Countries > Angola
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Map of Angola

Capital City: Luanda
Year of Independence: 1975

Area: 1,246,700 sq km
Arable Land: 2.65%

Population: 12,531,357
Median Age: 18 years
Population Growth Rate: 2.136%
Infant Mortality: 182.31 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at Birth: 37.92 years
Literacy Rate: 67.4%

Ethnic Groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Trainers at Original 6 VCP Training Centers
(Statistics as of Dec 2008)

Training Center of Andulo

PhotoTrainer: Elias Laurentino
55 churches planted, and 2,650 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

Training Center of Kunje

PhotoTrainer: Franco Saculembe
25 churches planted, and 1,000 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

Training Center of Kuhinga

PhotoTrainer: Fernando Chipati
37 churches planted, and 1,200 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

Training Center of Nharea

PhotoTrainer: Pinto Domingos
37 churches planted, and 2,500 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

Training Center of Camacupa

PhotoTrainer: Domingos Morais
64 churches planted, and 2,750 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

Training Center of Kuemba

PhotoTrainer: Americo Mariano
30 churches planted, and 1,270 people giving their lives to Jesus

 

 

The ministries of the Into Africa Project in Angola are described on this page.

Countrywide
VCP Statistics as of June 2011:
Members - 12,613
Churches - 259
Training Centers - 6
Coordinator: Jeremias Paiva Gaiala Teca

Photo

Jeremias was born on 16 March 1972 in Sanza Pombo, Uige Province, in northern Angola. He married his wife, Aida, in December 2005. They live in Kuito-Bié, a city in central Angola that suffered tremendous damage during the civil war that lasted 30 years. Today, the country is free.

PhotoDue to Angola's civil war, Jeremias fled to South Africa as a refugee, and lived there for several years. In 2001, he joined the Into Africa Project of OMS Africa. After receiving training in theology and church planting, Jeremias and an associate named Lourenço returned to Angola as a team to start a VCP program in the country under the supervision of Ray Airosa.

In May 2004, they started the first VCP training center with one trainer and 15 pastor trainees. Two months later, the VCP program grew to three training centers with 45 trainees. Jeremias recounts, "It was hard for us because this was the first time we had put this new strategy of church planting into practice. In the beginning, people could not understand how we could start church planting in many different areas at once. It was like madness, and even we were not sure what we were doing."

By the end of 2004, almost 50 new churches had been planted, and more than 2,500 people had given their lives to Jesus. Jeremias states, "This was a miracle to us, and we could not believe it! It was amazing to us, since our Angolan partner denomination with a 100-year history of missionary work had never planted more than one church in a single year."

PhotoIn January 2005, the VCP team started three more training centers with 40 pastor trainees, bringing the total to six training centers and 84 trainees. At the end of 2005, 75 new churches had been established and more than 4,000 people had given their lives to Jesus during the course of the year.

As of the end of 2007, God had blessed the Into Africa Project in Angola with six trainers in six centers (see photos at left), and 290 pastor trainees.

Photo
Angola VCP Leadership Team