Since the 1870s the ABCFM had shown interest in working in Mozambique. The effort leading to the foundation of the church was prompted by Mozambicans who had been converted to the Christian faith in South Africa or in Lourenço Marques. In 1905 an American missionary, Fred Bunker, with the help of Zulu volunteers from South Africa and new Vandau converts, started missionary work in the region of Manica and Sofala. The mission suffered much hardship from the Portuguese authorities. The authorization to open a mission station in Beira was granted in 1915 but was withdrawn a few years later. In 1931 work was continued by Gulhierme Tapera Nkomo, the first ordained Mozambican pastor. He was supported and helped by Swiss missionaries, in particular Pierre Loze. Today the church works in the Manica, Sofala, Tete, Inhambane, Zamb?zia, and Maputo provinces. The headquarters are in Beira.
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