Dem. Rep. of Congo, Africa
View report dated: November 15, 2017
View report dated: February 14, 2019
View report dated: April 26, 2021
View report dated: July 24, 2023
Report Date: June 26, 2016
Activities
a) Organization of the two AGM’s for SOWERS in Lubumbashi and Kasenga with goals to establish the major activities to be undertaken in 2016.
b) Contact with 103 local churches in Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi and Luapula – Mweru regions
c) Supply evangelical literature and ministry materials in various areas where SOWERS workers exist. (Photo on right)
d) Training the Katanga Province SOWERS in administration and in the evangelistic methods that SOWERS uses.
e) Church plant and official opening of the Christian Assembly of the Deaf in the town of Likasi, evangelized in 2014.
f) Various visits and mission trips to encourage SOWERS evangelists and even introduce the ministry for the first time in areas not yet reached by SOWERS. (Photo below shows trip to Congo)
New SOWERS
a) Abdul Kalenga, a former Imam of the Muslim church who was won to Christ through SOWERS
evangelism and now attends a Pentecostal Protestant church.
b) Mbuyi Kalonzo Excellent, was a follower of Branhamist church but now attends a revivalist church in Lubumbashi.
These new brothers have become huge pillars and are very committed Christians in their new churches. Under SOWERS, they actively participate in evangelization programs and continue with their training.
The atmosphere among other SOWERS they see going out to sow, made them want to be part of the group. Their current contribution to our team remains primarily spiritual, that is to say they pray for the ministry and they actively take part in the evangelisation we do.
Tshibala Mabanda Detshi (he is deaf)
Age: 33
Tshibala is married to Diandi Mabanda (she too is deaf) and is the father of two children.
In 2005, the young Tshibala abandoned his vocational training in tailoring which no longer interested him and came to me to be trained in evangelization and pastoral ministry. After prayer and guidance from the Lord, I trained him in the presentation of the counselling booklet (The Big Question) to use with people who do not know Christ. This booklet was the basis of his own personal conversion and those of most members of the deaf community. From 2009 to 2013, I have trained nine deaf people to become pastors/missionaries. The year following this Bible training, Tshibala decided, with his wife, to leave the luxury of the city of Lubumbashi to go to Kamina to preach the gospel and care for people unreached by the Word of God. Today, he is very happy to be in the bush for the Lord. (In the photo he had just received a new bike to help him visit rural communities).
The honour, consideration and respect shown them every day because of their position in the Lord - that is what we can notice as they work for God. They have had the joy of leading several other deaf people to Christ. (Photo below shows the first Sunday in a new church for the deaf)
Dieudonné Utoka Kyona (Level 3 SOWER working with me in Lubumbashi)
Age: 52
Dieudonné is married to Nadine Kakudji Utoka (a Level 2 SOWER). Following the death of their first child (stillborn) in March 2015, Dieudonné and Nadine decided to adopt a little boy who is now almost 1 year and 10 months old.
I first met Dieudonné in 1999 when we began the church plant of our local church in the neighborhood where we both lived. He had left his studies at the Catholic Seminary where he wanted to become a priest. Despite his past three years of studies at this Seminary, Dieudonné had never personally met Jesus as his Savior until the day I shared with him the SOWERS counselling booklet. He accepted Christ and decided to abandon his desire to become a priest. Instead, he stayed with me in the local Assembly to become my disciple. Today he works with me in the SOWERS ministry as an area manager and in our local church, where he holds positions of responsibility.
His commitment to the ministry of evangelization has made him capable and always available to train other servants of God. He is a really transformed brother and his wife is also committed to evangelization thanks to the enthusiasm of her husband.
The ministry of SOWERS presents Jesus Christ in simplicity and easily wins souls to Christ.
This is a ministry that brings us back to the mission of the Christian church as given by the Lord Jesus.
The health of the pastoral ministry accompanied by the ministry of evangelization also affects the health of any society, given the changed behavior of those who accept Jesus into their lives.
Our SOWERS committee proposes new plans for training evangelists living in rural areas of the province instead of concentrating in large cities where intellectualism is in full swing now.
In this spiritual aspect, we will also associate the social by creating self-funding projects to support evangelism and help the needy.
The challenge now facing me is that of how to deal with the social life of those who engage in the work of God, for they also have extended families that expect to benefit from their involvement with the church.
In addition, moving to other areas of the country is not always easy due to lack of good roads. Evangelists need to go further to take the Word of God especially to villages dominated by the animistic beliefs.
There is also an ongoing need for more funds for printing of SOWERS brochures and books, the purchase of materials for open air evangelization, the mission expenses and the support of staff, and the operation of our offices and churches for the deaf.
And finally, there are churches that have not yet understood the reason for their existence on earth. There are still pastors that plant churches in the hope of benefitting financially.
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