Dr Nicholas Mnkandla

1945 - 2021

Dr. Nicholas Benson Mnkandla departed to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 26th, 2021 in Pasadena, California. He dedicated his life to serving God, his family and community, improving the quality of lives of those who were vulnerable and downtrodden. He did so with grace and generosity of heart which endeared him to so many around the world. Nicholas was born on January 5, 1945 in Gwanda, Zimbabwe, to Ida Nyathi (mother) and Ganyana Mnkandla (father). After completing primary and secondary education, he went on to Mtshabezi Bible School, Zimbabwe, where he completed training as a pastor. Thereafter, he served as a pastor in the Brethren in Christ church until he emigrated to the United States in 1974. In 1977 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Social Sciences/Religion from Azusa Pacific University (APU), quickly followed by a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Cross Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1978. He returned to APU and completed a second M.A. in Social Sciences in 1981 followed by a Ph. D. in Philosophy 1984 from the International Graduate School. Thereafter, he pursued post-doctorate studies in Sociology at University of Southern California (USC) in addition to obtaining a J.D. at the University of LA Law. Nicholas made Pasadena his home and his pastoral, civic and social-welfare contributions to the community live on. He embraced people of all races, ethnicities, social classes and worked across different denominations both within and outside Pasadena. His involvement included serving as a member of the Foothill Area Community Services, the National Black Evangelical Association, NAACP, and the Black Business Association. He served as the Chairman of the Board of the Pasadena Redevelopment Fair Oaks Committee and was recognized as "Who is Who" in American Educational and Religious Leaders in 1989. His ability to work across various denominations as Senior Pastor (First Summit Evangelical Church) and Dean (Promise Christian University) saw him being chosen to be the President of the Interdenominational Alliance (IMU). He was also honored by both the California Assembly and Senate in view of his community work. Nicholas is survived by his wife, Eva; four children, Noma (Truth), Thandi (Emmanuel), Joshua, Caleb and five grandchildren, Nkosi, Busi, Bongi, Kaya and Leleti. The funeral service will be at 10:00 AM PST, February 13, 2021 at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 2283 North Fair Oaks Ave, Altadena, CA 91001 followed by the burial ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery, 400 North Fair Oaks, Altadena, CA 91001 at 1:00 PM PST. If you wish to support the family, in lieu of flowers donations can be made to Nomathemba Hope Ncube as follows: https://cash.app/$NomaHNcube, Zelle: tel # 909 659 7331, WorldRemit, Paypal: https://paypal.me/NomaHopeNcube?locale.x=en_US. Check donations can be mailed to: 4991 Woodley Ridge Dr. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739.