Tribute from Bishop Frank Retief

Bishop Peter Kalangula, Bishop of Ovarnboland, died on 20 February 2008. He was consecrated in 2000 after serving as leader of several CESA churches for over 20 years. Bishop Kalangula had an interesting personal history which involved both politics and church.

In the end he retired from the political arena and devoted himself to leading his churches and reaching out to a clan of Bushmen who occasionally visited his farm. For many years he kept the doors to Ovamboland open for Gospel witness. Over the years he was visited by Bishop Bradley, Bishop Joe Bell, Bishop Martin Morrison, Bishop Warwick Cole- Edwardes, Bishop Desmond Inglesbyand myself. He was also visited regularly by teams of people led by Rev Colin Banfield, where Gospel work was undertaken. We honour his memory and thank God for those who benefited from his ministry.

Tribute from the Rev. Colin Banfield

I first visited Bishop Peter Kalangula in 2000 when my family and some friends decided to begin regular trips to encourage and support our churches in North Central Namibia. Since then our relationship grew to the point where we were able to talk very frankly to one another about our churches and the struggles he was experiencing. He loved our visits and the activities and ministry training we were offering his churches. He expressed this in his usual hospitable way by killing a bull or goat for us. Sometimes this would feed a team of 50 for a week!

Let's remember him for the hard work he put in before, during and after the terrible political turmoil and border warfare that oppressed his own people for so long. He undoubtedly loved the Ovambo people and often put his own reputation and life on the line for them. He did all this while enduring the personal grief of losing children and his wife throughout his ministry years. Peter Kalangula will be remembered as a Christian man, a political leader, Bishop and friend of many. He was steadfast in his opinions and held his convictions unswayed by pressure and popular opinion.
God bless his family and legacy