Luyada: Is God the Centerpiece of Our Faith?

CHICAGO, IL (April 21, 2003) - "Are you working in faith as you work on your faith (for the church)?" Is God the centerpiece of one's service? Those were questions addressed by Congo Evangelical Covenant Church (CEUM) President Gbuda Luyada as he spoke during last week's chapel service at Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) offices.

Luyada arrived in Chicago a week ago to begin a three-and-a-half month tour of Covenant churches in North America. At Wednesday's chapel service, he was presented with a Bible, a Covenant appointment book and luggage by ECC President Glenn R. Palmberg. Later he briefed Covenant Communications staff on the status of CEUM ministries and the purpose of his visit.

"One of the first (most important) things that will happen in these three and a half months is in talking to brothers and sisters about our church," Luyada said. "This church (CEUM) happened because the Covenant sowed the seed. And the war that began in 1997 has had an effect - there are no missionaries there now. Our coming here will help the Covenant churches in the United States and Canada to understand what we're going through. For the leaders of the Covenant church and the churches themselves, they will know exactly what is going on. They will know how to pray for us and how to help us."

After sharing insights into God-centered service, drawing on the Genesis story of Cain and Abel he shared how his life as a CEUM administrator has shaped his faith. In 1991, CEUM President Duale Lengana was attending a high-level conference when political unrest forced Covenant missionaries to evacuate Congo (then Zaire). Luyada was vice president at the time and recalled the difficult decisions he was forced to make as his people struggled to deal not only with the evacuation, but also the looting and pillaging by soldiers.

Luyada's wisdom during the 1991 evacuation was considered later on when the search for a new CEUM president began. A subsequent 1997 evacuation did not deter Luyada and other CEUM leaders in leading their church denomination of nearly 160,000 to increased stability. By then, missionaries had trained administrators and workers in the various jobs and an administrative structure was in place that allowed for a smooth transition. During the past few years, Covenant missionaries and Department of World Mission administrators have continued to consult with CEUM leaders. Luyada says he is amazed that so much happened in only a dozen years.

"When I was chosen to be vice president and later president, I had no idea I would be in those positions - it was not in my thinking," Luyada said in recalling the 1991 evacuation and his leadership trial by fire. "It was God's timing. It wasn't anything that we had planned or had been talked about. The president was in the capital city Kinshasa and I remained back at home. At that time, some looting happened in many areas of Congo. As a vice president it gave me a very difficult task.

"I brought together the administrators of the CEUM and together we studied what to do in this situation," he continued. "We were praying together and had to make decisions. We had to go ahead with the work and go help the missionaries in 1991. At the time, many thought I was too young (37) to be president, but that time made the church think I should be president after this president (Duale)."

If the 1991 evacuation didn't toughen his resolve to lead in faith, the events of 1997 and thereafter did so. He has been imprisoned, has had his life threatened and has lost all of his belongings during his presidency. But the hard times have made him a man of prayer, as it has other CEUM administrators as well. The office staff worships weekly and each month the team prays together, reads the Bible and fasts for one work day in order to better discern God's will for the CEUM.

"What happened in 1991 really helped with what has come since," Luyada said about the recent leadership changes since the 1997 evacuation. "After missionaries returned in 1992, there was a lot of discussion with the Covenant about what would happen if this happened again. We took some steps to prepare if it happened again."

Things haven't always gone smoothly, Luyada says - both administratively and personally - as he has transitioned into increased leadership. "When missionaries were still there, when questions were asked, the question was directed to the missionary and then was directed to someone from CEUM," he observed. "At that time, the president was acting apart from the church. But when the missionaries left, any questions which had anything to do with how the church operated were directed to me. That gave the president's office a lot of difficulty. It was hard work.

"The second thing was the personal trouble I received," he continued. "I was arrested after a trip to the United States in 1998. I was in prison in a town called Mbandaka for three weeks (October 1998), but even after I was released there was never a time of peace. I never felt comfort at home. There were problems at church and problems in the country. It was very difficult, especially for my wife, Wokolo. She had hypertension during that time and our house was completely looted. We left our house, fled to a new house and soldiers followed us to take away what we had there. It was only because of God's help that I got through it. God gave me courage and help - I know many people prayed for me. And I put myself into God's hands and said, 'You do with me what you want.' I learned that to serve God is not easy. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and lord, that it may be difficult. But you will only succeed if he leads you in that work."

After acquainting himself with Covenant institutions such as North Park University and North Park Theological Seminary, the 48-year-old father of five will spend most of his time traveling to various Covenant churches, including a number of African American congregations. He will also attend the ECC June Annual Meeting in Rosemont, Illinois, before heading back to his home in Gemena. Luyada traveled to Chicago with CEUM pastor Moselu Ngendema (top photo shows Ngendema, left, and Luyada, right with Palmberg. Bottom photo shows the CEUM leadership team in Congo with Covenant missionaries Keith Gustafson, left; Pete Ekstrand, right; and Ken Satterberg, kneeling).

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