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Frightened Congolese Returning to Homes
SANTA BARBARA, CA (April 29, 2000) - Frightened residents in northern Congo continue to return to their homes from the forests where they have been in hiding for months, due in large measure to an "uneasy stability" that has developed as government and rebel forces continue their stalemate in the struggle for control of the country.
Ken Satterberg, missionary to the Central African Republic as part of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), shared his update of Congo developments with a group of some 75 men gathered for a Covenant men's breakfast as part of the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) annual meeting here.
"Many Congo church leaders have been in danger of losing their lives," Satterberg said, noting the situation has been improving following the Rebel takeover of the northern regions in August 1999. Since then, people have been returning to their homes. There are some 140,000 members in the Congo Covenant Church. Satterberg worked in the northwestern area of the country until his home assignment in July 1996. Since then, he has not been able to get back into the country. He is spending the summer speaking to bible camps and church groups and awaiting further direction, hoping eventually to resume ministry in Africa.
Ironically, the war has had one positive outcome, Satterberg said, noting "it has given the church a renewed hope and dependence on God." With an election for the Congo church presidency slated for May, the missionary said the church has been engaged in re-evaluation of its mission and vision. "The Congo church needs to redefine its vision in light of all the transition that has taken place," Satterberg said. The future role of the ECC as it partners with the Congo church also is an important topic for discussion, he noted. Most of all, he said the Congo church "needs encouragement in developing its vision, and time to accomplish it."
Satterberg praised the PSWC Covenant Men's movement, thanking them for their financial support while he was a student at North Park Theological Seminary and also thanking his home church for paying his tuition. He encouraged local churches and conferences everywhere "to provide financial and prayer support for young people who respond to God's call and enter school to prepare for ministry." He also challenged other conferences to consider establishing Covenant Men organizations similar to the PSWC model, noting a similar structure could also prove helpful within the Congo national church.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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