Author of text: Luís Samacumbi "Aíres"
Currently, Managing Director, Department of Resource Mobilization and Institutional Development (DMRDI). From 2001 to 2011 he served as General Manager of exercising the function of the Social Assistance Directorate, Studies and Projects (DASEP).
IECA - Evangelical Congregational Church of Angola was recognized by the Angolan Government January 24, 1987 under the Executive Decree No. 9/87 and under the Ministerial Order No. 1 of October 24, 2005, the Ministry of Justice. However it was founded in November 11, 1880, a date that marks the arrival of his first American missionaries in Old Bridge Benguela.
The delegation included the Rev. Bagster which at the time was 32 years old and was the head of the delegation; Reverend William Henry Sanders was 25 years old and Professor Samuel Taylor Miller, who was University and linked to questions about social change (descendant of African slaves, probably from this Angola, namely Life). The missionaries arrived in Benguela province and have spread to the interior. So 300 years after the arrival of the Portuguese Diogo Cão in Angola, which means, in 1482. Missionary work of these men of faith and later others that followed (between domestic and foreign) has expanded by almost all Angola.
Several evangelical missions and centers have been created to help men and women, children and old men to be perfect and ready for good work (II Timothy 3: 16-17). The missions and evangelical centers had also temples, schools, hospitals, boarding schools, residential support for the ecclesiastical work of arable land to practice agriculture and livestock.
The Church began as a religious movement education for social transformation in order to bring dignity to indigenous desirable to a child of God. To implement this goal, rural areas and communities were selected with the aim of preparing for the reign of Life (Bié). However, history provides only through the territory of King Ekuikui II Kingdom of Bailundo, they were detected as foreigners and should arrive before the King.
The latter, after inquiring the reason for their presence, realized that they had come to teach about the existence and power of God, is what he said: “ "If this is true, it is better that you return to your country because we have our one God who is Suku". Men were ready to give up when one of them remembered they were there to announce the son of God, the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.
When this message reached the king's ears, he asked for more explanations on this subject and concluded: "If it is this Son of God who saves that you came to announce, then start here with my people before go to Vie." And so began a school under a tree, 70 children were mobilized, convinced with roasted peanuts, sugar and sweets and against the will of many families who regarded it as a loss of labor to work on mining, good-transportation convoys and pastures.
When this group graduated, a school was built and also served as a temple for religious affairs. A Mulemba was planted to saddle a non-aggression pact between the King and the Missionaries, after the resolution of the conflicts that emerged later. The first 14 graduates of the 70 enrolled, became missionaries and teachers in their communities, converting several others to this new philosophy of abundant life in Christ. They were now called “Omala will fulu”, meaning son of the saints in reference to kindness, gentleness, solidarity, faith and wisdom expressed by "olonãla" the Lords.
The people called this group "Alongisi", Masters, and they were divided between the villages to start new communities of new rich life. New agricultural techniques were introduced, new habits and customs, an improved diet with soy, homemade vegetable oils, consumption of domestic and wild animal protein, and the education of children to learn to read and write, to master the local and foreign languages, using them to develop a good communication and development of the Ministry of the Word. The School of Bailundo has built many other schools, missions of Camundongo, Chilesso, Chissamba, in the Bié Province; Elende and Dondi in the province of Huambo; and Bunjei in the Province of Huila.
These missions have irrigated the institutions at the time with qualified personnel, the best that could be found: teachers, scribes, agricultural technicians, nurses, rural development counselors, through an integrated program called "Improvement of the People" that spread throughout central Angola, along the Benguela railways.
Two examples we can share about this program's success, which had the Church as a social transformational movement:
- The staff training was made for the continuity of the social transformation program;
- The The staff training was made for the continuity of the program for social transformation; Vaccination programs never came from the Portuguese government, but from Evangelicals Centres and Evangelical Missions.
Currently IECA covers the 18 Provinces of Angola:Cabinda, Lunda Sul, Lunda Norte, Malanje, Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, Bengo, Luanda, Benguela, Namibe, Cunene, Huila, Huambo, Moxico, Bié, Zaire, Uíge e Kuando Kubango, where we are serving through social services including the Education Sector.
IECA´s Intervention in the Education Sector
With the arrival of the first missionaries IECA was founded November 11, 1880. His first mission was focused on the creation of seven (7) Evangelical Missions. Although the missions were prepared for religious works, they have established schools for the education and teaching from primary to secondary, allowing student academic success until the 4th year. Each mission had four (4) or six (6) evangelical centers where students, from more remote rural areas were studying in boarding regime. They studied the basics of preparatory and primary education, allowing them to be carried over to the Evangelical Mission.
We enphasize the creation of three major academic centers and technical and vocational training:
- Currie Institute Dondi created in 1914 for boys. The jubilee 100 years this institution was celebrated from October 2 to 5, 2014.
- Means, a school for girls, in 1916
- Near Currie Institute of Dondi, the hospital was built which had equivalents in all missions and where was ensured by nurses training in various specialties and Midwives. The Hospital Dondi later used to support student trainees in medicine came from different parts of the country and the world.
After the conclusion of the primary studies in the missions, the student went through one of the Dondi institutions where, after detailed examination, it was placed Currie Institute or middle school. The Institute, in accordance with the Portuguese Government had created the technical school where students attended the preparatory cycle and the 2nd year of high school, allowing their enrollment in the 3rd cycle (3, 4 and 5 years) in a Industrial and Commercial School or a National High School. The admissio exams the students were submitted in both missions and Currie came from the Official Institute Director of Education, and some teachers were from High Schools and Technical School Huambo and Industrial and Commercial or other State schools.
With exeption of the Means School and the Institute of Currie Dondi, all other schools had also external students. These three institutions in Dondi were highly appreciated by government authorities. The Institute tought the theory and practice of professional courses of arts and crafts: agriculture and animal husbandry, carpentry, mechanics and metalwork.
The Means School tought theory and practice for professional courses in dietetics, home economics, cooking, home care, cutting and sewing, laundry, straw and livestock. The missions offered alphabetization courses for leaders and a host school for inclusive education of adults, men and women, religious leaders or not.
The purpose of community development programs was: promote social transformation of the people. This vision has grown with the implementation of university centers of Nova Lisboa, Silva Porto, Sá da Bandeira and Luanda, for students in first and final year of High Schools and the University. The well trained cadres returned to teach in IECA Institutions of Dondi and in other missions. Each Mission contributed to the training of more than 1,000 students per year and 350 in adult education, literacy and vocational training, while the upper level consisted of 100-225 students.
It was indeed an explosion of students at all levels and that favored progress in the communities. Today, evangelical schools continue and are among seventy-eight (78) in the provinces of Namibe, Huila, Benguela, K. Sul, Huambo, Bié, Luanda and Kuando Kubango. An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education, the ACEI and the Ministry of Territory Administration April 14, 2011.
Currently, primary schools are working, but the technical and vocational training is stopped; Bungo the Centre aims to restore with the participation of staff of the IECA and other partners.
Most of the educational heritage of the IECA was destroyed during the conflict begins to be re-erected in partnership with the Ministry of Education. But is stationary for technical and vocational sectors.
The IECA Intervention Capacity:
The capacity response of the institution lies in human resources, tangible and intangible, including more than one million members, nine (9) provincial synods, nine (9) mission areas, 2510 (2617) congregations, two hundred and fourteen (214) pastors, twenty (20) pastors, seventeen (17) decent offices, 133 (133) plots, and is present in 158 municipalities (158) and ninety-nine (99) municipalities.
Foundation of Missions and Institutions:
1881 - Evangelical Mission Bailundo, Huambo Province
1884 - Evangelical Mission Camundongo, Bié Province
1888 - Evangelical Mission Chissamba, Bié Province
1904 - Evangelical Mission Chilesso, Bié Province
1906 - Evangelical Mission Elende, Huambo Province
1914 - Currie Institute Dondi, Huambo Province
1916 - School Means (Dondi), Huambo Province
1918 - Evangelical Mission Silva Porto, Bié Province
1920 - Evangelical Mission Lutamo / Dondi, Huambo Province
1923 - Evangelical Mission Bunjei, Province of Huila
1924 - Evangelical Mission of Lobito, Benguela Province
1926 - Evangelical Mission of Nova Lisboa, Huambo Province
Chronological order of the Church Foundation
|
Nº |
Province |
Foundation date |
Congregation Nr. |
|
1. |
Huambo |
1881 |
999 |
| 2. |
Bié |
1884 |
801 |
| 3. |
Huila |
1923 |
230 |
| 4. |
Benguela |
1924 |
205 |
| 5. |
Kuanza sul |
1945 |
173 |
| 6. |
Moxico |
1945 |
26 |
| 7. |
Luanda |
1977 |
61 |
| 8. |
Kuando kubango |
1983 |
95 |
| 9. |
Malanje |
1983 |
4 |
| 10. |
Bengo |
1987 |
7 |
| 11. |
Namibe |
1988 |
15 |
| 12. |
Lunda Sul |
1989 |
4 |
| 13. |
Cabinda |
1996 |
3 |
| 14. |
Cunene |
1999 |
7 |
| 15. |
Lunda Norte |
2005 |
2 |
| 16. |
K. Norte |
2006 |
2 |
|
17. |
Uíge |
2012 |
1 |
|
18. |
Zaire |
2012 |
1 |
|
CONGREGATIONS TOTAL |
2.617 |
||
IECA´s General Secretaries:
Until 1956, foreign missionaries headed the Church until 1956 was conducted by foreign missionaries. In the same year, the leadership was taken over by the Angolan entities as follows below:
1st Reverend Jesse Chiula Chipenda - 1956 to 1967
2nd Reverend Ricardo Uliengue. Epalanga - 1967 in 1977
3º Reverend Daniel Henrique Etaungo - 1978 á 1983
4th Rev. Júlio Francisco Muehombo - 1983 á 1997
5th Reverend José Belo Chipenda - 1997 á 2004
6th Reverend. Augusto Chipesse - 2004 2014
7th Reverend André Cangovi Eurico - June 2014 until now.
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Bibliography:
- IECA's Strategic Plan 2013 - 2017
- Annual Reports of DASEP 2012 - 2013
- RDASEP Magazine 20 years - Serving time nor speechless 2011
Commemorating 134 years of the program IECA, November 2014
