DONDI EVANGELICAL MISSION: is, in truth, an Altar to God for the construction and transformation of men and women through the gospel. The Mission of Dondi was officially founded on October 5, 1914. But to achieve this, we had covered a decade of hard work and research. The author of the brilliant idea of founding a Central Congregational Mission in Angola was Reverend Walter T. Currie, pioneer missionary in Angola Missionary Society of the Congregation for Foreign Canada, currently United Church of Canada.
In 1903, Currie couple (Amy Johnston and her husband Rev. Dr. Walter T. Currie) to stay in South Africa, contacts other mission organizations. They visited several missions, but were impressed by the organization and the evangelical and social work offered by the Mission Livingstone Nyasaland, now Malawi, led by Dr. Robert Laws.
Inspired by the Mission Livingstone, Currie sold the idea to his fellow missionaries, "the Congregational Church founded in 1880 in Angola will not be sustained if the Council not invest in religious education, literature and the industrial Angolans. Such an undertaking requires the efforts of all the existing missions at the time. " The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions approved the idea in 1909.
In 1911, the American Board sent "a delegation of the highest level in Angola, led by Dr. CH Patton, Secretary-between Correspondent (1904-1911) assisted by the Rev. FB Bridgman", to study there, with the Angolan Church in general meeting at the Mission Chilume Bailundo, the feasibility of the implementation of the program.
In 1912, the Committee of Research for the Mission site had reached the end of its task, pointing locality Katchiungo as the ideal. In June 1913, the Bailundo missions, Kamundongo, Chissamba, Chilesso, Elende (and Mission Chilonda the only belonging to the Brothers of the Church), conducted a meeting in the town of Katchiungo to examine and evaluate the site the results of the Inquiry, which recommended the Katchiungo as the ideal place to install the Central Mission.
In September 1913, the Governor-General of Angola, Norton de Matos accepted the idea of the concession of the Mission of Dondi in Due audience granted to Drs Sanders and Currie, in the premises of the SFBC Chinguar. The final concession would be published in the Official Bulletin of the colony of Angola, Third Series, No. 33 of 08/24/1949, Ministerial Order No. 248/128/914.
Em 05 de Outubro de 1914, fez-se a abertura oficial da Missão do Dondi, cujo discurso de abertura foi proferido pelo Dr. Henry Neipp, que resumimos neste parágrafo:
“First, the Church will not become truly native until it is fully supported and controlled by Africans. Second, medical and scientific knowledge will be generalized or mass between indigenous communities, when indigenous doctors with an assured competence, to continue their art freely and accurately. Thirdly, literature, likewise never touch the depth of the soul of the people, until the Africans themselves are capable of producing works value. To achieve this end, the Mission of Dondi is dedicated to enable the sanctification of native life in all its fullness”.
Rev. T. P. Chokombonge