As head of our church’s evangelism department in Congo, I organized a mission trip with a team of four local evangelists to a village in a rural setting. After traveling more than 150 miles, we found a large tree that had fallen across the road. This tree barricaded the road. We couldn’t continue our trip….

Presbyterian women in the Congo were prohibited from preaching in the church, but they could do it in their own gatherings. In 1990, the General Assembly (equivalent of the Methodist General Conference) agreed to set aside New Year’s Day for women or in the Tshiluba language “Dituku dia bamamu.” Since then, this day has become…

The Luba-Kasai people are an ethno-linguistic group to the central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many of them live in this country, residing mainly in Kasai provinces. The Luba-Kasai tribe consist of many sub-groups or clans who speak various dialects. When somebody among the Luba-Kasai tribe passes away, the first thing the…

As many of us know, Christians in the world use different ways to worship. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, worship is considered a happy time. You go to get the blessings from God, praise Him and have time to be together with friends. The service begins with a traditional processional song sung every Sunday….

In Africa, a woman is commander-in-chief of the house. She works with her children and any relatives living within the house. Some women work in the fields, some in the markets, and others in the public and private sector. The men go to work and when they come back home, their duty stays at the…

As elsewhere in Africa, proverbs are an integral part of Luba culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Passed on from generation to generation for centuries, they are still used today and are much a part of everyday speech. They are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of inspiration, consolation, celebration and…

In 1998, I was studying in Atlanta (Georgia), pursuing my Master Degree at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. During the summer holidays of that year, I went back home to Congo-Kinshasa to visit my family. The trip went well. I was very happy to see my family and friends for two months. Nevertheless, the worst…

HELPING OTHER PEOPLE TO EXCEL:Partnering with the Immigrant Community to Promote Hope and Confidence by Advancing English Proficiency. Texas Christian University/ Public Health Nursing and First United Methodist Church Hurst have an ongoing service learning partnership. Data from the spring 2015 assessment identified that sustaining hope was an important need among immigrants. Hope is important…

Can we all work together to ensure that Diversity Visa (DV) French speaking immigrants from Africa have access to and receive appropriate services?