wfn.org | Commentary: Church breathes hope into war-torn Congo

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Sept. 18, 2002  News media contact: Kathy Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.   10-31-71BP{418}

NOTE: Feature photographs and a head-and-shoulders picture of Corinne Van
Buren are available. 

A UMNS Commentary
By Corinne E. Van Buren*

As I returned to the United States recently after a month in Africa, a young
American woman sat beside me on the plane. When she learned I had been in
the Democratic Republic of Congo, she asked, "How was it?" 

I was at a loss for words. What could I say that would possibly convey what
I had experienced on this trip - a journey that had touched the depth of my
spirit?

The Congo is a country that can't even think in a future tense because it
has been so torn by war and instability during its 42 years of independence.
Despite the tremendous obstacles the people face, the United Methodist
Church there is growing and making a difference in thousands of lives.

Last July, Bishop Kainda Katembo of the Southern Congo Area invited three
Americans to travel with him to his four annual conference sessions that
month. The Rev. Leta Gorham of North Texas served as the conference
preacher. My husband, the Rev. Paul Van Buren, was along as a representative
of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry to interpret
the new order of permanent deacon. I was invited as a deacon in the
Minnesota Annual Conference and the new director of member services for the
national Christian Educators Fellowship.

We started at the Southern Congo Annual Conference, held in Zambia at the
new United Methodist Kafakumba Theological Training Center, halfway between
Kitwe and Ndola. The center for training local pastors is being developed by
missionaries John and Kendra Enright as a model for self-sustaining ministry
through the development of banana groves, wooden doors and chair products. 

 From there, we drove nearly 900 miles into the interior of the Congo from
the Zambian border, visiting each of the next three annual conferences:
Kafakumba; and North-West Annual Conference held in Kalamba.  
South-West Annual Conference in Kolwezi; Lukoshi Annual Conference at Lake

Jean-Marie Nkonge, professor at Mulungushi United Methodist Seminary and
translator at each annual conference, would often shake his head and say,
"Congo, my Congo," as we traveled. He said it with a combination of pride,
sadness and deep love for the possibilities of a people and land that, if
given a chance, could be productive and strong. 

Our land cruiser bumped and lurched over poor roads that could hardly be
called paths. We saw extreme poverty but also experienced gracious Congolese
hospitality. We were provided comfort and food, while many villagers could
barely survive day to day. A wide gulf exists between the haves and
have-nots, the result in part of a past U.S.-supported dictatorship that
brought harsh deprivation to the people.
 
On this trip, I heard truth spoken from many sources:
 
7	Missioners of Hope. These committed people are working against all
odds to make a difference in the lives of orphans and vulnerable street
children. Since the missioners have no project funding, they are using their
own salaries to develop a variety of church projects, such as nutrition
centers, youth programs, carpentry training, shelters for street children
and AIDS advocacy.
	  
7	Missionaries. Forced to flee the Congo, many missionaries are
developing new ministries in Zambia. Even with sharply curtailed funding,
they continue to believe that God will provide the needed resources.
	
7	Pastors and church leaders. The most profound truth was evident in
how the clergy live their lives. They believe so deeply in God's love that
they are willing to live on as little as 15 cents to $3 per month. They
travel for days by bicycle just for the privilege of being God's servant.

Katembo is so loved by his people that they waited outdoors under the starry
African sky until 3 a.m. one day for our four-car caravan to arrive at
Kalamba, after an exhausting 18-hour trip that covered 258 miles. The
cheering that greeted us was overwhelming. 

The bishop seeks to teach and lead the church in ways consistent with
Wesleyan thought, polity and liturgy. He realizes the global church is
changing and that the Congolese churches must no longer depend on others but
become self-supporting. His program calls for the people to plant and grow
extra peanuts, bananas, maize and whatever else is needed - except tobacco -
to provide the means for ministry. 

Thousands of women in the Congo are involved in the church as "Kipendano"
("those who love one another") members, a Congolese counterpart to United
Methodist Women. They teach other women to lead the church not only in their
homes but also through Bible teaching and prayer, health information,
self-supporting skill training and caring for families. A new organization
for young and professional women also has been launched.

United Methodist Men meet weekly throughout the conferences with similar
training and leadership development programs.

The most obvious excitement in the churches came from the conference choirs,
consisting primarily of youth, young adults and children. They typically
rehearse three times a week, learning all their songs by rote since written
music is too expensive. I was amazed to see how they improvise by making a
guitar from wood and wires, a drum set from tin cans and skins, and amps by
using solar panels to charge an old car battery.

In all four conferences, a total of 27 local deacon pastors and two elders
were ordained. In three conferences, the ordination of elders was suspended
until the boards of ministry could help candidates clarify their calling to
be elders or deacons. In this area, the deacons serve more like local
pastors because they have a recognized call but no theological training.
Many are starting churches in their villages. 

The total number of members on these four conferences now stands at 425,513,
an increase of 11,872 in the past year. They have 57 new places of worship
and 521 pastors.

Many stories beg to be told from my journey to the Congo, where people are
living out their United Methodist faith in a culture of more than 200
languages and multiple layers of tribal traditions; where people are
isolated due to the lack of roads, mail delivery and communication; where
vast mineral resources lie hidden in the earth or are being siphoned off by
other countries and rebels; where nearly all the wild animals have been
killed for food; where trees and jungle have been destroyed, and erosion is
raping the land; and where countless people are dying of AIDS.

Yet, an African proverb says, "You can never earn a cow through sleeping." I
found that many Congolese and Zambians are not sleeping but are working
hard. They love the church of Jesus Christ, and they hope that some day it
will be possible to peacefully live the kingdom of God in their country. 

The Congolese believe in answered prayer. They have seen the dramatic change
that prayer brought in South Africa, and they ask for your prayers for peace
and justice in the Congo. Please pray with them, for God's gracious activity
is the foundation of their hope.
# # #
*Van Buren is a deacon in the Minnesota Annual Conference and the new
director of member services for the national Christian Educators Fellowship.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

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United Methodist News Service
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