Answers to Prayer

1 Peace since 1995 after 30 years of war and genuine efforts by politicians to maintain that peace

2 The fastest church growth of any Black African country in the 1990s

Challenges for Prayer

1 Mozambique emerged broken and wounded from colonialism and three decades of civil war

a) Continuing natural disasters – much of the infrastructure of the more developed south was destroyed in the cyclone and flooding of 2000

b) The danger of regional disaffection – the more heavily populated north feels neglected

c) The growing calamity of AIDS with nearly 14% known to be HIV+ and 310,000 AIDS orphans

2 Mozambique has had religious freedom for the first time in its history

3 Intense suffering created spiritual hunger and congregations of indigenous Christians mushroomed all over the country

4 The Catholic Church, long associated with colonial repression, suffered particularly severely after independence

5 Training of church leadership is an urgent priority

a) Seminaries and Bible colleges, which have increased in number

b) Non-formal training which has proved successful

Geography

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Area 799,380 sq.km. The Zambezi and 24 other rivers divide the 2,800 km-long land and make north-south travel difficult.

Population (2000) 19,680,456 +2.51%AGR

Capital Maputo 2.2m.

Peoples

Bantu peoples 97.7%; Northern peoples 54.3%; Central peoples 19.2%; Southern peoples 24.2%; Other 2.3%.

Literacy 40% (official); 20% (functional). Official language Portuguese – spoken as first language by 6.8%; understood by 30%. All languages 39. Languages with Scriptures 9Bi 5NT 9por 12w.i.p.

Economy

One of the world's poorest countries – the result of centuries of colonial neglect, application of Marxist economic theories and 30 years of intense guerrilla warfare. HDI 0.341; 169^th/174. Public debt 225% of GNP. Income/person $140 (0.5% of USA).

Politics

A Portuguese colony for 470 years.

Religion

Government policy between 1975 and 1982 was the exclusive propagation of Marxism, 'all-out war on the churches' and 'destruction of religious superstitions.'

Churches in Mozambique

Missionaries from Mozambique

32 in 8 agencies

Missionaries to Mozambique

491 in 75 agencies from 26 countries

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