Partners on the Journey

Indiana welcomes Maman Nzeba

2010-06-01T12:17:00.002-04:00

Join us June 1st as we welcome with excited hearts, our partner, Maman Nzeba! She will be joining us from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As she starts her month’s long journey with us, we join together with our hands extended to welcome Maman Nzeba to Indiana. We also join in prayer that her time in Indiana is blessed with new relationships as she shares her story and the story of the women of Congo.

Maman Nzeba coordinates women’s ministries throughout the entire country of the DRC and will be with us as the Indiana Disciples Women’s Ministry guest to Quadrennial.

Situation update

2010-04-21T11:31:00.002-04:00

According to a recent telephone conversation with Rev. Ilumbe last Thursday, the situation is better but still very difficult.

Here is the latest information from Oskar Pekombe from the General Office of the Disciples of Christ in Congo, which is located in Mbandaka.

The security situation is still not back to normal. People do not leave their houses after dark. The soldiers sent to protect the people are guilty of much of the on-going violence. Sunday, April 18, there was a lot of fighting around Bolenge as soldiers acted on false information that the Enyele were in the area. The Bolenge hospital, supported by the Disciples, was quite busy treating numerous people who were wounded in the fighting. At least two persons affiliated with the church, a boy and a pregnant woman, were shot. The boy was killed; the mother was operated on in the Bolenge hospital, but both she and the fetus died.

Humanitarian organizations, including Doctors without Borders, have arrived to help care for those wounded in the fighting. Areas from which Mbandaka normally receives its food supply are under control of the military, and people are afraid to bring their agricultural
products to market for fear of being robbed by the soldiers.
Consequently, the price of food is mercilessly high. Other retailers are also afraid to be open for business. The UN is returning and there is a request to declare the city a disaster area, since there is so little food and the prices are so high that no one can buy it.

Rev. Bonanga, General Secretariate for the CDCC, has returned from Boende to Mbandaka, but had to travel through Kishasa to reach the city.

The Enyele tribe lives in an area north of Mbandaka called Kungu. A local dispute escalated and spilled over to Bomongo, just upriver from Equateur province. Currently the term is used to refer to the rebel group fighting the government both locally and nationally. The movement is not at all defined, making it even more difficult to deal with the fighting.

2010-04-07T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here is an update from Oscar Pekombe on the current situation in Congo. Oscar works in the General office of the Disciples of Christ Community in the Congo and is the Secretary for the Partnership Committee of the Mbandaka District and the Indiana Region.

Translation of his message provided by Gene Johnson in Illinois:

We thank the Lord Almighty for the opportunity for us to contact you about the situation in Mbandaka. Easter 2010 was a terrible experience and unusual to Mbandaka.

While we were in worship April 4, Enyele insurgents arrived at a private port of Mbandaka to head to the Government buildings of the Provincial Assembly and finally the airport. Soon, our Armed Forces were reorganized for the attack at the airport with the support of UN forces. It was 5 p.m. that the local airport was taken over by government forces. During all this time, the churches were empty of the faithful who could not resist as the noise of bullets and heavy weaponry going off reached their ears. Our pastors struggled to calm the crowds and worship services ended.

We are not mistaken to declare that more than half the population have not had enough to eat because there was no market and stores were closed. The price of food soared and since Monday have been multiplied by four. We do not know if the political frustrations are at the base of the insurrection which began as a disagreement between two ethnic groups over management of fishing ponds and has ultimately taken the form of a poorly organized guerilla movement.

The results of all this are not yet known fully, but there are about 10 dead.

In our Parish of Basoko a church member was killed during the worship service by a government soldier who broke into the church and opened fire on worshipers. May his soul rest in peace.

Our PSP, Rev. ILUMBE is doing well but does not leave his house since Sunday.

We are still happy to inform you that the Armed Forces generally behaved in the right way unlike the civil misdeeds they commit elsewhere. So Mbandaka is a city protected by God.

On Sunday and Monday people did not go out of their houses which had no electricity or water. This Tuesday, April 6 we have timidly been able to go out a little so we can communicate now.

We are very confident about the current security developments. God is
great. Flights resumed at the airport at Mbandaka. A good sign.

We leave you in the hope that you will continue to pray for this city, for the CDCC (Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo) and its leaders, for our pastors and Christians of Mbandaka.

Fighting Erupts in Mbandaka-Home of the Community of Discipes of Christ in Congo

2010-04-05T15:13:00.002-04:00

Fighting has erupted in the city of Mbandaka located in the Equator Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has been reported by our partners on the ground, as well as National Public Radio, that early Sunday morning (April 4, 2010), while many parishioners participated in Easter morning services, that more than 200 armed soldiers in opposition to government authorities entered the city by river and clashed with government and United Nation troops.

It was reported that some of the troops seized control of the Mbandaka airport while others took control of the city of Mbandaka and its communication networks. Earlier portrayed as an ethnic conflict over fishing rights, the invasion of Mbandaka brings to light the suffering of people in the Equator province that has been silenced by the Kabila government over the past seven or eight months.

In a telephone conversation with a partner on the ground, the Global Ministries Africa Executive Sandra Gourdet learned that church parishioners remained in churches overnight to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Rev. Bonanga Eliki, President of the Community of Disciples of Christ Community is currently traveling in the interior of the country with a German group.

The true number of casualties is not yet known. It has been reported by the news agency that one Ghanaian UN soldier was killed and that another person died of a heart attack.

The Africa Office of Global Ministries will closely monitor the situation and send out updates as information is received. Please keep our partners in prayer as anything that happens in Mbandaka will directly affect them.

More Musings

2010-04-04T18:43:00.003-04:00

Joy in the midst of struggle. We saw sobering poverty in the Congo - in malnourished children, in bare classrooms and inadequate medical facilities, in a lack of basic infrastructure. We heard heart-wrenching stories about war in the eastern part of the country and the brutality carried out against civilians. We know that life for our church partners is challenging in some ways that we have never had to face. And yet, the Congolese people are quick to smile. Laughter comes easily. And in worship, the joy is palpable. The three and a half hour service that we were in felt a little long, but not nearly as long as I would have thought, due largely to the sense of joy that came through, particularly in the music.

Musings from the Congos

2010-03-22T15:59:00.003-04:00

Linda McCrae, pastor of Central Christian Church in Indianapolis, recently returned from a trip to Congo and shares some of her insights:

Presence matters. Communication possibilities abound in the age of the internet, but there is no substitute for physical presence. For our partner churches in the Congo, visiting them is a way of honoring them. They felt honored by our visit, and we received an overwhelmingly warm welcome that reflected their joy at being honored. One day we traveled three hours by car from Mbandaka, the city where we were staying, to visit the small village of Boyeka. We stopped at three or four other villages with Disciple churches both on the way there and on the way back. On the way there, we greeted people briefly. On the way back, people gave us gifts of bananas and pineapples in thanksgiving for our visit. The experience is making me think about my own gift-giving and also think about visiting people as a way of honoring them (not an obligation) and other people's visits as an honor to me.

A Congo Week Celebration

2009-11-02T09:13:00.001-05:00

A member of First Christian Church, Fayetteville, AR shared with me how their congregation celebrated Congo Week this October. This is an outline of that week:

Sunday – A guest preacher from the Division of Overseas Ministries preached at both worship services. That message brought to light what a “wilderness” experience so many Congolese are going through right now.

Monday - Viewing of the documentary called “Reporter,” which tells the story of the current conflict in the Congo. Following the film, a member of the church who grew up in the DRC answered questions about his personal experiences.

Tuesday – A day long prayer vigil was held in the sanctuary.

Wednesday – Young and old participated in the “Cell Out,” where cell phones were turned off and a message was placed on voice mail explaining why the phone was turned off and how Congo is being affected by our cell phones. (Want to learn more? Go to www.congoweek.org)

Thursday – Members gathered for a fellowship supper to share a Congolese meal.

Funds were raised over the week to be split between a personal project within the congregation and to help with the rebuilding of the Bolenge Hospital. This week made a difference for the members of FCC and for our brothers and sisters in Congo. Awareness was created. Minds were opened. Prayers were offered. People have been changed!

Thank you First Christian Church of Fayetteville, AR for sharing this celebration with us!

Congo Partnership Week

2009-05-15T21:36:00.001-04:00

Just as Congo Partnership week arrives, we look at the exciting events Indiana churches have planned for Rev. Ilumbe (Principal Supervising Pastor of the Mbandaka District) and his wife Rosette (President of the Partnership Committee in the DRC). As we learn of the difficult steps that must be taken for them to come and visit us - more than two months away from home just to get papers and permissions to travel, and that's before they arrive for 5 weeks in the US - we are truly humbled that they will make this sacrifice to visit us. It is such good news to know of all the plans to make this exchange meaningful.
- One church is learning phrases in Lingala in order to communicate better when Rev. Ilumbe and Rosette visit them
- Two church camps are making plans to include them in their programs
- Numerous church dinners are on the schedule
- There will be several home and farm visits
- They will experience a real 4th of July celebration
- A number of you will use the Congo Connection for your Vacation Bible School program this summer And the list goes on (soon to be posted on this page, so you can catch a program if you do not have them scheduled at your church). One of the gifts the Mbandaka Disciples have given us is an enhanced awareness of how important hospitality is to a Christian; it is clear that many of you are receiving that gift.
DON'T FORGET to mark you calendars for 5:15 pm on July 2, so you can be at the Indianapolis International Airport (south baggage claim
area) to welcome Rev. Ilumbe and Rosette. Be ready to sing; bring balloons (NOT permitted in the Common Space upstairs, they need to be downstairs), signs of welcome or identifying your church, flowers - whatever says "Welcome" to you. And if you can, let someone at the regional office know how many are coming with you.

Our Partners ask for prayers

2009-02-10T10:56:00.008-05:00

We have received word through e-mails from Rev. Ilumbe and Rev. Bonanga that our partners in the Mbandaka District were affected by a damaging wind storm the evening of Saturday, February 7th. Many homes and other structures were damaged. In addition to several church related facilities, the congregations of Air Congo and Mbandaka I sustained roof damage. This damage also affected the school that is held in Mbandaka I. We do not yet know all the ways that our partners might be affected by this storm.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in the Mbandaka District. The following is an e-mail reply that went to our partners.

Rev. Bonanga and Rev. Ilumbe—
Your sisters and brothers in the Christian Church in Indiana hold you in prayer this day as you recover from high winds in the Mbandaka area that led to destruction of church and schools, and to the injury and death of some residents in that area. We live in a part of the world that is frequently vulnerable to damage from tornados and high winds, and so our people readily identify with this loss and its consequences. We pray that emergency assistance is able to get to all those in need quickly, and that a sense of security is recovered as well by all those who have been affected. Please let the members of the churches in the Mbandaka District know of our concern, and most particularly our friends at the Air Congo and Mbandaka I congregations.
Sincerely,

Richard L. Spleth, Regional Minister

Congregations in Partnership

2008-12-17T13:55:00.003-05:00

This partnership between Global Ministries, the Christian Church in Indiana and the Disciples Community in the Mbandaka District, Democratic Republic of Congo is a partnership between people and congregations. I have begun to hear ways that our Indiana congregations are connecting to Mbandaka.

I am hearing about congregations that have viewed the DVD, "Partners in Mission" during worship, Sunday School, or Missions meetings.

I have heard of several sermons preached by pastors that have looked towards the Congo.

I participated in a creative stewardship dinner that looked at the hospitality and generosity of our Congolese partners as they considered their own giving within the congregation.

I know of many congregations that have had someone from the recent trip trip to Mbandaka to come to share about partnership and our partners.

How have you started to connect to your partnership with the Disciples of Mbandaka? I would love to hear.

Why is it ok?

2008-10-16T15:45:00.002-04:00

I am overwhelmed by the reality that our Congolese brothers and sisters are suffering while outside nations and companies are getting wealthy. 80% of the world's Coltan, the mineral used to run our cell phones and laptops, comes out of the Congo ground. Diamonds, gold, and other natural resources are also being taken while the people are left to suffer. (Learn about the Cell Out on October 22nd.)

I cannot begin to imagine how more than six million people have died in a country in the past ten years, and it isn't mentioned in the media.

I am frightened at the prospect that the forests of the Congo are being chopped down at an alarming rate to benefit others. I wonder how much of the world's air that is?

We must say that it is not ok!

From Mission Work to Partnership

2008-08-07T09:19:00.003-04:00

The Disciples have a rich history with the Democratic Republic of Congo. That country’s name calls up for many people a list of hundreds of missionaries who have worked and lived in the Congo. As early as 1898 the first missionaries were sent. Since that time there has been a steady flow of missionaries to work in this country to build the church, hospitals and schools. At its height, there were over 50 missionaries and their families working in the Congo.

When we first think about missions in the Congo, we think about these missionaries and our mission to this people and this place so very far away. What wonderful stories are shared. But an amazing thing happened. The missionaries worked to raise up leaders for the church, the hospitals and the schools. And those leaders have grown and developed and raised up new leaders. Today, the missionaries in the Congo are the Congolese themselves. Today, the church leaders in the Congo are the Congolese themselves. The church leaders in the Congo are remarkable and strong leaders who are seeking something new from our church. Partnership.

The beginning of a partnership

2008-07-31T15:18:00.003-04:00

On May 18, 2008 a delegation of 6 people from the Indiana region and 3 people from the General Church journeyed from Indianapolis to the Democratic Republic of Congo. While there, a Partnership Agreement was signed that joined together Global Ministries (a common witness between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ), the Christian Church in Indiana, and the Mbandaka District of the Community of the Discipes of Christ in the Congo in partnership.

As a member of this delegation, I was overwhelmed by the radical hospitality and welcome that we all received. It was an amazing experience. And now that this trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo is over, the journey begins. We ask ourselves many questions. We give thanks for this opportunity. And we pray.