The NCP Congo
Partnership Is:
Building hope, relationships, and empowerment for the people of DR Congo and New Castle Presbytery through mutual respect, understanding, support, and love.
“When we come together, we rise. And in the world
we’re building, everyone rises.
No one is exploited
because they’re poor or excluded because they’re weak…We have shed our false boundaries.
We can love without limits. We see ourselves in others. We see ourselves as others. That is the moment of lift”.
Melinda Gates
The NCP Congo partnership was established in 2004 with Kananga Presbytery, located in West Kasai province of central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Currently, our team consists of 18 churches and
four new church developments.
“We love because
He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
News from our Congo Partnership:
We are so thrilled to share with you that our Congo partners in Kananga Presbytery just ordained a woman, Reverend Therere Kanku Mulumba, and she is officially the pastor of the Ditalala Kamalumba church, sister church of our Westminster Church, Wilmington. She is the first woman I know of assigned to her own church in that presbytery. Other ordained clergywomen have other roles leading Presbyterian women or as chaplain to a hospital. So hurrah and praise God! It’s been a long time coming! Please pray for her as she begins this ministry.
In other news, we recently shared a meeting by zoom with them and learned that they are holding regular prayer meetings during advent, focusing on the theme from Zephaniah 3:17, “Christ our Savior and Liberator”. They ask for prayers for the terrible violence still breaking out in and around Goma in the east and the displacement it has caused for so many.
They ask for help for their vulnerable children and also for bibles, which now cost $20 each. If you would like to make a donation in this season of giving, you can find the donation page on our website. ncpcongo.com.
Every gift, however big or small makes a huge difference for them. Thank you dear Presbytery for your faithful support and encouragement for over 20 years.
With Advent hope and peace, Laurie Loveless, NCPCongo Partnership convener.
​
Jehova God
We commit our siblings into your hands so they are well-protected.
Please watch the following two videos presented by Pastor Benoit from the Congo and Laurie Loveless, convener of the NCP Congo Partnership pertaining to the vulnerable children in Kananga.
Greetings All. I want to share with you how some of the Presbytery’s Ignite funds have been used recently:
​
-for scholarships to 2 medical students
-for sewing machines and materials for women who then sell clothes to support their families and future self-supporting projects
-for the construction of the new Presbytery office building which will house not only staff offices, but a women’s sewing center among other uses.
-for Synod-wide training (held this past July) for congregations to foster and find permanent homes for vulnerable children.
We are grateful to the Presbytery for this support that is making an impact there.
Please continue to pray for them and if so moved, send donations especially to fund critical needs for vulnerable children. Go to ncpcongo.com or send checks to NCP and designate for a particular mission there.
In hope and peace, Laurie Loveless, convener NCPCongoPartnership
In the Congo, there are children who have been displaced by war and trauma who would be left to live in the streets if not for the care of churches.
View the above video. We would like to request assistance to train our congregations to improve the lives of these children.
Since our team of five first visited Kananga in 2004, New Castle and Kananga Presbyteries have had a vibrant partnership. Now in our 20th year, we’d like all the churches in NCP to join us in celebrating. One way we’d like to suggest is to designate one Sunday as “Congo Sunday”. Provide African music and colorful dress. Invite someone from our Partnership team to do a Minute for Mission and/or send pictures or a display. Take up a free-will offering with a special designation for vulnerable children (see below). Other ways to celebrate would be to include Congo in your prayers or make a donation or adopt one of the churches in Kananga and share news and prayer concerns.
Although there are many needs, for the next few months we are focusing on vulnerable children. Many children become vulnerable when they are abandoned because parents have died and/or families can’t afford to raise them. Often they are accused of being witches who caused their parents’ deaths. As mentioned in an earlier Midweek article, an effective strategy to care for them is to train congregations to help foster them and find permanent homes. For the West Kasai Synod to train all their churches, it costs $20,000. We have pledged $10,000 from our Congo Reserve Fund with the remaining $10,000 to be matched from churches and individuals like you. Thus far we have raised $2500, which leaves $7500 more. We invite sessions and mission committees to prayerfully consider making a donation, no matter how small or big, just so we have strong support from many of our churches. Donations can be made on our website www.ncpcongo.com or by sending checks to NCP earmarked “Congo vulnerable children”. We hope to reach our goal by June 15 so our partners in Congo can plan the training for the end of the summer (and before the school year begins). Thanks in advance for any help you can give to improve the lives of these most vulnerable.
Yours in Christ, Laurie Loveless for the NCP Congo Partnership team