanted Nkhoma Synod to build two manses. The Synodical Committee, Nkhoma Synod, responded to all this by saying that while they would not pay Katundu�s salary (ministers� salaries in arrears continued to plague the Synod), they agreed to a block grant to Mozambique. They pointed out that Rev. PB Botha was posted as a second missionary and would stay at Mlanda. They said they would investigate ways to raise funds for two manses. The work of evangelism and church planting in the mid-1970s had both hazards and rewards. The following report from South African personnel gives a graphic picture of the situation at that time. On the 3rd of June it was exactly one year after the first congregation of the DR Church was founded in Mozambique. . . . Msanja. Thereafter two other congregations were founded, namely Mawi and Mzewe. During the past year Rev. Neftali Katundu and evangelist Gabriel Ngozo, together with elders, deacons and other church members, worked closely together under often difficult circumstances for the expansion of His kingdom. Thousands of miles were travelled by motorcycle and bicycle, knowing that at any moment a landmine can be hit. One weekend conference at Mpatso had to be cancelled hurriedly, because terrorists attacked that region during that week and took 70 of our people captive! . . . still we can look back with thankfulness, and look ahead with courage and a feeling of expectation. Rev. Katundu writes that Msanja congregation suffered most from terrorist activities. . . . But some people still walk long distances in order to attend worship meetings, in spite of the unrest and suffering. It was touching to see how these people were determined to build a house for the Lord, and the small pole-and-mud church could be officially opened in April. The few Christians who were left over at Mphatso, also built a small clay church. In the Mzewe area the Christians are collecting funds from amongst themselves for building a small brick church. This is also the area where evangelist Ngozo works. Since he started to work there earlier this year, 14 people were converted. Martin Pauw describes the progress of the outreach to Mozambique the following way: Nkhoma synod was to keep up contact with the Mozambique Church all through the 1960s and, finally, in 1973 the Igreja Reformada em Mozambique was to be formed, initially with three congregations, later five, and with a total membership of over three thousand communicants. A sad sequel to this history is that two years later Nkhoma synod felt compelled by circumstances to break off all ties with the Church in Mozambique leaving it entirely to itself, with not even a single minister to pastor the Church (Pauw 1980: 321-2). In 1975, the Mozambican government stopped all Malawian ministers from crossing the border, thus ending this initiative from Nkhoma Synod. Nevertheless, on 29 January 1977 the Reformed Church in Mozambique, Mphatso Synod, was formed. While Rev Pieter Botha was in South Africa he was continually in contact with the so-called �Committee of Ten�. This committee consisted of ten elders representing ten congregations. Rev Botha regarded himself as the �minister in exile� of the Church in Mozambique. He supplied the committee with the necessary information on how to form an Independent Church in Mozambique. In 1n 1977, the �Igreja Reformada em Mozambique� [IRM], was constituted in a small church building in the bush, by the �Committee of Ten� together with a few leaders and church members. The IRM was registered and, after the peace agreement was signed in 1992, the IRM was free to work as one of the churches in Mozambique (Labuschagne 2002: 119). The Synod�s interest in the work in Mozambique continued. In January 1981 Revs. DE Chikakuda and Kasambani were ordained in Lusaka for the purpose of working in Mozambique. Rev. WE Chikakuda was to begin service as tutor at the Theological College at Rikatla near Maputo. In 1982, the Reformed Church in Tete Province, Mozambique, sent the Revs. Fanuel Kasamba and David Chikakuda to work in Milange, Zambezia Province. On one Sunday in 1983, 800 were baptized (Hendriks 2004:105-109). In 1989, Nkhoma Synod found a way to establish a permanent work in Mozambique. This was done at a time when the Synod was itself in serious financial straits (see section 3.3, �The Financial Challenges of Autonomy�) . With great joy the Committee received a letter from the Narollah Trust in Stellenbosch informing them that they will provide funds to send a Malawian Missionary to Mozambique. The Committee agreed that this matter should be discussed by synodical Committee. Meantime notices to this effect should be sent to all congregations informing the ministers that we are awaiting the response of those who may feel that they are called to this work. A specific individual was not long in coming forward. Exactly one year later, his name was revealed. Rev. L.K.R. Matanda was called as the Synod�s missionary to Mozambique. At the same, a formal agreement was reached between Malawi�s Nkhoma Synod and Mozambique�s Mphatso Synod. The deed of Agreement was scrutinized and then it was accepted without alterations. It was decided that the Missionary�s term of service will be three years. The Mphatso Synod (Mozambique) in 1991 requested that Rev. Matanda be moved from Beira to Milange, as they could not find accommodations for him in Beira. The Malingunde congregation sent a letter to the Synod stating that there was much work to be done among the refugees there. They requested that Rev. Matanda make two visits per month, staying five days each visit. The neighbouring country of Mozambique experienced war for over thirty years, from 1960 to 1992. This created a large refugee presence in Malawi. Some of these refugees became Christians because of contact with members of Nkhoma Synod churches. Continuing to pursue missions within Mozambique, in 1995, the Synod considered the writing of a formal agreement between Mphatso Synod of the Igreja Reformada em Mozambique (IRM) and Nkhoma Synod. They also considered sending missionaries and evangelists into Angonia Province, where refugees returned from Malingunde refugee camp were now living. It was noted that Rev. Matanda needed assistance with his work in Milanje. Further, Rev. Dr. van Velden and Rev. Maenje were selected to serve on a committee for missions to Mozambique. At the 1994 CCAP General Synod meeting, Nkhoma Synod reported that it had commenced work in Mozambique in 1991; its first missionary was Rev. R Matanda who reported people converting and even showing interest in receiving theological training. In 1995, Nkhoma Synod reiterated its commitment to missions. �The Synod has agreed that it is necessary to send missionaries to other countries.� In 1996 Rev. Dr. Wallace Chikakuda accepted a call to work with the Mphatso Synod in Mozambique. On 7 December 1998, Nkhoma Synod commissioned two new missionaries for the work in Mozambique: Mr. Nkhwazi and Mrs. Chifungu. The congregations at Lilongwe and Kafita accepted the responsibility for supporting these missionaries � at a time when Kafita did not have its own pastor. The work in Mozambique was anything but static. The church there, once established, continued to expand, as AS Labushagne explains. In the year 2001 when the Mphatso synod met, it was decided that a third synod should be formed. There were many small congregations in the large Zambezia Province and a third synod was formed by dividing the Mphatso Synod into two separate synods (Labuschagne 2002:131). In 2001 a leadership conflict arose within the Mphatso Synod that caused the removal of Dr. Wallace Chikakuda, who had been serving as the principal of Hefsiba Bible College in Vila Ulongwe, Angonia Province, Mozambique. At the same time, he was serving as General Secretary of the Mphatso Synod and as pastor of the congregation in Vila Ulongwe. People began to feel that he had taken on too much responsibility and was unable to adequately function in all three posts. Both students at the Bible school and members of the church started to complain while Chikakuda refused to relinquish any of his duties. A dispute then arose over a relative of Chikakuda who was serving as a minister in the same synod who was suspended from the ministry by the synod due to misconduct. Chikakuda reinstated his relative without, as some felt, going through proper channels causing widespread dissent. In the end, Chikakuda was relieved of all three posts, and he sat in his house in Vila Ulongwe for several months before moving back to Malawi. CM Pauw, Secretary for Foreign Partnerships and Missions, the Commission for Witness in the Western Cape, expressed concern to Nkhoma Synod General Secretary AA Sasu and stated the hope that �a suitable place to work� could be found for Chikakuda at Zomba Theological College. At the same time, Pauw reported that he had heard that Mphatso had decided to transfer him to another congregation. Shortly after assuming his duties at Zomba, Dr. Chikakuda passed away after a battle with cancer. Rev. Dr. Ryk van Velden worked hard to establish the Mission Department of the Nkhoma Synod in 1998 . He continued to direct this work until his departure for South Africa in 2003. The work of the DRC has now expanded to the Commission for Witness � the Reformed churches of the Western Cape in South Africa. Their work includes more than just church planting. In 2002, famine relief became a big issue in large parts of southern Africa. Almost three weeks ago the first reports started coming in from both Nkhoma in Malawi and Vila Ulongwe (Angonia District) in Mozambique and later also from Niassa province in northern Mozambique, concerning the crisis and the emergency measures being taken both at Nkhoma and at Vila Ulongwe to try and alleviate the situation. At Vila local funds were utilized to buy rice (cheaper than maize!) and people were invited to come and work and receive payment in rice. The result was overwhelming. The first day 19 people turned up, then 130, then 350, 600, 1000 and finally 3100. By this time, matters were quite out of hand and all funds were depleted. People were desperate, digging up roots and banana shoots, (thus destroying future fruit yields) and even boiling sawdust for food. Reports of deaths from hunger and even some from poisoning as a result of eating poisonous roots were coming in daily. Appeals were sent out for help to procure food and at Nkhoma as well as at Vila Ulongwe and at Chiconono in the Niassa province distribution networks were set up. Two weeks ago our office here sent out an urgent appeal to all our congregations in the Western Cape for support and the response has been rather overwhelming, if not humbling. Within ten days R230 000 has already come in, with much more promised. Most of this money has already been made available through various channels to our partners as and where it was requested. We are distributing it more or less equally between Nkhoma and Mozambique. Food has been obtained from Tete as well as from Maputo and transported by road by a transport company which was willing to do it at running costs. Last week 14 tons of rice were dispatched to Vila and another 14 tons to Chiconono. At Nkhoma 22 tons of maize were off loaded earlier this week. This came by road from Tanzania and could also be paid for with funds from SA. At the same time we are aware of many individuals and groups here who have sent money directly to recipients in Malawi and in Mozambique. We also know and are grateful that various overseas agents have promised to help and this will go a long way-in fact much further than our weakened Rand can-to alleviate the situation. The fact that we are able to make funds available within days of receiving appeals, at least made it possible for our sisters and brothers to act quickly with emergency measures. At about the same time CM Pauw acknowledged the offer of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (NRC) to send aid during the crisis. He mentioned that South Africa�s weak currency could only go so far, and that aid from the Netherlands would go farther. As of this writing, July 2004, Rev. Michael Khombe, former pastor of Kaning�a CCAP in Malawi, serves as chairman of the Department. The Missions Department oversees the missions activity of the Synod, across the border in Mozambique. It also coordinates the activities of the Neighbours Committee, which is an outreach to Muslims. Rev. Khombe explained how Kaning�a has partnered with a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to build the church located at Chia, Angonia Province, Mozambique (Igreja Reformada em Mozambique). Specifically, they have built a large manse there, and in addition have supported students from African Bible College making short-term mission trips to the site. South African congregations are building the Church at Mitondo, while two Nkhoma Synod congregations in Lilongwe, Bawila CCAP and Lilongwe CCAP, are building the one at Vila Mwalazi. There is a new work at a place called Sangano. While they now get full cooperation from the Mozambican Government, finding the necessary resources for this work continues to be their greatest challenge. In an effort to keep the importance of missions in the forefront, there is an official, �Mission Sunday� in all the Nkhoma Synod churches. 9.3 THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXTENSION While attention has been focused upon Mozambique, there are Chichewa-language churches outside of Malawi and Mozambique � even in South Africa. Nkhoma Synod was active in the establishment of NatalSpruit CCAP in Johannesburg. Nkhoma Synod personnel and this church exchanged visits. Nkhoma Synod then requested that the Commission for Witness take over. We write to inform your church that Malawi nationals, working in South Africa have requested Nkhoma Synod to assist with the organizational training and planting of a Malawi languages church in South Africa. Nkhoma synod has accepted to organize the initial stages of establishing the congregation. We however, want to surrender the new church under the care of the Dutch Reformed churches family (sic) in South Africa. We ask in this regard, that discussions must be arranged later this year or next where an agreement can be reached for this purpose. Nkhoma synod is open to any advice from the DRC towards a proper handover of the church to any of the Synod and Presbytery of the DRC family. We wait to hear from you as soon as possible with the proposals of the meeting and venue suggested. Greetings in Christ. It developed that this was not the only Malawian church-planting operation in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Commission for Witness learned in an after-the-fact manner of several church plants done by more than one CCAP synod. In response to this, it issued the following diplomatic letter to the CCAP General Office in Lilongwe. Our Committee for Witness has heard that three congregations, respectively linked to three CCAP Synods have been established during the past year or so in Johannesburg. We also understand that these congregations were more recently visited by officials of the CCAP General Synod. We are very sorry indeed that we did not know about this visit. We would have loved to receive you and to host you as our visiting partners. In terms of our partnership there has for a long time been an understanding and tradition to mutually minister to each other�s members living in the other country. For that reason the DRC has, for instance, never established a separate congregation for its members living or working in Malawi. Having heard of the new development in Johannesburg, we would greatly appreciate information about the situation and if possible some clarification as to the considerations which led to a decision to follow this course. At the same time we do believe that it could be beneficial both to our partnership as well as to our unity as members of the body of Christ, if ways could be found to jointly look at the needs experienced by Malawian sisters and brothers living in South Africa. Thus, more effective ways of ministering to them in these needs could perhaps be found. We also feel it would be good to discuss ways in which they could be brought into deeper communion with other fellow believers in this country. For that reason we wonder whether perhaps it might be good to have something like a round table discussion over the entire matter. We hope you can also advise us about this. It remains to be seen how the matter is going to be resolved. Recently (2004), it was proposed that one minister representing all the synods of the CCAP be sent to minister to these Johannesburg congregations. He would serve for three years. The three CCAP synods that are involved �Livingstonia, Nkhoma, and Blantyre � would rotate the duty of providing such a minister. 9.4 CHAPTER SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS There has been a fruitful partnership between The DRC and Nkhoma Synod for the purpose of building the church in Mozambique. In a �partnership� between an �older� and a �younger� church, certain issues and questions arise. The present researcher has personally witnessed the ease with which DRC and Nkhoma Synod missionaries work in Vila Ulongwe, Mozambique. There, the Nkhoma personnel were clearly equals and not �cheap labour�. The following stories may serve to illustrate why Malawians are better equipped to evangelise Mozambique than are the Azungu (Westerners). Several years ago, the present researcher took his wife and six ABC students to a village in Mozambique to show the Campus Crusade Jesus Film over a weekend. When they woke up the morning after their arrival, a woman student explained that during the night an invisible witch had sat on her chest. Another student said that although she saw no witch, she heard �weird noises�. When the researcher and his wife asked why witches had not bothered them, the answer was, �Because you don�t believe in them.� On a more recent trip to show the same film, the researcher went to the village of Bentry Mhango, ABC graduate and Nkhoma synod missionary�. The first night, members of the Gule Wamkulu (secret men�s society and practitioners of traditional religion) sang outside the researcher�s window all night. Yet, most of Mhango�s converts are former members of this society. Coming from Western culture, the azungu are at a disadvantage because they do not know to deal as effectively with afiti (witches) and the Gule Wamkulu. Malawi is a small country wedged between three larger countries: Zambia to the West, Tanzania to the Northeast, and Mozambique to the East. Zambia is much like Malawi in that it is a Commonwealth country (i.e. former British colony), English is an official language there, and there is a well-established Protestant presence there. A number of denominations have existed there for decades, and it has a number of theological schools such as the Justo Mwale Theological College in Lusaka. It has little or no need for a missionary thrust from Nkhoma Synod. Such is not the case in Mozambique, however. The history of Mozambique is a particularly bitter one, rather like its sister nation, Angola. Although a Portuguese colony for over four hundred years, until a war of independence broke out in 1960, Roman Catholicism was never firmly implanted in that country. The war of independence ended in 1975, only to be immediately followed by an equally devastating civil war that lasted until 1992. Until recent decades, as we have read, Protestant attempts at church-planting were consistently thwarted by the colonial government. In 1972, Nkhoma Synod was able to record a dramatic shift in the situation, and now it happily cooperates with an indigenous church, the Igreja Reformada em Mozambique (IRM). Most of its immediate contact is with the Mphatso Synod, operating in Angonia District, Province of Tete. Its provincial capital, Vila Ulongwe, has an IRM Bible college, named Hefsiba. Nkhoma Synod in the late nineties furnished Hefsiba with Dr. Wallace Chikakuda, who served as principal. His departure from Mozambique under a cloud in 2001 and subsequent death was a sad end to an illustrious career. At this place, personnel from Nkhoma Synod, Mphatso Synod, and the DRC work closely together. They travel freely across the border post at Dedza and use the Lilongwe International Airport to fly to South Africa. Nkhoma Synod is unable to give a great deal of material support to the IRM, but it can furnish personnel. The people of Angonia Province, as its name implies, are largely of Ngoni descent, and their language is Chichewa, the same as that of Nkhoma Synod. Nkhoma Synod can pursue mission work without sending its people to language school (However, if they want to teach at Hefsiba Bible School in Vila Ulongwe, they must learn Portuguese). The political and economic pictures have stabilized in Mozambique. The IRM is growing. The road ahead appears to be clear for Nkhoma Synod to continue a significant missions program in this place. One of the two hypotheses to be tested in this study is �Nkhoma has come full circle from being a mission church to being a missionizing church�. It is difficult to neatly separate its work with the Igreja Reformada em Mozambique from its work in South Africa. Putting these quite diverse operations together, it would be rather difficult not to admit that Nkhoma Synod has indeed become a �missionizing church�. Therefore, another way in which Nkhoma Synod developed its self-understanding of being a church is by coming full circle from being a mission church to being a missionary � sending church. It has become truly �Self-propagating�. Missions to Mozambique has also strengthened the tie between Nkhoma Synod and the �Commission for Witness� Reformed churches of the Western Cape, South Africa. This has bearing on the question of Nkhoma Synod�s relationship with DRC personnel. Furthermore, no doubt this mission�s thrust has had a direct bearing on the question of the theological and spiritual formation of the Synod. It is now time to examine another branch of Nkhoma Synod�s total outreach programmes, that of literature and printing. There is a natural tie between evangelism/missions on one hand and the work of Christian literature on the other. The two have long been virtually inseparable. |