- CMCO CENTENNIAL WELCOME CENTER:
WILL NORTH AMERICAN BUILDING TEAMS BE HELPING?
Mennonite Church of Congo (CMCO) continues to press on in its plan to erect a monument in celebration of 100 years of Mennonite presence in Congo. Plans are to build a “Welcome Center” which would include facilities for overnight lodging, a dining hall and a large meeting space.
The Welcome Center will enable the national church executive to better host church-wide meetings at its Tshikapa headquarters. Discussions with AIMM have led to a collaborative plan: CMCO has committed to make bricks, and provide lumber, sand, gravel, stone, etc. for the project. The church will also provide both skilled and unskilled labor for construction. AIMM and its North American partners will buy cement, metal roofing, electrical and plumbing fixtures, nails and other necessary imported construction materials.
Photo of the Cornerstone Ceremony: ( left to right) Joli Birakara, CMCO Vice President; Laurent Kamizelo, CMCO General Secretary; Rev. Komuesa, CMCO President; Arnold Harder; Rev. Kikunga Mavule, Regional Rep; Sha Nyanga, carpenter; Mbya Inga, mason.
Longtime AIMM Congo mission worker Arnold Harder has been walking with CMCO leadership over the past two years, as plans have been laid. The project has been divided into 5 phases. The first phase, a building with several rooms for overnight lodging, has been completed. CMCO is presently gathering materials for phases
two and three- further rooms for lodging. As adequate construction materials are assembled, recruitment of building teams from North America may begin. Also helping with planning on the North American side are Dennis Miller of Silverwood Mennonite Church in Goshen, IN.; Steve Nelson, Africa Mission Director for the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches, Fort Wayne, IN.; and Carmen Good of Valparaiso, IN.
WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN A BUILDING TEAM, IF THAT OPPORTUNITY BECOMES AVAILABLE?
The probable time frame for any such building teams would be between December 2010 and February 2011. We should have definitive news on building teams to Congo sometime in June 2010. Contact the AIMM office for details.
Hope for Congo is an initiative within AIMM led by Brad Graber. It is focused on walking with the Djoko Punda community, and beyond that with the three national Mennonite communities in Congo. Here are some projects in which the Hope for Congo group has recently been engaged.
Hope for Congo Projects
“Providing fishing poles and access to the pond”
And the parched ground shall become a pool. Isaiah 35:7
1. Safe drinking water project- Projected dollar = $8,000;
100% funded
The plan is to contain the spring at the source and with piping re-route the water to a storage tank where the water can be filtered and accessed. The goal is to provide water that is safe to drink and easy to access. The Congolese have already cleared the area at the spring source. Next step is to purchase the tank, piping and supplies and arrange for shipping the supplies down river from Kinshasa to Ndjoko Punda.
2. Technical trade school project – Projected dollar = $5,000;
100% funded
Land, Building & License have been secured. The first technical trade school is scheduled to start this September with 15 – 20 students at Tshikapa. Arrangements are currently being made to secure the necessary carpentry/masonry tools and a generator to provide electricity.
3. Church roof repair and replacement – Projected dollar = $15,000;
0% funded
This church at Ndjoko Punda, built in the 1920s, has withstood the test of time and is a testament to the early Congolese and missionaries that built it. Today a portion of the roof has collapsed and is being repaired and there is a need to replace the corrugated roofing.
4. Bibles and hymnals project – Projected dollar = $6,000;
25% funded
Bibles are scarce in Congo. A typical Bible is old and tattered from use. We want to arrange for the printing of 500 Bibles and 500 Hymnals in the Tshiluba language to make available at a reasonable price. The plan is to subsidize a portion of the selling price. The cost is $9.00 for a Bible and $3.00 for a hymnal.
Future projects being considered include:
- Four additional trade schools in strategic locations
- Technology based communication infrastructure
- Upgrade of eight different medical facilities
- Bicycle manufacturing
For further information, contact Brad Graber through the AIMM office.
[see also the blog Hope for Congo]
CONGO MEDICAL SUPPLY PROJECT
Dr. Gaspard Mahuma, Mennonite Church of Congo Medical Work Coordinator, and Dr. John Martens, AIMM Medical Advisor, have worked together over the past four years in an effort to encourage the staff and programs of the 8 hospitals which are currently run as part of the Christian witness of the Mennonite Church of Congo. The hospitals are located at Kalonda, Nyanga, Mukedi, Djoko Punda, Banga, Mutena, Kamayala and Kandala. This collaboration has led to initiatives such as twice a year visits to the hospitals by Mahuma and Martens to give encouragement and to do specialized surgeries; “seed” donations of basic drugs to refurbish basic pharmaceutical supplies at each location; replacement of some basic surgical tools and equipment; and the purchase of a motorcycle for the Coordinator in order to better enable his supervisory functions.
Medical Learning Tour 2010
Dr. Martens remains open to providing orientation for North American medical and other personnel who wish to learn more about how Congolese practice medicine in conditions of scarcity. A Medical Learning Tour is currently being planned for Congo. Are you interested? Contact the AIMM office for further details.
Scholarships for Congo
AIMM, working in collaboration with its Congolese and North American partners, is providing partial support for a variety of Congolese Mennonite students. These students are studying theology and other disciplines in schools such as Kalonda Bible Institute, the Christian University of Kinshasa and various other public and private universities across Congo. Scholarship amounts vary from $400 to $1,300 per year. Contact the AIMM office for further details.
