Africa-Press – Angola. With more than one hundred years of existence, the Dondi Mission, located in the municipality of Cachiungo, in the province of Huambo, was elevated to the category of National Historic-Cultural Heritage, in an act presided over, on Sunday, by the governor, Lotty Nolika.
During the ceremony, the governor of Huambo resorted to a biblical passage from the book Ecclesiastes – 3:1, stressing that, “after 108 years since the implantation of the historic Dondi Mission, today we have justly and officially declared ”.
After more than a century of existence, according to the official, the Mission represents the living symbol of the preaching of the gospel and by its own merit has become the heart of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola.
The leader mentioned that the importance of the Dondi Mission goes beyond the spiritual aspect, as it continues to have a remarkable social role, and recalled that the results of the level of training of high-capacity national staff are evident.
“There were many souls who experienced spiritual and physical healing at Hospital do Dondi, we can say without fear of error that the DNA of this Mission is indelibly marked in Angolan society, in general, and in the Center and South of the country, in particular. the inclusion of the Igreja da Missão do Dondi in the list of National Historic-cultural Heritage is not the result of chance, it is meritorious”.
University Campus
The pastor and general secretary of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola (IECA), Reverend André Cangovi Eurico, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the University Campus of the Instituto Superior Politécnico da Missão Evangélica do Dondi.
The construction of this establishment, according to the religious leader, aims to materialize the dream and aspirations of several generations of members and leaders of the IECA.
The work is valued, in a first phase, at more than 5 billion kwanzas, in charge of the Chinese contractor China Railway 20 Group Internacional Angola, and will be built in an area of 380 hectares.
For the governor of Huambo, the Executive signals, with these acts, the firm commitment in the formation of the man and the importance it attaches to the partnership with the churches.
Dream Come True
The secretary general of IECA, Eurico Cangove, thanked the Angolan State for the recognition of the work of the Igreja da Missão do Dondi rendered to society. “It was highly anticipated by IECA members as well as its partners, Bread for the World, The United Church and Disciples of Christ, in the Americas and beyond.”
He acknowledged that they had received multiform support to jointly improve the lives of the Angolan people, and thanked the role of Angolan and foreign missionaries, including believers, who, seeing and hearing the word, embraced the Gospel from the beginning, and others who, despite being the fruit of their lives of obedience to God could not witness the act.
Fernando Catanha, pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola (IECA), said that many waited and did not have the opportunity to witness the elevation of the Dondi Mission to National Historic-Cultural Heritage, as it is only now being fulfilled by the grace of God.
“If there is an Evangelical Mission in Angola, in the center of the country, it is the Dondi Mission, built on October 5, 1914, as the center where all the missions that are part of the Congregational Evangelical Church converged. missions from Bailundo, Camundongo, Chissamba, Chilesso, Elende and other places, not only members of this church but also of other religious denominations”, he said.
The IECA elder said that the Mission became known for the work done at the national level. “The feeling is of joy and satisfaction, the joy of this day is greater in relation to its foundation, because we see a great human frame that on the day of the foundation was not present”.
Finally, he appealed to young people to enroll in the higher schools that are being built. “It is good for young people to walk towards this point, for ways to gain wisdom and scientific knowledge”.
The act was attended by deputy governors for the Political, Social and Infrastructure Area, representatives of political parties, especially Florbela Malaquias, president of the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA), municipal administrators, traditional and religious entities.
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