Recent News from Angola
New Missionaries Appointed
Carol and Tim Crawford, now serving at Henderson Settlement in Kentucky will be going to Angola in July of 2007. Tim and Carol served at one time in Mozambique. Tim will work in a production agriculture program for the school and teach at the government agricultural school located near Quessua. Carol has her D.Min. Degree from Asbury and will help develop curriculum and teach at Quessua Theological School. Support is needed for the Crawford’s.
School Year Begins
One of the first buildings to be rebuilt is the Colegio at Quessua. A new school year begins March 18, 2007 with an expected enrollment of 200 students in the primary and high school grades. The Theological School has 85 candidates with 30 coming from nearby Malange and 55 from various districts in the conference. Salary support is critical. Bishop Quipungo visited Brazil where he was recruiting teachers and purchasing books.
Team to Angola in July of 2007
Dr. Sue King, now serving as the UMVIM Coordinator for the California/Nevada Conference and formerly of the Yellowstone Conference UMC, will lead a team to Angola East Conference in July of 2007. Skip Strickland will be a member of the team. The group will attend the Annual Conference session.
Money for Water Projects
After considerable delay with funds being held at GBGM the East and West Annual Conferences each received $9566.43 on February 13, 2007 for water projects. Bishop Quipungo wrote on February 14 saying the money arrived and the construction of a new water system for the schools at Quessua would begin the week of February 19th. This money was raised from the “Bridge of Love” project sponsored by the Board of Lay Ministry.
Bishop Domingos Present at Annual Conference
Bishop Gaspar Domingos and his wife, Lucrecia, of the West Angola Annual Conference will be the special guests of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference at the next session being held in June. They will be available for the week after conference to visit churches and speak to groups and individuals about the Angolan church.
“Nothing But Nets” Program
A program, “Nothing But Nets”, started by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated will help raise funds to combat malaria throughout Africa. Funds raised will purchase special treated nets to be distributed for children. A group visited Angola and reports the RMCUMC may designate funds to be used for the program in Angola. www/NothngButNets.net.
Concert in New York
A special choir festival was held on February 18, 2007 at the Lincoln Center to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Charles Wesley. The choir from St. Luke’s of Highlands Ranch, CO gave leadership. Money raised from the concert will support UMCOR removal of landmines in Angola. Bishop Brown met Gaspar Martins, the U.N Angolan Ambassador.
ORPHANAGE UPDATE - Spring/02
The project to repair and remodel the orphanage for homeless youth in Malanje is nearing completion. The total for funds received from churches and individuals during the last two months of 2001 was $6,870 and for this the Angola Advocate Committee is truly grateful. With the additional support we are now in position to help with the continuing nutritional, health and educational needs of the thirty young people that live in this facility.
NEW CHALLENGE Spring/02
Even during the continued civil war the East Angola Conference is expanding and plans to establish new churches in the southeastern region of the country. Bishop Jose Quipungo has appointed two pastors to begin United Methodist Churches in the Bie and Kuando Kubango Provinces.
Rev. Bartolomeu D. Supalo will serve in Kuito and Rev. Joan Ribeiro Manuel will
start a church in Menongue in the Kuando Kubango Province. In a recent conversation Bishop Quipungo said that
the Conference needs help in funding the salary of these two pastors until the
churches are able to support the program and ministry in this area. The Rocky
Mountain Conference would like to raise $200 a month for each pastor and hope
that the churches would respond with gifts for this important evangelistic
ministry.