As told by the Leaders of the Mennonite Church of Mozambique to Janet Plenert and João de Brito during their visit to Tete, January 1999.

Pastor Virgilio Chichacimadze was a member of the church Velhos Apostolos that began in South Africa. He joined the church in Maputo, Mozambique, in 1978, and established the denomination in Tete province when he moved there in 1984.

Numerically, the church grew rapidly. Soon two elders were named who were accountable to the Apostolo, or main church leader: Virgilio and Bemardo Lucas Zandarnela. As time passed, Virgilio became aware of growing conflict. Either he or Lucas was to succeed the Apostolo. With the popularity of Virgilio, Lucas began to turn to black magic and traditional forms of spirit worship to displace or kill Virgilio.

Virgilio called on the Apostolo to help resolve the troubles, but because he was from the same tribe as Lucas, the Changana, the problem only became more serious. The Apostolo supported Lucas and his tribe while condemning Virgilio and his tribe, the Nhungue.

During this time, Placido Razo Meneses and Fernando Abreu Sitande, also members of the church, came across an evangelistic pamphlet from the Church of God in Christ Mennonite (Igreja de Deus em Cristo Menonita), a conservative Mennonite colony in Rio Verde, Goias, Brazil. Being attracted to the theology presented, including believers baptism and access to the Scriptures for all members (both foreign ideas in the Velhos Apostolos church), they decided to write to this Brazilian church, asking to become affiliated.

The response they received was not what they expected. The Brazilian church offered them affiliation, but stipulated several rules: radios were prohibited, as were photographs, and civil servants and members of the police could not be church members. As Mozambique was still at war, radios were an important source for information. Several of the people involved in this conversation were civil servants.

They decided not to join this Mennonite group. However, they were no longer able to worship peacefully with the Velhos Apostolos, partly because it was discovered that they had contacted the Mennonite group. So a small group left the church and, calling themselves Mennonites, began another church. This group was soon followed by approximately 800 more people.

The first Mennonite service was held April 10, 1991, in Nhachere, Tete province. With this service began a time of persecution for the new church. The pastor, Virgilio, had to go into hiding for a month after his life was threatened by the leaders of the Velhos Apostolos. During one incident, Virgilio's first wife was shot in the arm by a military person who was a member of the Velhos Apostolos. A youth also died in this attack. After this, the persecution lessened considerably, although even today there exists hostility on the part of the Velhos Apostolos toward the Mennonites.

In October 1994, the war ended in Mozambique and a Canadian Mennonite who worked for World Vision, Rudy Wiens, moved to the city of Tete. After searching for Mennonites in the area, he was put in touch with Pastor Virgilio and his church. Wiens began to meet and worship with the church, giving support and orientation to Mennonite theology and practice.

During this time the growing church chose the name Aprisco do Pastor Excellente Menonita, and began to seek contact with other Mennonites. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) was working in the south and central part of Mozambique. In 1995, MCC country representatives Fremont and Sara Regier helped put the Mozambique Mennonites in touch with the Associação Evangélica Menonita (AEM) in Brazil because of the commonality of the Portuguese language.

EPILOGUE
In January 1996, Antonio Carlos de Faria (then President of the Associação Evangélica Menonita-AEM) visited Mennonite Central Committee in Maputo and the Mennonite Church in the northern province of Tete. In the course of this visit, Antonio Carlos promised to raise support and send Brazilian Mennonite missionaries to the Mozambican brothers and sisters.

For the next three years while the Mennonite Church in Mozambique was growing numerically, the Brazilian Mennonite Church began a process of promoting missions, teaching the Biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations, praying that God would increase their passion for this ministry and raise up candidates and finances. They also taught about the Mozambican church and their needs.

In July, 1998, the AEM officially created a mission board (Junta de Missões Menonita Intemacional-JMMI) consisting of five members: President: Antonio Carlos; Executive Secretary: Janet Plenert; Secretary: João Batista de Brito; Promotion: Paulo Campos; Treasurer: Valdete Campos.

This group began to meet and make intensive preparations to choose and send missionaries. João de Brito and his wife Rosa were selected as the first missionaries to go to Mozambique.

In January, 1999 João de Brito and Janet Plenert, visited the Mozambican church to hear their specific needs and desires with respect to the Brazilian church, and make preparations for the sending of the missionary family. They spent ten days with the local churches. The Brito family was expected to move to Tete by April 28.

(Photos by Janet Plenert for AEM)