A letter from Bob and Kristi Rice in Congo
May 2011
“What do you have in your hand?”
Congo Presbyterian Church, circa 1900.
Our language teacher, Mukulu Muamba, recently said: “It is so good that the missionaries did not fail to come to Congo. We, the Congolese, are the major beneficiaries.” In 1889 the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS), the southern branch of the now united Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), reached the decision to open up new evangelistic work in Africa in its desire to heed Jesus’ Great Commission to “go and make disciples.” They chose to send two missionaries to the Congo Free State (currently the Democratic Republic of Congo). They chose to send 24-year-old African-American William Sheppard along with 25-year-old Samuel Lapsley. On April 18, 1891, these young men arrived on the shores of the Lulua River in the Kasai Region of the Congo Free State. Asked by local tribe leaders what they had come to sell, they replied: “We have come to preach the Word of God. We are here only for this reason.” In 1895 eight people converted to the Christian faith and were baptized. By 1901 the church had grown to 500 members. Today there are more than 3.5 million members in the Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC).
As part of God’s continuing work, Kristi and I have been sent by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to work in consultation with the Department of Evangelism and Christian Education of the CPC. This Department continues the trend set by William Sheppard and Samuel Lapsley, “to preach the Word of God.” Therefore our Department aims to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in each town, village, family and individual heart. It strives to increase the number of parishes, to bring nonactive Christians back into the church and to invite each Christian to feel personally responsible for building up the church. It seeks to develop the Christian faith in all segments of its community.
2. Pastor Mboyamba teaching.
Over Palm Sunday weekend, April 16–17, together with Pastor Mboyamba (director of the Department) we planned and hosted a two-day retreat for members of the Department. The theme of our retreat was, “What do you have in your hand?” — a reference to Jesus asking his disciples what they had to feed the multitudes (Mark 6) and to God asking Moses what he had in his hand to lead the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 4). We learned that God uses the ordinary things we have for His extraordinary purposes. During this retreat we looked back at the legacy of the CPC and gave thanks that the PCUS had the vision and foresight to send two young, bright missionaries to Congo in 1891. We marveled at the incredible growth of the CPC over the last 120 years, recounting how the church grew and spread to all corners of the two Kasai provinces and beyond. Pastor Mboyamba spoke about how these two missionaries began with “zero” and how today there is a thriving church that includes: 918 particular churches, 92 presbyteries, 12 synods, 792 pastors, 8 hospitals, 702 church-sponsored schools, 3 pastoral training institutes and 1 university (these numbers reflect the church statistics as of 2007). This fantastic growth is largely attributed to the work of evangelism. Pastor Mbyomba made the memorable comment, “Where there is no evangelism, there is no life.”
At the Evangelism Department retreat, Bob facilitates a session on “What dreams do we have for the CPC Church and for our Evangelism Department?”
We also took time to “dream” about the CPC. We dreamt of church members growing in their knowledge of Jesus Christ and of the church growing in size. We dreamt of a church that extends the grace and love of God to all peoples. We dreamt that knowledge of development would expand, helping people meet their daily physical needs. We dreamt of a church that speaks prophetically against corruption and injustice. We also dreamt of what our Department could do to help the CPC become everything God wants it to be. We dreamt of forming future leaders and of helping Christians grow in their likeness of Jesus Christ. We recognized the need to adapt our methods to a changing environment and the need to utilize different media (print, radio, etc.) in extending the gospel. We took time to consider our role. We see ourselves primarily as “equippers,” empowering God’s people to do God’s work.
To achieve our dreams, we discussed what we would need. We decided that we first need a true knowledge and understanding of God and His ways. We also need a spirit of creativity coupled with seasons of prayer and reflection. Lastly we took time to assess what we have. We realized that the most important person we have is Jesus and the Holy Spirit He has sent. We also realized that God has blessed the CPC and our Department in remarkable ways. Department members smiled and rejoiced as they realized how many ways God has already equipped us to do His work here in Congo.
CPC Evangelism Department Staff.
Our retreat ended on a very positive note. One Department member expressed his exuberance, saying he cannot remember our Department having anything like this in his memory. He hopes we will have similar retreats in the future. In our postretreat evaluation, Pastor Mboyamba reflected on the value of our Department worshiping and learning together, when so often our time together is devoted solely to work. He expressed his belief that such “empowerment” will make us more effective as we serve the larger church body.
Please know that your gifts support our ministry here in Congo as we come alongside the CPC. Also, we are so thankful for your prayers! Many of you prayed for us during this retreat, and we could tangibly feel the power of your petitions. Thank you!! May you be profoundly blessed as we stand in the long shadow of a resurrected and victorious Savior—Christ our Lord. Amen!
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| Pastor Tshiepela, retreat chaplain | At the Evangelism Department Retreat, Kristi facilitates a session on “What dreams do we have for the CPC Church and for our Evangelism Department?” |
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Bob and Kristi
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 61
Blog: Adventures of Bob and Kristi
Write to Bob Rice.
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