Congo Delegation to Return Later Today

KINSHASA, CONGO (November 23, 2003) - The five-member delegation representing the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is expected to arrive at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago later this afternoon following a two-week visit that began November 10.

The group, led by President Glenn Palmberg, left Kinshasa late Saturday night en route to Paris where, during a seven-hour layover, they were scheduled to visit with Francisco and Stephanie Ramos and see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.

Before leaving Congo, Palmberg and other delegation members met with Jean Pierre Bemba, vice president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a meeting originally scheduled to take place at the time of the group's arrival in Congo. "During that visit we shared the itinerary we had for visiting around the Ubangi-Mongala area," said Pete Ekstrand, World Mission regional coordinator for Africa who accompanied the delegation throughout Congo while also serving as a special news correspondent for Covenant News Service.

During the meeting, Palmberg expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet with Bemba and reaffirmed the ECC's commitment to continue to work closely with the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM) to address various needs in Congo. (The accompanying photo shows Palmberg greeting Bemba - Bob Thornbloom is in the background.)

Friday morning the delegation visited the Universite Protestante du Congo (the Protestant University of Congo) and met with Dr. Ngoy Boliya, rector of the university, and Dr. Mossai T. Sanguma, who recently received his PhD from Fuller Seminary. The university has three schools - Theology, Business Administration and Economics and Law and serves all of the Protestant churches in Congo and their leaders. Sanguma will begin teaching missiology at the university in January.

During the afternoon the group visited with Anthony (Tony) Gambino, director of USAID in Congo. The two-and-a-half-hour meeting moved from that of a "protocol visit" to an "extremely informative and educational session," Ekstrand observed. "We were passionately engaged by the director regarding the education needs in Congo. We were touched by his passion and grief about the education of girls in Congo.

"Mr. Gambina is in the midst of overseeing significant U.S. Government development programs and is a man of hope," Ekstrand continued. "He stressed and challenged us to pick up the piece that we can play in aiding Congo."

The next stop was to the offices of PAID, the Programme d'Assistance et d'Integration des Defavrisees (Program for the Help and Integration of the Disadvantaged). The aid program was started by the CEUM. A farewell dinner Friday evening, hosted by the Kasa Vubu church, signaled the end of the Congo visit.

"We have consistently been overwhelmed by the gracious hospitality of the CEUM," Palmberg told those gathered for the dinner. "We have been refreshed in spirit through your love and hospitality. The gifts you have given each of us will be daily reminders to pray for you, and we will do that. We ask that you pray for us also. Let us pray together that God would show us how we are to partner together into the future."

Palmberg's remarks echoed a similar theme of friendship as those of CEUM President Gbuda Luyada during the Wednesday evening service in Gbado-Lite. "We would not expect leadership at this level to come to us when things are this difficult and unstable, but to come to us now is a sign of real friendship," Luyada said. "We have an expression in Congo that says: 'You know your real friends in times of pain and difficulty.'"

(Editor's note: the bottom photo shows Curt Peterson greeting members of the Livulu congregation in Kinshasa earlier in the week. Jim Sundholm is visible at far left.)

The delegation, led by Palmberg, includes Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission; Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief; Jerome Nelson, a Central Conference coordinator; and Thornbloom, a Covenant missionary who coordinates technical support in Congo.

Purpose of the trip was 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.

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.
• Faithful Gather in Sweltering Heat.
• Heat, Exhaustion Take Toll on Congo Delegation.
• Delegation Retraces Footsteps of Dr. Paul Carlson.

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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