{"id":49824,"date":"2023-03-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?post_type=resource&p=49824"},"modified":"2023-03-17T11:39:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T16:39:33","slug":"pray-with-angola-march-26-2023","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/resource\/pray-with-angola-march-26-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Pray with Angola, March 26, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lectionary Selection:<\/strong>  John 11:1-45<\/p>\n\n\n

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Prayers from Angola<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tu Lombi, Vamos Orar, Let us Pray!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God of joy and hope, we thank you for the challenging yet peaceful elections we had in August last year. Merciful God, give us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may live in Christ and experience the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus in our personal lives. Holy Spirit, put fire in our hearts, change and transform us into men and women of faith, hope, and love. Your spirit of wisdom has empowered the hard work of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola (IECA) as we struggle to stay alive and to be a voice among others working for peace with justice and challenging the culture of corruption in Angola.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jesus knew the danger for him to travel near Jerusalem since the religious authorities in Jerusalem planned to destroy him. Nevertheless, Jesus was willing to pay that high price just so that he could help his friend. Remind us that to give peace a chance is indeed an act of courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You, Lord, nourish us with knowledge, discovery, creativity, and determination as we engage in a sacred conversation about the present and future of IECA within the United Congregational Church in Southern Africa (UCCSA). May your grace cover our anxieties and fears. Give us strength to resist greed, laziness, pride, and envy, and help us do and be our best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May your spirit guide us, I pray, in Christ Jesus\u2019 name, as each of us prays in the names by which you have made yourself known to us. Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mission Moment from Angola<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership between IECA and Global Ministries spans over 142 years, since 1880 when American and Canadian missionaries first reached Angolan soil. Since then, we have developed a wide range of projects in agriculture, institutional development, education, human rights, and theological training.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In 2016, as a result of the partnership with Global Ministries, IECA sent two pastors to Saint Paul University who completed their Masters degrees in Divinity in 2021. Since returning to the country in early 2022, they have served as professors at the Emanuel Theological Seminary Kingdom, in the Evangelical Mission of Dondi, Huambo Province. One of them, the Rev. Nelson Sapupa Samaria was elected as rector of the seminary at the end of last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership also contributed to the UCCSA-IECA Integration Process through the 41st Assembly Resolution, <\/strong>which resolved to accept IECA as part of the UCCSA with immediate effect and grants the General Secretary oversight responsibility to supervise the full integration into the UCCSA in the light of Christ\u2019s prayer that the Church be one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless and guide us in our faith journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Lu\u00eds Samacumbi, Director for Resource Mobilization and Institutional Development of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partners in Angola<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n