Congo For Christ 2012

​Frontline Fellowship was invited to minister at the first Congress of REDTCO ("The Gathering of the Children of God for the Transformation of the Congo")
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo (which in its 45 years of independence from Belgium has never been a democracy) has been afflicted by corrupt dictators and a series of devastating civil wars. It is in a degraded state. The infrastructure is ruined, most roads are impassable, the jungle has overgrown much of the once efficient railway network, warfare has devastated the country leaving up to 3million dead and corruption is rife. Yet the churches which invited us are dynamic, growing and determined to see the Congo transformed by the Gospel of Christ.

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​The Frontline Fellowship Communications Director, Johan van der Merwe, who also joined us on this mission to the Congo, raced against time to have a recent translation into French of Peter Hammond's book "Biblical Principles For Africa" printed.
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By God's grace the first French edition of this dynamic book was completed in time and the teammanaged to deliver 900 copies of "Principes Bibliques pour L'Afrique" which were carried in and distributed to the delegates of the REDTCO Congress in Lubumbashi. There was great excitement to receive this long awaited book as Christians in French speaking Africa desperately need more Bible based literature.

Johan and I were joined by Jo-Ann Downs, the Deputy President of the African Christian Democratic Party, and together we presented training for the 450 leaders from all over the Congo who had gathered for this historic event. Dealing with issues such as Biblical Principles for Government, Crime and Punishment and How to Make a Difference in Politics, the Congress considered how to evangelise the Congo and transform it into a Christian nation. Working documents were discussed and Resolutions were finalised and voted on.

After the Congress a Thanksgiving and Dedication service, lasting over 6 hours, was conducted in a large church nearby. In a very moving time of intense prayer on their knees, the congregation and Congress delegates dedicated the Congo to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also visited a local Christian school and were interviewed on radio and by a national TV station. A local TV station broadcast the presentations at the Congress each day and local newspapers covered the event with two full pages of reports.

This was my second mission trip to the Congo so far this year. As a result of my earlier meetings in the Congo a delegation had travelled to KwaSizabantu to attend the Ministers' Conference in March. 

We were overwhelmed by the generosity and gracious hospitality of our Congolese hosts. Bishop Lamba Lamba, the President of REDTCO, has already made tremendous progress in laying foundations for Reformation in the Congo and has a great missionary vision. REDTCO has contacts in the Ivory Coast, Belgium, France, Zambia and South Africa and they already have representatives in every province of the Congo. They have also sent out church planting missionaries who have successfully established congregations in Zambia and South Africa (where growing numbers of French speaking refugees have settled). One of their ministers came and participated in our Biblical Worldview Summit in Cape Town.

Please pray for our Christian brethren in the Congo - despite their desperate plight they are being used of the Lord to turn their troubled country to Christ. Pray also that we may be able to assist in their great task of evangelism, discipleship and Reformation in the Congo.

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74,
Newlands, 7725,
Cape Town, South Africa
E-mail: [email protected]