Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Feb 15: Angola
Angola
Republic of Angola
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 1,246,700 sq kmLarge coastal state on the South Atlantic coast. Cabinda is an oil-rich coastal enclave to the north of the Congo River.
Population: 18,992,707 Annual Growth: 2.71%
Capital: Luanda
Urbanites: 58.5%
HDI Rank: 143 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 60 (3% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Portuguese Languages: 41 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 17,870,238 | 94.09 | 3.0 |
| Evangelicals | 4,277,143 | 22.5 | 4.4 |
Challenges for Prayer
The foreign missionary presence was a good testimony during the years of suffering. The nature of their ministries will most likely shift from aid/relief to development, and from evangelism to discipleship and training. The nation’s crippled infrastructure and young Church will need generous and loving partnerships between foreign agencies and Angolan ministries to lead the way forward. Mission agencies include YWAM, REMAR, Brazilian Baptists, OM, MAF, BCB, Christ Community Church. Pray for the following aspects of ministry:a) Humanitarian ministries, such as WVI, Samaritan’s Purse and most of the traditional sending agencies, focus on primary health care, education, vocational training and disease prevention as well as provision of the supplies needed to continue such programmes.
b) Support ministries such as MAF are strategic, given the disastrous state of the transport infrastructure.
c) “Traditional” mission agencies find themselves surrounded by need and requiring wisdom and resources. Most missions work holistically, ministering to both physical and spiritual needs of Angolans. There are many and diverse ways to serve in God’s Kingdom here; pray for more workers.
Media and support ministries:
a) The Bible Society is developing Scriptures in nine languages and new translations in Chokwe, Kikongo, Kimbundu, Luchazi and Umbundu. Scripture is needed in 12 languages. A great demand for Bibles persists, but deep poverty limits sales. The Gideons actively distribute Bibles.
b) Christian literature is scarce, and little is available in Portuguese and even less in indigenous languages. Low literacy rates hamper the usefulness of printed matter; pray for programmes that will enable many Angolans to read the Word of Life. There is a tremendous hunger for good Christian literature, but it is usually quite expensive for most Angolans. There are now around 20 evangelical libraries slowly adding materials, first in Luanda and now in some other provinces.
c) GRN has recordings in 30 languages and dialects. These audio resources are crucial in an oral and low-literacy nation such as Angola.
d) Radio broadcasts, through TWR, reach the land in 10 indigenous languages and in Portuguese. Pray for more programmes for these languages and a wider listening audience.
e) The JESUS film is available in at least Portuguese, Kongo, Kwangali and Kwanyama, but 40 more languages need translation. Pray for completion and effective use of these.
For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
