Evangelism & Church Planting Conference, DR Congo

Eighty-two executive officers, district superintendents, pastors, evangelists, and other church delegates attended the Assemblies of God (Katanga province) evangelism and church planting training conference held last week in Kolwezi. The group picture is below. People came from every region of the province, travelling up to 1,400 km. to attend. I taught for five full days. Discussion was lively and sometimes heated. Participants shared ideas and experiences, and explored different possibilities for applying principles. For example, what's the best way to reach the nomadic tribes found in some parts of the province? If you build a church building, you may wake up one morning to discover that everyone has packed up and moved during the night, leaving the building and pastor behind! (That was an actual experience shared by one of the participants.)

The week included a practical component. Thursday afternoon, teams went out to share the gospel house to house in a neighbourhood where a new church is being planted. Seventy-four people received Christ. For one group, there was an unplanned practical component as they traveled home on Saturday. The vehicle broke down. The driver left the four passengers while he went to find a mechanic. When he returned, he found them praying with a group of people. They had used the delay to go through the village telling people about Jesus. In the meantime, the driver had offered some peanuts and water to the mechanic. This opened the door to a conversation. Result? The mechanic, who had turned away from God some years ago, recommitted his life to Christ. They went together to his home and met with his wife. God did a work of reconciliation in the marriage.

This week I've been doing two follow-up conferences in Lubumbashi, sharing key concepts from last week with members of Assemblies of God churches from throughout the city. Morning sessions have been with "youth" (young adults), afternoon sessions with "les mamans et les papas" (older adults). The whole church needs to be involved in taking the gospel to the whole world!

Throughout last week, we kept coming back to two questions. How will you apply what you are learning? How will you teach these things to others? These are not easy questions. As participants return home, they will work to equip and mobilize others in their regions. The provincial executive will do follow up to facilitate this. The goal is to see the love of Christ spread more fully to every corner of this province. There are many challenges. Please pray that God will direct and empower.

I leave Congo tomorrow (Thursday) for Uganda. The plan is to obtain my visa and ticket for Sudan on Friday, then to fly to Juba, South Sudan on Monday to begin ministry with James Okot, Alfred Flett, and Trevor Meier from Calvary Temple in Winnipeg. Keep us in prayer!