Let me tell you the story of a church in the village of Edinga, practically a suburb of the town of Lodja in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. The small United Methodist church there was a struggling congregation in 2012. When Pastor Kitambala was appointed there in July 2013, there were 8 worshippers on his first Sunday.

There was a quick response to his preaching and leadership and the church began to grow, but the building was falling down and it limited the interest and the growth. They decided that they needed to build a new building as the old one was beyond repair or rehabilitation. He approached Appointment Congo about some assistance with a new building (and proposed that if we could supply the more expensive roofing, lumber, and cement, that they would provide the kilned brick that they could make locally).

Appointment Congo had funds for a church and the building project was begun and before long a roof was in place on timbers and benches had been made that provided seating under the new roof. The attendance increased to 60 to 70 worshippers and the spirit of the services improved.

The decision was made to initiate a weekly children’s program that included Bible stories, Scripture memory, biblical image coloring, and playtime. In the first week, over 175 children from the entire village attended. By the next Sunday, church attendance had doubled to nearly 150 people, including many of the children and their parents. Within a few weeks, the children’s program had over 250 attendees, and church attendance grew to more than 250 worshipers!

Brick was being laid for the walls and additional benches were required to accommodate the crowd even with may children sitting on mats on the floor each Sunday. The pastor says that the new building and the children’s program have allowed the congregation to grow into one of the largest and most giving churches in the entire District of Lodja South. Those 2 elements combined with his own faithful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are changing lives in the heart of Africa.

Your Missionaries in the DR Congo,
​Paul and Marty Law