In September, the Bishop of Reading launched an appeal supporting the valuable work of Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through the Congo Church Association, and the Semiliki Trust.
Thank you to everyone who generously donated to the appeal, together we raised over £7,800. Funds will help support brothers and sisters in the DR Congo in their work to relieve poverty, support refugees and displaced people, improve healthcare and education, promote peace and reconciliation in that country, and offer hope in Christ.
The Congo Church Association
Gifts to the Congo Church Association are used to supplement their 2022 grants to dioceses for critical projects. In 2020, CCA grants enabled Boga Diocese to provide assistance to displaced people who had fled there, Bukavu Diocese to pay for theological training, Katanga Diocese to repair two severely damaged churches, Kamango Diocese to provide medical fees for vulnerable people and pastors while the area was cut off because of insecurity, and Kisangani Diocese to distribute brick-making machines to more than 50 parishes, enabling them to build stable churches and also providing young people with a source of income generation through brickmaking.
The Bishop of Kinshasa, the Rt Revd Achille Mutshindu, shares his thanks:
“Our concern is to promote the education and training, both spiritual and social, of the faithful in our churches, and also to ensure the wellbeing of families through peace and reconciliation of families in the Congo, especially in the regions affected by the conflict. Thank you for your donations, which will bring joy and well-being to our faithful and to all those who will be touched by these gifts.”
The Semiliki Trust
The Semiliki Trust supports the large network of hospitals and health centres run by the Anglican Church in the conflict zones in DRC, where it also supports nurse training and women and children’s centres.
Watch this video from the Semiliki Trust sharing the work they do and the difference your donations make to the lives of people in the DR Congo.
How to pray
“Our Christians … are running from rebels who entered to their village and burnt our churches. The church history shows that the church passed persecution and there is a saying that, ‘The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.’ But in Congo there is too much blood and suffering. Let us continue to pray for each other for the Lord is with us.”
Mutual prayer is one of the hallmarks of partnership. Our colleagues in the DRC pray for us. If you would like to pray for the church and its partners in the DRC, share this prayer and email the Partnership for World Mission about joining the Congo Church Association’s Zoom prayer calls.
You can also use these prayer bookmarks in your church to pray for the church in DR Congo.