Brass For Africa
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News update -- 30 June 2004 bulletin
- Masimango called to Kinshasa 11 June 2004
- Clergy conference begins tomorrow 30 June 2004
Masimango called to Kinshasa
11 June 2004
In
response to the situation in the Bukavu region, Bishop Masimango who is a
Senator in the transitional Parliament, was called to Kinshasa for urgent
meetings.
He reports that the majority of normal Congolese have had enough of war and expects the current fighting to ease.
Pray for the Bishop in his role in the Senate and that the reconciliation process will continue.
Clergy conference in Kindu begins tomorrow
30 June 2004
On 1st July Malcolm and Elizabeth Richards, missionaries in Goma, Zaire with CMS from 1988-1994, will travel to Kindu in DRC at the invitation of Bishop Masimango for four weeks to help him run a conference for clergy and their wives.
Elizabeth and Malcolm Richards
The Kindu Diocese, which was formed in 1997, covers the whole area of the Province (or State) of Maniema of which the Government administrative centre is Kindu. This region is one of the most underdeveloped and isolated regions in the country and has been ignored by successive governments since well before independence. The average level of education is low and most of the population are subsistence farmers. It is a very tough physical environment with high temperatures and high rates of malaria.
Bishop Masimango was elected as the first Bishop of the diocese. For the whole of the life of the diocese, the country has been at war. This has made the establishment of diocesan structures very difficult. In this time the diocesan offices have been looted at least three times and for a number of years until recently, the Bishop had lost contact with a large number of the clergy as the population had fled into the forest to avoid the fighting.
Now the war is largely over and most of the clergy have been located. However, the war has left all the population including the pastors in a low state of morale, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
As part of his strategy to combat the poor state of his Diocese and as a first step, Bishop Masimango has a vision to gather the clergy of his diocese together with their wives so that with teaching and encouragement they might return to their parishes spiritually refreshed and ready to work again.
The conference will be held for two weeks in early July in the small town of Kayuyu, 101 km from Kindu. CMS are helping with the Richards’ travel costs, and Brass for Africa are funding the running of the conference and the food and accommodation of the delegates who attend.
Prayer Points
- That the Gospel of Christ would be proclaimed faithfully by the church in Maniema.
- That the clergy and people of the Diocese of Kindu would recover their enthusiasm for the work of the Kingdom.
- Pray for Bishop Masimango, that God would give him wisdom and the resources to help make the church’s mission effective.
- For the conference in July for Clergy and wives, that they would be built up and encouraged
- For safe travel for Malcolm and Elizabeth and their language ability in Swahili