Congo – Part 2 – CCLC
The Word of the Lord Still Grows, Acts 6:7, 12:24, 19:20
From the Field April 6, 2015
In Acts 15:36-41 we read of a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over taking John Mark on a second missionary journey. The result was that Paul chose Silas and went to Syria, while Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. Sometimes disagreements arise within the church over administration and such.
This happened in Congo with our brothers there. And so we have the ELCC under Pastor Muzakuza and the CCLC under Pastor Yumba Lumbala. While I had known Pastor Muzakuza since initial correspondence in ’98 and visits, I had also met Pastor Yumba. I found him to be a true pastor of the Word and holding to our Lutheran teachings just as Pastor Muzakuza. But they could not work together in their groups without friction. The problems developed as far back as in ’07. But the wonderful Lord worked out the solution and reconciliation through Mission Bd. Chairman Ohlmann and Missionary Ude’s visit in ’09. The two churches are in fellowship and work jointly on translation and publication of materials, but have separate church organizations. Pastor Yumba began the translation work under Pastor Muzakuza and most of our Swahili materials on our webpage date back to that time.
The two churches work in different areas. One thrust of Pastor Yumba’s has been across the border into the Kitwe, Zambia area. The men in Zambia have begun the process of registering the church in that country. Pastor Yumba works with rural development as a tentmaker and is involved in building a school in Whiski, a village outside Kasumbalesa. He has also been offered a large parcel of land outside of Lubumbashi on which he prays that a Bible School can be established.
Statistics: Congo – 5 congregations and pastors, 494 members, 20 men in training as evangelists.
Zambia – 5 pastors, 3 congregations
In looking over the CLC’s overseas work our people in a variety of countries face: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, animists, juju-evil spirit and ancestor worshipers, persecution, the ever present poverty and in Congo the civil war. Still the Word of the Lord grows and we are only a little part of God’s work.