A small congregation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has described living “in the midst of war, massacre and tears”, and has asked partner churches abroad to remember four specific needs. The appeal came in a WhatsApp message from a pastor identified only as Pastor P. to Pastor Saito of Uniting Church Okayama in Japan, which published a Japanese translation of it on 12 October.
Pastor P. calls the congregation “our new, small church”. It has become a refuge for women widowed and children orphaned by massacres in Ituri, Mambasa, Goma and Beni, regions of eastern Congo where armed groups — including CODECO, the ADF and M23 — have killed and displaced civilians in recent years. The church meets in a room rented from a private school, has no land of its own, and struggles each month to pay the rent.
The message sets out four requests: comfort and healing for the wounded and bereaved; a stable place to worship, ideally land of their own; strength to teach sound doctrine in an area where many people chase prophecies, spectacular miracles and false prophets; and provision for the pastor’s family, including rent, school fees and daily needs. Pastor P. thanked the Japanese church for remembering the congregation and ended with a blessing for the believers in Japan. Names, church name and location were withheld for safety.
(Originally published in Japanese. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Uniting Church Okayama (Japan) — uniting-church.com
