Please join a week of prayer for DR Congo

From the Congo Church Association:

'Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world have been invited to join Archbishop Isingoma Kahwa of the Province of the Anglican Church of Congo, and the Congo Church Association in a week of special prayer for peace in DR Congo.

Since April there has been a new upsurge of violence and displacement in eastern DR Congo (320,000 people as of late Sept according to the UN including 60,000 into Uganda and Rwanda) following the emergence of a new rebel group called M23 as well as other groups becoming more active across a wide area.

Situations change when God’s people pray, sometimes in ways we are aware of, but not necessarily. In regular news from friends in DRC we hear of many encouragements and blessings as the Good News of Jesus Christ is proclaimed in word and deed, BUT there is the constant plea too for ongoing, persistent prayer for lasting peace because the stark reality is that tens of thousands in Congo are living with fear and insecurity, violence and displacement, hunger, sickness and poverty while longing for peace and the opportunity to return home.

The Congo Church Association, with the support of Archbishop Isingoma Kahwa of the Anglican Church of Congo, invites you to join with us in a week of special prayer for peace in DR Congo from Monday 26th November through to Advent Sunday 2nd December. We hope individuals, groups and churches will commit to pray afresh for a resolution and definitive end to the conflict, violence and atrocities, and for a new era of peace, as well as for the needs of all those affected. Prayer resources will be available on the CCA and CMS web sites from 19th November. See www.congochurchassn.org.uk/prayerweek.pdf and www.cms-uk.org.

Please encourage friends and others in your networks to participate and make this prayer initiative widely known. Thank you.'

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Esther Akawa - Nguluma Nkosi.

Day of prayer and fasting for Congo

This request comes via CMS:

The crisis in Eastern Congo has been graphically shown in TV images and web reports in recent days. Like many of you who have friends and co-workers in the region, we in Congo Church Association have been receiving regular updates from church leaders and friends. Their urgent plea has been for prayer for resolution of the conflict and peace, and provision for the needs of the vast numbers of displaced people.

The Congo Church Association, (which works with Anglican Church of Congo), and CMS UK are calling upon Christians in UK and further afield to join together in a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Congo on Saturday 22nd November. Let us join together in prayer for peace and for a resolution to the complex issues surrounding the conflict, as well as for the physical and spiritual needs of all those affected. In addition to the crisis in the Goma region, let’s also remember two areas of rebel activity in Congo which have not hit the news: the Dungu area in the north where the Lord’s Resistance Army has attacked villages and abducted adults and children in recent weeks, and also Gety/Aveba/Nyankunde region close to Bunia where a new militia group emerged in late September and displaced many people from their homes.

Please invite friends and supporters of your organisation to participate in this Day of Prayer and Fasting for Congo on Saturday 22nd November and make this prayer initiative widely known.

Prayer resources will be available on the CMS and CCA web sites by 17th November. www.cms-uk.org and www.congochurchassn.org.uk/prayer.pdf.

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Blessid Union of Souls - Brother, My Brother.

News from Boga Diocese

News from Boga Diocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo sent by Bishop Isingoma (who will be visiting St John's from 5th-8th July):

Overall the security in Boga Diocese has improved dramatically in the past 15 months, but on 6th February Bukiringi, 20km north of Boga on the road to Bunia, was attacked by a group of militia, which looted homes and the Health Centre. The population fled into the surrounding bush, and almost 300 people walked to Boga, where they were welcomed and given shelter.

Nurse Kule, with his wife Tauka who works as mid-wife at the health centre, reported that almost all the equipment from the health centre was taken: bicycle, medicines,18 mattresses, fridge, and other equipment. Only the microscope was safe! In addition their own personal possessions and those of other families in the village were looted, as well as a huge stock of food – 80 sacks of groundnuts which the population had laboured so hard to produce.

This comes towards the end of dry season so food stocks were low anyway. Thankfully homes were not burnt down or destroyed. 5 days later the army retook the village, but it has taken several more weeks till the population felt confident to start to return and rebuild their lives – yet again!

Bp Isingoma writes: Is this the last step of the war? That is our prayer: but fighters’ attitude doesn’t inspire durable peace. Kule and Tauka wrote afterwards: Despite this destruction, we are determined to continue the reconstruction and organisation of the Bukiringi Health Centre so that it may be a model centre in the whole of the health zone and Diocese of Boga!

Please pray for these courageous and dedicated health workers, as they seek to serve the very needy population in Bukiringi and its surrounding villages, and re-establish the health centre; pray also for the church and its leaders in Bukiringi and the wider population.

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Neema Gospel Singers - Amani Imepotea.