Visit Report 2018
We have received the following letter from Archdeacon Emmanuel Dacosta, who led the visit from the Diocese of Angola to London in July 2018.
There are also more pictures from the visit.
United Evangelical – Anglican Communion in Angola
Diocese of Angola
Archdeaconry of Luanda South
Central Parish of St. Stephens
Message to the Church in London
First of all I would like to thank Bishop Rob Wickham, the Bishop of Edmonton and the Bishop of ALMA and also Bishop Sarah, the Bishop of London, for allowing our visit to the Church in London, England, which is the heart and centre of the Anglican Communion.
We thank ALMA. Our thanks giving for St. Stephens Canonbury for the link and the friendship that with our parish,
We thank all ministers of God, all brothers and sisters.
Dear brothers and sisters, my name is Dacosta Emmanuel, vicar of St. Stephens in Luanda and President of Bernard Mizeki Guild in the Diocese of Angola. I am accompanied with my wife Mrs. Isabel Mendes, with the assistant pastor of St. Stephen, Rev. Fernando Oliveira, with the leader of the Youth Lutezo Araújo Malungo, the church warden Sidónia Joaquim, the leader of Students, Teresa Ferreira and two members of the Youth, Fernando Fumuassuca and Adelino Mucano.
Secondly, I would like to pass to you the greetings from all the 3000 members of St. Stephens (with all Congregations) to all bishops, priests, brothers and sisters in the Diocese of London.
We are here to learn from you, our fathers in faith as we recognize England as a missionary country that has done much to help Africa to get to know Jesus Christ as saviour. This evident till today as we look into many songs we sing today composed in England, our missionary, Patterson, was an English man. For that, we thank God.
In the days of today, the church in Angola, particularly St. Stephen, has been benefiting from several supports from this church. We remember that we have received a fund of seven thousand dollars that helped 26 students that were, by the time, attending secondary schools and today, some of them already graduated and have their own jobs also thanks to the support from ALMA and our link.
We have a school, where around 600 students are attending classes from the first to the ninth grades. The desks and some school materials were provided under the aid of this church.
We have also received a support to strengthen our programme for fighting poverty that aims to financially support young women who are willing to start small businesses but have no financial capabilities. The program is successfully running and some young women are autonomous in their businesses due to the support from that program.
We thank you for your love for the church in Angola and particularly for St. Stephens. This all means that you are investing in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:18).
We will be very happy to also know much of your reality and seek for better opportunities to be useful for you as well. Our deepest desire is to grow in this friendship being helpful to each other.
May God bless you all and continue to strengthen our friendship in the name of Jesus. Amen.
London, the 15th of July 2018
Ven. Dacosta Emmanuel
