Mozambique Union Mission

Mozambique Union Mission is a subsidiary church administrative unit of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division of Seventh-day Adventists. It was organized in 1933 and reorganized in 1972. Its headquarters is in Maputo, Mozambique.

Current Territory and Statistics

Mozambique is a country located on the eastern coast of Southern Africa. It has an area of 801,590 km². Mozambique is bordered by six countries: Tanzania to the north, Malawi to the northwest, Zambia and Zimbabwe to the west, South Africa to the south, and Eswatini to the southwest. To the east, the country is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Mozambique has a long coastline of 2700 km – one of the most extensive coastlines in Africa. Moreover, it has an inland coastal line along the shores of Lake Niassa.¹

The territory of Mozambique Union Mission covers the whole country of Mozambique with 11 provinces, as the city of Maputo is also regarded as a province. These provinces include: Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Nampula, Zambézia, Tete, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo Province and Maputo City.²

Mozambique Union Mission has four constituent mission fields: South Mission, Central Mission, North Mission, and North-East Mission. Mozambique Union Mission serves a population of 32,771,978.³ At the end of 2021, Mozambique and its sub-entities had a total number of 209 active employees and 18 literature evangelists.⁴ The total number of baptized members as of December 2021 was 364,834, thus the ratio is 1 Adventist to 89.9 none Adventists.⁵

Organizational History

There is evidence of the Adventist presence in the country of Mozambique going back to the 1920s. It was in the 1930s that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mozambique began to have a formal structure and institutions. Mozambique was under Portugal's colonial rule, under which it was regarded as an overseas province until the proclamation of national independence on June 25, 1975.⁶

Prior to 1931, Mozambique was administratively shared by two union missions of the African Division. The South East African [Malawi] Union Mission with headquarters in Blantyre, Malawi, and the South African Union Conference with headquarters in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The 22^nd parallel latitudinal line was the dividing line between the ethnic groups and geographic regions. From 1931 the entire territory of Mozambique became part of the South East Union Mission, with headquarters in Blantyre.

The decade after 1930 was challenging for Protestant missions. There was a ban on teaching Mozambicans in their national languages, with the exception of teaching religion. The ban had the effect of discriminating against Protestant churches which used Bantu languages in the first years of schooling as the quickest means of achieving basic literacy and whose missionaries were, overall, better able to communicate in vernacular and English than in Portuguese.⁷ The ban may have largely contributed to the slow progress of the Adventist mission work in Mozambique. The first attempt to organize the Adventist work in Mozambique into an independent constituency was the Portuguese East Africa Mission, which was attached to the Southern Europe Division from October 1, 1950, with headquarters in Bern, Switzerland. From that time onward, the mission received a dynamic impetus due to the presence of Portuguese missionaries.

Until 1963, the Portuguese East Africa Mission comprised of ten mission stations: Munguluni, Milange, Beira, Mocuba, Tacuane, Marrucia, Mirriua, Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Mecanhelas and Mabote.⁸ Mozambique Union Mission was organized in Lourenco Marques in August 1972, with the effective date set for January 1, 1973.⁹ From that time until 2002, Mozambique Union Mission had three missions: South Mission, Central Mission, and North Mission.

The latitudinal line 22 degrees south of the equator plane, commonly known as parallel 22 south, was the dividing line between the South and Central Missions during the colonial era. Therefore, part of what is now called Inhambane Province was part of the Central Mission. This area comprised the current district of Vilanculos and the districts of Mabote, Inhassorro, and Govuro. Practically, however, only Mabote district, through its pioneer Bernardino Pene Mabote, reported to Central Mission from 1957 until the late 1960s. The rest of northern Inhambane was connected to South Mission from the beginning through its pioneer Bernardo Five Muabsa. This led to the reorganization of the South and Central Missions along the Save River in the early 1970s, to include Mabote, as it is today.¹⁰

The North Mission was split into two missions in 2004: North-East Mission and North Mission. The North-East Mission comprised the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, and its headquarters were in Nampula. The North Mission remained with the Zambezia and Niassa provinces.

Another major change took place in 2003 when Mozambique Union Mission joined the newly organized Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID), whose headquarters were in Harare, Zimbabwe, before it moved to Pretoria, South Africa in December 2006.

Missions and Institution

Today, Mozambique Union Mission has four Missions:

• South Mission comprises the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo Province, and Maputo City. Its headquarters is in Maputo. As of December 2021, the South Mission had 35,888 members worshiping in 90 churches and 126 companies with 67 employees.¹¹

• Central Mission comprises the provinces of Sofala, Manica, and Tete. Its headquarters is in Beira and it has 93,287 baptized members scattered in 115 churches and 744 companies. It has 63 employees as of December 2021.¹²

• North Mission comprises the provinces of Zambezia and Niassa. The headquarters is in Quelimane. The mission’s membership is 218,019 worshiping in 815 churches and 670 groups, and 27 employees as of December 2021.¹³

• Northeast Mission comprises the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado. The headquarters is in Nampula. Its membership is 17,640 members and 21 employees as of December 2021. It has 34 churches and 101 companies.¹⁴

Apart from the four missions, the Mozambique Union Mission runs a number of institutions:

• Mozambique Adventist University with a probatory charter granted by the government of Mozambique in 2011 taking over from the former Mozambique Adventist Seminary in Beira. This university is yet to get its accreditation from the Adventist Accrediting Association. The university offers degrees in theology, food and nutrition, and accountancy. Nursing programs are to be implemented soon.

• Nine denominational schools with a total of enrolments of 3,172 students (in 2020).¹⁵ These comprise, Colégio Adventista da Liberdade, Colégio Adventista Nova Esperança, Centro de Vida de Chicumbana, Escola Adventista da Manga, Escola Secundaria Ellen White, Escola Adventista de Chimoio, Escola Adventista Soja Custer in Vanduze, Colégio Adventista da Chamba Escola Adventista de Tete, and Colégio Adventista de Munguluni.

• Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) entered the country in 1987 during the civil war (1977-1992). At that time its focus was relief and assistance in crisis but now includes development programs. ADRA Mozambique has four strategic programs: sustainable livelihoods (improves and diversifies sustainable livelihood options for rural and urban communities, Health, Nutrition, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) (improve the health status of families in the communities), education (increases access to quality, inclusive and holistic education for communities in Mozambique), and emergency (saves lives and reduces the vulnerability of affected populations).¹⁶

• TV Novo Tempo Moçambique (Hope Channel Mozambique), a television station. Mozambique Union Mission was granted a license to run this station by the government in 2020. The station offers sermons and Bible studies and programs about lifestyle and education, and music.

Executive Officers Chronology

Presidents: Henrique Berg (1972 – 1976); Abilio Tungululo (1976 - 1980); Guilherme de Pena (1981 – 1985); Bernardino Mabote (1985 – 1989); Girimoio Paulo Muchanga (1989 – 1999); Victor R. Niconde (1999 – 2005); Zeca Xavier (2005 – 2009); Girimoio Paulo Muchanga (2009 – 2015); Alfredo Jotamo Chilundo (2015 – present).

Executive Secretaries: João dos Santos (1972 – 1976); Guilherme Pena (1978 – 1979); Bernardo Muabsa (1979 – 1985); António Coroa (1985 – 1994); Lucas Nhacavala (1994 – 1999); Zeca Xavier (1999 – 2006); Biriate Lote (2006 – 2012); Alfredo Jotamo Chilundo (2012 – 2015); José Moreira (2015 – present).

Treasurers/CFOs: João dos Santos (1972 – 1976); Jossias Missomal (1978 – 1979); Bernardo Muabsa (1979 – 1985); António Coroa (1985 – 1994); Cândido Fabião (1994 – 2012); Bapi Rana (2012 – present).

Sources

Country Meters. “Mozambique Population.” Country Meters. N.d. Accessed March 30, 2022. https://countrymeters.info/pt/Mozambique.

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. Annual Statistical Report. Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2021.

Hedges, D. Rocha, A. Medeiros, E. Liesegang, and A. G. Chilundo. História de Moçambique, Vol. 3, Moçambique no auge do colonialismo, 1930 – 1961 (History of Mozambique, Vol. 3, Mozambique at the height of colonialism, 1930 – 1961). Maputo: Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Departamento da História, 1993.

João, A. and E. Chongo. Moçambique, 40 anos de Independência: Unidade Nacional, Paz e d Progresso, (Mozambique 40 Years of Independence, National Unity, Peace and Progress). livro_40anos.pdf (arpac.gov.mz).

Mozambique Happenings. “Mozambique Provinces.” Mozambique Happenings. N.d. Accessed March 30, 2022. https://www.mozambiquehappenings.co.za/provinces.htm.

Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. 2020 Annual Statistical Report: Advance Release of Membership Statistics by Division for 2020, adventistarchives.org.

Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the United Nations in NYC. “Welcome to the Embassy of Mozambique.” Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the United Nations in NYC. N.d. Accessed March 30, 2022. https://mozambique-un.org/.

Waya, António V. “Mozambique.” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. April 28, 2021. Accessed March 07, 2022. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BD2D.

Notes

1. Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the United Nations in NYC, “Welcome to the Embassy of Mozambique,” Permanent Mission of Mozambique to the United Nations in NYC, n.d., accessed March 30, 2022, https://mozambique-un.org/.↩

2. Mozambique Happenings, “Mozambique Provinces,” Mozambique Happenings, n.d., accessed March 30, 2022, https://www.mozambiquehappenings.co.za/provinces.htm.↩

3. Country Meters, “Mozambique Population,” Country Meters, n.d., accessed March 30, 2022, https://countrymeters.info/pt/Mozambique.↩

4. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, Annual Statistical Report (Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2021), 75.↩

5. José Moreira, MUM Secretary's Statistical Report - Fourth Quarter 2021.↩

6. Ângélica João and Edith Chongo, Moçambique, 40 anos de Independência: Unidade Nacional, Paz e Progresso, livro_40anos.pdf (arpac.gov.mz).↩

7. David Hedges et al., História de Moçambique, Vol. 3, Moçambique no auge do colonialismo, 1930 – 1961, (Maputo: Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Departamento da História 1993) 44.↩

8. António V. Waya, “Mozambique,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, April 28, 2021, accessed March 07, 2022, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BD2D. Bernardino Pene Mabote (interviewed by the author in 2004) stated that at that time Mabote had a rudimentary school that started in 1957 and by 1959 had more than 10 baptized people.↩

9. Waya, “Mozambique.” ↩

10. Bernardo Muabsa, interview by author, Matola, Maputo, March 27, 2022.↩

11. José Moreira, Secretary's Statistical Report - Fourth Quarter 2021, Mozambique Union Mission.↩

12. Ibid.↩

13. Ibid.↩

14. Ibid.↩

15. Ibid.↩

16. Antonio Gaveta, interview by author, Maputo, April 18, 2022.↩