Prayer Points
- For reconciliation through Christ's love after 40 years of civil war.
- For safe removal of millions of landmines still killing many especially children.
- For desperately needed Christian workers to hear God’s call to serve.
- For partnerships between foreign agencies and Angolan ministries.
- For God to meet the needs of mission agencies serving in Angola.
- For Bible distribution initiatives and translation efforts.
LOCATION
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
POPULATION
26 655 513 (2017 est.)
RELIGION
Roman Catholic 41.1%
Protestant 38.1%
other 8.6%
none 12.3% (2014 est.)
INTERNET USERS
5 951 453 (2017)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
-
MISSIONARIES
Sent: 360
Received: 2200
LEAST REACHED PEOPLE GROUPS
1
KEY CITY
Luanda
Population of the city:
2 776 168
Urbanization Rate:
4.97% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major religion in the city:
Christianity
We Pray...
Father, as we pray for Angola, we pray for reconciliation through Christ's love after 40 years of civil war. We also pray for the safe removal of millions of landmines still killing and maiming many, especially children.
Lord of the harvest, we pray for desperately needed Christian workers to hear Your call to serve. Father, we pray for loving partnerships between foreign agencies and Angolan ministries to lead the way forward. We also pray for mission agencies that are surrounded by need and are requiring wisdom and resources.
Lord, we pray for Bible distribution initiatives and translation efforts and we ask that you will establish programmes that will enable many Angolans to read the Bible. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
State of the Church
The Angolan constitution protects religious freedom. The country is seen as a secular state, separating church and state. However members of society criticized the Catholic Church for having close connections to the ruling party.
The Church is growing, but many of the churches mix Christianity with traditional beliefs. The Angolan church also has great financial needs. Many churches have to pay its local missionaries to sustain its aggressive evangelistic program. The church also plays a huge role in rehabilitating those who have lost everything in the war.
There has been little accounts of persecution. Most cases happening in the northern villages.
Overview
There are two stories to take into consideration before understanding the situation in Angola.
Story 1:
At the end of WW 2 Russia and America found each other in a stalemate. But why were they fighting? And more important why is it relevant to Angola.
The cold war was a competition between Russia and the USA to see who would dominate the world. Both countries thought that their ideology of government and economics was best and should become a standard for world politics.
Both countries knew that the other had access to weapons of mass destructions. Therefore they did not settle things on the battlefield, instead they took another route. They went to the third world to see who would get the most countries to conform to their ideology.
Story 2:
Before Angola received independence from Portugal there were two main rival parties. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the group the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
The MPLA became the governing party and UNITA became a rebel group after independence.
Now this is where the stories merge.
The MPLA received support from Russia and Cuba, both belonging to the communist ideology. Fearing that communism spread, the US and RSA backed UNITA to stop Soviet influence in Africa.
The war lasted 16 years, with the aftermath reaching much further than Angola itself. In 1992 a peace deal led to elections, but was rejected by UNITA and they resumed the war. This led to more peace talks. Stability finally came after the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
Today Angola, a country rich in resources like oil and agricultural soil, is littered with landmines and ruins of war. They are gradually rebuilding the infrastructure, retrieving weapons from its armed civilian population and resettling many people who fled the fighting.
More Resources:
- African Prayer Initiative: Pray Africa
Bibliography
- INcontext ministries – http://incontextministries.org/
- CIA World Factbook
- Atlas of Global Christianity – Todd M.Johnson & Kenneth R. Ross (Published by – Edinburgh University Press) (Missionaries and national workers: Africa 2010, page 267)
- Prayercast – http://prayercast.com/
- Unreached people groups – http://www.joshuaproject.net
- The voice of the Martyrs – http://www.persecution.com/
- Jul-Dec, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/index.htm
- Operation World – http://www.operationworld.org/african-countries