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Support a Pastor in Angola – Make HOPE Tangible

Photo of Angola pastors

Submitted by Sally McConnell
Angola Advocacy Team

Meet Famoroso Serrote Cassuente, the pastor at Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Malange, Angola. He is married and has a 3-year-old daughter. The photo above is taken in front of the new church building Pastor Famoroso guided his congregation in building, most of the work literally built by the congregation. “He has a vision and spirit of care and Photo of Famoroso Serrote Cassuenteconcern that garner him the devotion of his congregants,” says Joanna Griffin who was in Angola in November 2017. He recently sent this email about the support Mountain Sky Conference sends.

"For me the Salary Supplement has been fundamental because it has been supplying our needs. Our pay is very, very little, or sometimes nothing. When we receive these supplements, it has helped us a lot, because at times it comes when we have nothing for our families. We encourage and praise the initiative of this partnership to continue with acts of support like this that aims to help African pastors. It has brought joy and hope for a better future to many families.

Grace and Peace to all loved ones in the Lord.

May God continue to richly bless your ministry."

The Mountain Sky Conference is committed to continuing support for 66 pastors in the East Angola Conference of The United Methodist Church at $50 a month. The legacy Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain conferences have had a connection with the Angola Conference since 2003. For the majority of pastors, this $50 is their only cash salary.

You can give through your church using Advance # 3021453 (Supplement Salary for Pastors in East Angola) on the memo line, or give online by going to www.umcmission.org.

Click here to learn more about our partnership with the East Angola pastors.


Support of agriculture in Angola feeds and educates many

Photo from Kutela Katembo of people from Quessua Mission

Kutela Katembo, a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, is serving as an agriculturalist at Quessua Mission in Angola. He was commissioned in late 2014. Quessua Mission, a historical center of Methodism in Angola, was almost totally destroyed in the three decades of civil war that finally ended in 2002.

Churches in the Mountain Sky Conference help support the work that is transforming people’s lives by increasing the variety and health of their crops. Below is an excerpt from Kutela’s October 2019 newsletter.

"We praise and thank the almighty God for his mission and love that allows us to serve needy people around Quessua mission. I thank you for bringing God’s mission alive through your prayers, encouragement and financial support. Your gifts always make a big difference in the lives of many people. Quessua Agriculture Project Center continues with training in vegetable production and community development for its beneficiaries of the food security program. Women and men have responded positively to our program and continue to participate in organized training sessions. With their gardens being far from the mission, we organize visits from time to time to evaluate how they have implemented what they have been taught.

I interviewed some farmers in order to obtain their impressions on what they have learned, what they have harvested and what they plan to do with their harvests. One woman said: “I thank God for the assistance that the church has brought to us; in my village I never knew how to grow vegetables like cabbage, onions and tomatoes but today with the help of Quessua Agriculture Center all of us have learned how to grow our own vegetables. We used to eat only cassava leaves but today we know how to grow other types of vegetables and received seeds and free training; Glory be to God. Our hope and prayer is for these people to continue to cultivate produce for their families in this way.

Prior to receiving training, most of the beneficiaries were unable to grow a variety of vegetables due to their lack of knowledge on how to cultivate these and also for lack of seeds, but today we are thrilled to receive the testimonies from some of them regarding the support and teaching they have received."

Quessua Agriculture: Advance # 3022272

Salary Support for Kutela: Advance # 3022031

 
The Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church
6110 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Greenwood Village, CO 80111
303-733-3736 | www.mtnskyumc.org