When Lourenço Baptista left the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1973, he did not imagine it would be 53 years before he stepped into a baptismal pool. This Sabbath at Calemba Adventist Church in Luanda, he did — welcomed back to the fellowship he had once walked away from, in a moment the congregation received with echoes of the prodigal son's return.

Baptista's return was the central testimony of Reencounter Project 2026, a Northeast Angola Union Mission initiative designed to reconnect former Adventist members with the Church through pastoral visitation, spiritual care, and reintegration into congregational life.

The baptismal service was officiated by Pastor Osvaldo Cawele, Executive Secretary of the North Angola Mission.

Baptista left the Church in 1973 due to circumstances beyond his control. Over the decades, he remained distant from congregational life until the persistent encouragement of his wife, combined with the pastoral visits carried out under the Reencounter Project 2026, moved him to return.

"Today I feel fulfilled," Baptista said after his baptism. "My desire is never to leave the Church again."

He also shared his prayer that his children, colleagues, and neighbours would come to know Christ and experience the same restoration.

The central programme brought together church leaders, members, and guests to celebrate stories of spiritual return. Pastor Osvaldo Domingos Vunge, Executive Secretary of the Northeast Angola Union Mission, delivered the sermon, emphasising God's restoring grace and the Church's responsibility to welcome, support, and strengthen those returning to fellowship.

Reencounter Project 2026 continues across the Northeast Angola Union Mission, with pastoral teams engaging former members in their homes and inviting them back into congregational life.