Polisi Kivava and Jean Pierre Kanyamunyu
serving with the Baptist Community of Central Africa
in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Christian missions takes many shapes and forms. We are continually amazed by the creativity and resourcefulness of churches working to bring about change in their home areas and throughout the world. The scale of Christian missions is incredibly broad. And yet, at the heart of every missionary endeavour the Church touches people both corporately and personally. Even the largest programs that are designed to bring about transformation to a community or region come down to the impact on individual lives. And the best work happens when people recognize the personal dimensions of the ministry they are a part of.
This past month, we had the joy of visiting with leaders from the ten projects that Canadian Baptist Ministries is currently partnering with in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our partner church is the Communaute Baptiste au Centre de L'Afrique (CBCA) a large indigenous denomination that spans the DRC. The CBCA embraces five central pillars to Christian mission, namely: evangelism, development, diaconia, advocacy, and partnership.
Sitting down with these leaders, we spoke about the dimensions of the work that we are doing together in Africa. We are happy to share with you some of that conversation in a two-part blog.
The Lausanne statement of missions "The Whole Church bringing the Whole Gospel to the Whole World" can seem pretty daunting. But as our friends from CBCA explain, even large movements of people come back to the power of personal interactions and sharing.
"I believe that missions is from everywhere to everywhere!" shares Kivava. "No longer is missions simply a movement from the North to the South. Today, missions is a constant exchange of South to South, South to North, North to South, and even North to North. In CBCA we see how missions draws us to partnership with other believers.
This has led us to exchanges of choirs, pastors, theologians, evangelists, and community development workers... We share and learn from one another. Whether this happens with people from within Congo or with our brothers and sisters from Burundi, Rwanda, Canada, or Germany, it is all about coming to know one another personally as the Body of Christ."
One of Kivava's great passions has been helping people living with disability. This has been a tremendous challenge as so much of the church and community of DRC live in remote areas with little infrastructure.
"We noticed that there was no support for people with disability. As we spoke with parents, it was obvious that many of them were ashamed. They thought it was a curse to have a child born blind or deaf. And so the Church has sought to celebrate the dignity of all people, including the disabled. We provide support and opportunity for the disabled to learn skills that match their capacity. A young man or woman who can not walk can still use their hands. The deaf can still build furniture, make shoes and learn to garden.... many come with chains on their hands, but go back with a hammer. Together we are fighting prejudice and marginalization!"
Jean Pierre
Jean Pierre, his wife Louisa and their seven children live in Goma near the shores of Lake Kivu, but his ministry as a program officer for community development brings him to all 18 Districts of the Church throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo. He must travel across dense jungle and insecure areas in his field that spans over a thousand kilometres. But he strengthened by his passion "to help people".
"Development happens not out there but within one's self. I do not just accompany the community, but I help vulnerable people for their own development... we are here to help build self reliance."
The newest district of the CBCA is a heavily forested area called Buyinga. Here the great jungles that are home to gorilla and primates spread out in the vast lands beneath the great volcanos of Eastern DRC. There are few roads and little infrastructure to support the people who are living in this remote area. The church has been listening to the felt needs of the people and have responded by joining them in efforts to improve their lives. As Jean Pierre shares:
"There are many needs in Buyinga. We have been helping people improve agriculture and animal husbandry... There are now 17 parishes in this completely rural district, and many small church plants or chapels in the Equatorial forest. We are preaching the word of God, but also helping them improve their food security and education.
Through the conservation agriculture technologies that we are learning from Canadian Baptists and the Canadian Food Grains Bank we are helping them improve their soil and food production. We've introduced new crops in the lowlands, and the people are now producing cabbage, carrots, onions, cassava... and most importantly they are fighting the banana wilt bacteria. It is amazing to see banana coming back.
...People are eating these foods, but farmers are also selling them. One farmer sold enough cabbage this year to buy a motorcycle. Later this year, will be the first cassava harvest. We are praying that God blesses the work of their hands.
...We have also started the first secondary school that we built from timber and two primary schools as well. There are now more than 360 children in these schools. It is an important start.
... We also have established two new health centres. These are stations built by the people of the community themselves, that we have helped them finish. One of the health centres even has a working operating theatre."
Judith Kahindo
Judith is a member of the women's department of the CBCA and has worked in the areas of health, relief, and community development serving street children and people displaced and wounded by the ravages of war and sexual violence. Currently she is serving 612 women and children in the rape survivors ministry. During our time together, Judith talked about this important work:
"I am passionate about social justice," shares Judith. "Sexual violence remains a problem. In the war it became a weapon of humiliation, and still today there are gangs and militia that use it. We as the Church are supporting rape survivors in four main ways. First through trauma healing and counselling. The survivors feel shame, they feel hurt, and hopeless. They need someone to listen with them. Cry with them. Pray with them... We help each person with healing.
Secondly, we provide medical support and care. Through our health programs we give consultation and treatment.
Thirdly, we help through sensitization against gender violence. This about prevention, and mediation among families to educate them and the children. Rape has a lot of stigma in our communities. Families can blame the victims and even turn away from them and reject their children.
And fourthly, we seek to support the survivors with socio/economic integration. In Goma, for example, rape survivors are starting small business and agriculture. Other groups are making bricks to sell. Others are milling grains. There is one group in Muku where the women are making and selling cooking stoves that use less wood and are better for the environment."
The work of Judith and the churches that are a part of the rape survivors ministry is deeply personal. Few families in Kivu have escaped the affects of rape and war. By addressing the issue and entering into relationship with individual survivors, the Church is seeing sexual violence through perspective of individual stories. By ensuring that the issue of sexual violence is both a corporate and a personal concern, people are witnessing the power of God to transform the devastation of rape into hope and new life. Judith's somber demeanour changes as she shifts from talking about the horrendous acts of violence to the impact that the mission of God is having in the lives of the women and children she works with.
"When a woman is healing and there is no more stigma, she is able to return to the fields and to the market. She is able to walk with other women and break the silence! Break the shame! She has the strength to talk about it. She no longer hides. She is alive again!"
