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Faithful Gather in Sweltering 100-degree Heat

By Don Meyer

BUMBA, CONGO (November 18, 2003) - Sweltering heat hovering around the 100-degree mark did not deter the faithful from gathering under 13 tarps to worship with the five-member delegation representing the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) currently visiting ministries in areas served by the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM).

The delegation, led by ECC President Glenn Palmberg, arrived following a one-hour fifteen-minute flight from Karawa. They were greeted by some 600 people who followed the group about three quarters of a mile to the place of worship, where a crowd estimated at 2,500 people patiently waited in the heat. Accompanying photos show delegation member Jerome Nelson embracing a friend and the throng that gathered to join in worship.

Four choirs, along with a pygmy choir named First Citizens, provided music for the audience that included representatives from the six regions in the Bumba area. One of the choirs traveled 40 miles, with the pygmies traveling more than two days to join in the service of welcome.

"I am amazed at the resourcefulness of people," observed Curt Peterson, a member of the delegation. "The microphone was made using the case from an old Maglight flashlight." Others commented on the exceptional drumming during the service, with another observer expressing joy "to see and worship with pygmy brothers and sisters."

"To see those who were evangelized now evangelizing others is a great joy," said President Palmberg. "I am touched by the joy of people despite the difficult circumstances."

Following a wonderful meal after the service, the group took a 40-minute flight from Bumba to Wasolo where they were greeted by some 2,000 people at the airstrip. Another worship service followed, which included representatives from the four nearby church regions as well as local government authorities.

"It was very powerful to be in a place where Dr. Paul Carlson lived and worked," noted Pete Ekstrand, World Mission regional coordinator for Africa and a special news correspondent for Covenant News Service. He is one of three accompanying the delegation.

"It is very encouraging to see all the people who have come to faith through the work of the missionaries and Congolese over the years," Ekstrand said. "Some of (the notes for ) this report were composed while sitting in the yard looking at the house where the Carlson family lived (Carlson was a medical missionary for the ECC who was killed in 1964). Other parts were composed while sitting inside what was his house. We visited the operating room where Paul worked and the old operating table he used is still there."

Following the service at which both Palmberg and Peterson spoke, the delegation toured the hospital facilities, visiting the rooms where Paul worked, new additions and talking with various patients.

"I am impressed by the influence Paul's life and sacrifice made on people, even 39 years later," Palmberg said. "Young people have heard of him and he is mentioned in their prayers. He is not at all forgotten. The call on Paul's life to respond to the need here is no less urgent than it was when he responded. Out of compassion and obedience and respect for Paul's life and sacrifice, we must respond.

"Some aspects of the hospital are very encouraging - the commitment of the medical personnel and one of the newer buildings," Palmberg continued. "But other aspects are tragically sad - the disrepair, the inadequate and outdated equipment and the lack of resources to do anything about it. It is encouraging to see the fingerprints of people like Bob Thornbloom, Tom Christy, the Irving L. Young Foundation, Jody LeVahn, Keith and Florence Gustafson, Dean and Gretchen Samuelson and many, many others all over the work here. It is wonderful to see Keith and Florence back in Congo and Pete and Cindy Ekstrand nearby, re-establishing an appropriate (missionary) presence."

The delegation's next stops are Kisangani and then Loko.

The delegation, led by Palmberg, includes Peterson; Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief; Jerome Nelson, a Central Conference coordinator; and Thornbloom, a Covenant missionary who coordinates technical support in Congo. Traveling with the delegation are Ekstrand; Gustafson, country coordinator for the Democratic Republic of Congo; and CEUM President Gbuda Luyada.

Purpose of the trip is to visit CEUM ministries and confer with CEUM leaders on the ministry partnership of CEUM and the ECC. The delegation left Chicago Monday, November 10, and is scheduled to return November 22.

To read earlier news coverage of this historic trip, visit the links below:

• Palmberg Leads Delegation.
• Delegation Warmly Received.
• Large Crowd Greets Delegation.
• Drama Depicts Arrival of Gospel.
• Palmberg, Luyada Lay Wreath.
• Six Thousand Join in Worship.

To read a special greeting Peterson sent to staff members in the World Mission department, visit Peterson Sends Greeting to Staff.

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