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East Angola/Florida Partnership

In February 2003, after a three-person team from the Florida Conference visited Angola, a partnership between the East Angola Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church was launched.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops asked the Florida Conference to turn its attention to East Angola after the Florida Conference completed the Bishop Cornelius L. and Dorothye Henderson Secondary School in Mozambique.

The partnership originated as an initiative of the Council of Bishops called Hope For the Children of Africa. Each year the Florida Conference raises money for projects in the East Angola Conference through offerings collected at each annual conference event.

A focus of the conference's partnership efforts has been helping the East Angola Conference rebuild Quéssua, an area that was once a thriving missionary and spiritual center of the United Methodist Church in Angola, located near the city of Malange in East Angola. Many of the area's buildings were destroyed during the country's 27-year civil war. The complex included Quéssua United Methodist Church, an elementary school for boys and girls, residences for missionaries and school and hospital administrators, dormitories for students and a hospital, college, school of domestic sciences and theological seminary.

The money raised by the Florida will be used to rebuild those structures. Work is already nearing completion on the church, and money raised through offerings collected at future annual conference events will help rebuild the other structures located there.

In addition to rebuilding the Quéssua complex, money raised by the Florida Conference has been used to dig a well and purchase a generator for the Hope of Africa School in Malange and purchase bicycles for 35 pastors, four sewing machines for the Malange Women's Training Center and medicine for the Quéssua Medical Clinic in Malange. Money has also been set aside to assist with salaries for teachers at the seminary and improvements in the conference's communications ministry.

More Information about East Angola/Florida Partnership

For updates on partnership efforts or more information, see the articles below, visit the Mission and Justice home page at http://www.flumc2.org/page.asp?PKValue=1168, or contact Icel Rodriguez at irodriguez@flumc.org or the Rev. Dr. Larry Rankin at lrankin@flumc.org.

Missioners to Angola settle into ministry, daily life

Conference missioners make final preparations for trip to Angola

East Angola Conference seeks 12 partner churches

Conference looks to strengthen ties to East Angola - April 19, 2007

Visitors and visited are changed after mission trip to Angola - May 20, 2006

Angola Mission Team Blog

Health team provides education to Angolan citizens - Feb. 3, 2006

March trip to Angola intended to improve communications - Feb. 3, 2006

Bradenton church accepts challenge to help East Angolan children - Dec. 2, 2005

Churches begin to take partnership with East Angola to heart - May 19, 2005 News media

East Angolan students begin year of study, sharing in Florida - September 29, 2005

Conference brings Angolan students to Florida to study, share - May 6, 2005

Whitakers experience life, church in Angola - Dec. 22, 2004

A visit to Angola - Dec. 3, 2004

In Brief: Council approves request for recipients of 2005 conference offering - Nov. 22, 2004

In Brief: Quipungo elected for life in Central Conference - Sept. 22, 2004

Melba's Mission Journal: What Does the Lord Require of Me To Seek Justice...Isaiah 1:17 - July 30, 2004

Melba's Mission Journal: Worship at Damba United Methodist Church - July 13, 2004

Giving to Children's Harvest, conference offering tops $100,000 mark - June 23, 2004

Florida Conference celebrates annual gathering in new way and place - June 7, 2004

Eastern Angolan bishop and wife share stories of ministry in Africa - June 5, 2004

2004 Florida Annual Conference Event begins at Bethune-Cookman College - June 3, 2004

Children's Harvest highlights work of outreach ministries - May 19, 2004

Conference allows Florida, Eastern Angola to connect - May 4, 2004

Old and new come together at 2004 event - April 16, 2004

Conference aims to rebuild church in Angola - March 28, 2003

Church has history, vision for future in Angola - Feb. 28, 2003

Churches challenged to collect for children - Feb. 14, 2003