Window on the World

Window on the World
From Randal Dick, superintendent of missions

Good News Bad News

even years ago, the WN gave a fair amount of coverage to the apparent rapid growth of the Worldwide Church of God in Angola. At one point it seemed that the WCG had 5,000 or more members in Angola. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a raging civil war, we were never able to fully establish those congregations and their leadership. Time passed.

About two years ago, James Henderson, regional director, made his first visit to assess the situation. Much diffusion had taken place since our last contact. James met with a wide variety of people, gave them all the help he could, left them material to read and study, and promised to return as soon as he was able.

James and I went to Angola in November 2002 to fulfill that commitment. It was one of the more profound, difficult, yet inspiring, experiences of my life. Below is the report on that visit, bringing you up to date regarding your brothers and sisters in one of the world’s most difficult places.

James and I arrived in Luanda, the capital, about midday on the first Thursday in November. I had passed through Luanda one other time during the Angolan civil war (but was not allowed to leave the aircraft).

Even upon landing I noticed that it was different this time. The surface to air missiles that had lined the runway were now just empty bunkers with the steel support column on which the missile pods had rested. Children had come over the fence surrounding the shacks that edged the airport and were playing on the edges of the airfield.

We got our first taste of the real nature of things when, after one hour of waiting in the hot baggage claim area, people began to get restless. After two hours, the baggage still had not come even though only two or three planes were at the entire airport. Many Angolans began to get angry and shout at the occasional baggage claim employee who dared show his face.

Eventually a few police appeared and said something to the crowd. This caused angry shouting, and a mob pushed at the door to where the baggage would arrive. It turned out that some officials decided to go through everyone’s luggage between the plane and the baggage claim area.

Judging from the growing number of people who, when they got their bags, began shouting angrily, it seemed clear that those officials had helped themselves to some of the contents of the bags before releasing them to their owners. Welcome to Africa. After three hours we got what was left of our luggage and went out the door into the steamy atmosphere of Luanda.

We were met by Nowa Tembe, WCG representative in Angola, and the driver of the car we had hired for the time we were in Angola. It was good to meet him after years of praying for him, but only knowing him on paper. We were taken from the airport through Luanda to the hotel Le Meridien, located on the harbor, just across from the entrance to the Port of Luanda.

It was obvious that Luanda had once been a much more prosperous city. We were told that things are already changing for the better in terms of people getting out on the streets and business beginning to increase. I could see the harbor from my upstairs window. Many ships were coming and going out of the harbor.

Shortly after our arrival at the hotel, a delegation of five or six Angolan members and leaders arrived to discuss the schedule for the next three days. There we began to hear details about smoldering strife that had broken out within the Angolan church. James and I quickly realized that this might be a difficult weekend.

We were told that part of the Angolan WCG had excommunicated another part of the WCG. All of this, of course, was without the consultation or permission of headquarters or its African representative. We were saddened to hear this, because we had planned to spend our time there in leadership and biblical training.

I learned something else about the environment in which our Angolan members live. As the afternoon shadows grew long, the men began to get more and more distracted. James Henderson whispered to me that we needed to end the meeting so that these men could get home before sundown. This wasn’t for religious reasons—rather the roads, even around Luanda, become “owned” by bandits who rob those who would venture out. It was an indication of just how dangerous everyday life can be.

The first meeting between James Henderson and myself and the Angolan WCG leadership took place on Friday, Nov. 8. The meeting was cordial, with an underlying tension. Having to work through interpretation, James and I were careful not to make assumptions or conclusions. We listened and asked questions. They gave us a historical tour of the WCG in Angola, and several important things became clear to us as the story unfolded.

The people who came to be called the WCG in Angola had two distinct points of origin. One was a group of people who responded to the first visit of Jacques Brunet and John Halford in the early ’90s. Subsequently, a much larger group approached us and asked to come under the umbrella of the WCG.

Both groups were Sabbatarian in background, but the second group was much more legalistic. They were a much larger group, numbering between 3,000 and 5,000, and had better organized leadership than the original, smaller group.

I think that the latter group had existed for some time as the Church of the Apostles of the Seventh Day. They approached Carlos Tavares, who had been sent by the WCG to establish, teach and bring leadership maturity to the WCG groups in Angola. They asked to be recognized as part of the WCG. Mr. Tavares asked headquarters to grant their request, which we agreed to do.

Also at Carlos’ request, we agreed to recognize the ordination of the leader of this larger group, Raphael Ukukuakulu, and we agreed to appoint him legal representative of the WCG in Angola. The WCG, through an Angolan attorney, had also filed a request for the WCG to be legally registered in Angola.

Although a lot of people were involved, the number of members was impossible to verify because of the ravages of war, which made it dangerous to move between the government-held and UNITAS-held territories.

The larger group, from the former Church of the Apostles of the Seventh Day, was already well organized. It was hierarchical in governance, had close tribal affiliation and came from a legalistic Sabbatarian background.

The group that had been writing to Pasadena for years, and that responded to the initial visit, though somewhat Sabbatarian, had not been organized previously into congregations. Its members were also from a different tribal affiliation than the larger group. Tribal issues are almost always part of any strife equation in Africa.

The second day, Saturday, Nov. 9, James and I were scheduled to attend the services of both groups. We left the hotel at 9 a.m. and began the drive to the larger group’s location.

It was fascinating to see the residential areas of Luanda along the way. As a first-time visitor, several things stood out to me. The houses, crammed closely together, were perched on high ground. Wherever the land dropped away, people had thrown their garbage.

Consequently whole communities looked like they had been built in and around garbage dumps. The sweet, rotting odor so prevalent at garbage dumps permeated the air throughout most of Luanda, and flies were everywhere. People had long since given up trying to keep flies off their food, and many people had flies sucking moisture out of the corner of their eyes. It was amazing, given the health hazards that abound, that there were so many beautiful, healthy-looking people. The Angolans are an impressive people, beautiful and dignified.

Our first stop was at the hall of the larger group. About 800 people were in attendance, all neatly lined up, sitting on rows of benches. It soon became evident that the leaders of this group were still legalistic and Sabbatarian in their view. Not only had they not been adequately informed of our doctrinal changes, they had been contacted and negatively influenced by dissident elements in the United States.

As the service progressed it became clear that although they had not studied our current doctrinal beliefs, they had already rejected the WCG in its current form. James and I both agreed that there was no reason to create dissension among the lay membership, who had no clue what was going on. We would take the matter up with the leadership the following day. Christ would have to be the one to create the desire among them to leave Mount Sinai and come to him.

We were way behind schedule, and the other group was awaiting our arrival. We both gave a brief word of welcome and best wishes. James added an announcement that the representative of the WCG in Angola was no longer their leader, Raphael Ukukuakulu, but was now Nowa Tembe, and that all communication and decisions from the denomination would be communicated through Nowa.

The elders looked angry, and the people looked confused. James did not elaborate further. After best wishes and farewells to the assembled congregation, we departed, leaving them to continue with the rest of their service.

We drove as quickly as we could back through Luanda to the other side of the city. The hall that was being used by the smaller group (about 160 in number) was at the end of a dirt road in a suburb called Sambinzanga. We drove to the end of the street and walked the remainder of the distance along a railroad track. Below, a small river struggled through the city. The water in the river was black, and garbage carpeted the entire riverbank. Flies, as always, abounded. No one even tried to mitigate their activities.

We finally arrived, quite a bit behind schedule. But, as is often the case in Africa, the members did not seem to mind. They had waited in the oppressive heat patiently and were happy just to meet together.

Soon after we arrived, the worship began. It was extended and wholehearted. I was introduced first and gave the members a greeting from headquarters and a brief message.

Next, James announced to them that Nowa Tembe was appointed the WCG’s official representative in Angola, which was met with an incredible roar of approval, accompanied by thunderous applause. James and I were both astounded at the depth of feeling expressed by the group—another confirmation of the strife that had existed between the two groups over doctrine.

Next, we presented credentials to the other ordained elder in Angola, Pastor Oliveira Kitambala. He was one of the leaders who had been excluded by Pastor Raphael and his men. Again, the congregation expressed its approval at Pastor Oliveira’s confirmation.

James gave a brief but effective sermon, followed by closing worship. It was obvious that these people had a kindred spirit. After some fellowship and photographs we were escorted with singing and rejoicing back down the railroad track to where our car was waiting.

We were exhausted. We had left the hotel at 9 that morning. It was now getting close to dark. Our clothes were so soaked with perspiration that we had begun to think that wet clothes were normal. The ever-present red dust now tinted every item of clothing.

Over dinner and multiple large bottles of water, James and I discussed the reality that the actual WCG in Angola was not 5,000 to 7,000, as we had once believed. We actually had about three congregations or groups totaling between 180 and 300 people. We had planned a leadership training session for the next day, but now we did not know whether many would attend. As best as we could discern, a maximum of six young leaders would come on Sunday for the leadership training session.

On Sunday morning at the appointed time, Nowa, Oliveira and a few young men began to arrive at the conference room we were using in the hotel. James and I set aside our prepared material and decided to try to help the leaders who were assembled to cope with the situation they faced, and to edify the members.

To our surprise and delight, young men continued to arrive until nearly 20 were in the group. We answered questions and gave the men some basic principles of pastoral leadership. It was delightful. After a time of prayer, we said our farewells and told them we would try to return as soon as possible. It was again late in the day, and they had to get to their homes before it became too dangerous.

James and I left Luanda on Monday morning, Nov. 11, after saying good-bye to Nowa and Oliveira, who saw us off at the airport. We left heavy-hearted, yet with certain optimism about the future of the church in Angola. The small group we left behind is so dynamic and outgoing that there is no question that they will actively share God’s love with others.

They are a group of people who have some catching up to do, yet are enthusiastic and very much a part of the WCG family.

This leads to the question, “What can we do to help the Angolans?” James is committed (as am I) to do whatever possible to bring them as much equipping as we can. We will keep in communication and are committed to see the scattered members become cohesive congregations. The small but dynamic church in Portugal has committed to translate literature into Portuguese, and thereby make available to the Angolan members some key literature that is currently unavailable.

The Angolan leaders did not ask for money. They did ask for more tools to enable them to more effectively teach the gospel. I had several ask me to help them get a Bible and a concordance.

One leader who made it in from an outlying area brought a collection of pages to show us. It was what was left of a Bible. He said that their congregation had three Bibles between all of them, and this was the remains of one. He wondered if they could have help getting a few more Bibles for the congregation to share. They had obviously taped, pasted and patched that old Bible until it refused to be repaired again. I told him we would help them get Bibles and some basic study materials.

Please pray for them. They are aware of us, and pray for their brethren in the United States on a regular basis. They get bits of news from the occasional letter, and from Pastor General Joseph Tkach’s update. It is one of our blessings to have them as our brothers and sisters. Let’s be a blessing to them as well.

Randal Dick (left) with Nowa Tembe,
WCG representative in Angola,
en route to Sambinzanga congregation.
[Photo by James Henderson]