GRAND RAPIDS, MI (June 14) - The "do not leave" command of Jesus to his disciples is as important as his commission to "go into all the world," Dr. Mossai Sanguma told attendees during the opening worship service of the 121st Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

The disciples were not to leave Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, said Sanguma, president of the Congo Evangelical Covenant Church. The service theme focused on world mission, with several new short-term and project missionaries consecrated.

Throughout his sermon, Sanguma echoed the conference theme of "Everyone to Everywhere," but added, "We cannot bear witness to the world unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit."

When a person is filled with the spirit, "He or she becomes crazy for Jesus," Sanguma declared. The Spirit will make sure the missionary's motives are pure, Sanguma preached. Drawing on the first nine verses of the book of Acts, he noted that the disciples initially wanted to preach the Kingdom of Israel, but Jesus wanted them to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

"Our desire to witness must be pure," he said. "It has to be pure because it has to do with a great person, Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Savior of the entire universe." People who do not wait to be empowered will turn to wrong sources of strength and wisdom, Sanguma warned, explaining that "instead of leaning on God, they will depend on their own knowledge, which they learned in school."

He reminded the gathering that "God is always control of history - when things fall apart, God is the great fixer and he will take care of it."

Sanguma observed that being empowered includes being educated and equipped. Everyone, he added, can be empowered.

Everyone includes every ethnicity, the poor and the rich, the literate and the illiterate, the sick and the healthy, and the old and the young. He told, for example, the story of young children in the Congo town of Gemena whose words and actions inspired a grieving family to begin attending church.

The youth group of children ages 8 to 14 visited the family, which had lost a loved one. The oldest child shared the gospel with the family, who wanted to hear more from him. Two weeks later, the mother, father and all the children visited the church. "Ministry in Congo grows through children, too," Sanguma said.

Going everywhere means people will have to leave their comfort zones, he continued. He expressed his gratitude for the Covenant missionaries who left their comfort zones, including some in attendance at this evening's service, who at one time taught him as a student in Karawa.

Sanguma said his fellow Congolese had learned from the missionaries who practiced the words of Paul who wrote, "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be able to instruct others."

The Congo church continues to grow, and despite the continuing spread of Islam, Sanguma expects 200,000 Congo Covenant members by the year 2010. He added that more Covenant missionaries are always welcome to work in Congo.

The service began with a procession of 34 flags representing all of the countries in which the Covenant has missionaries or partnerships. Seventeen were positioned on each side of the stage. During the procession, images of the people and the work being done around the world flashed on two large video screens. New missionaries also were commissioned (lower photo).

During the consecration portion of the worship, the new short-term and project missionaries shared about the work they will be doing. The service concluded with people in the audience breaking into small groups and surrounding the newly consecrated missionaries to pray for them.