How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach UNLESS THEY ARE SENT? ...So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:14–15a, 17
At the Bible Seminar, Peter taught on Law and Gospel and the Doctrine of Objective and Subjective Justification the first day. I taught on the topic of Love in the Bible with special emphasis on how God's love shines forth in our approach to the pastoral ministry. The seminar was held in a small building at the local congregation in Kasumbalesa near the Zambia border. This is where the CCLC seminary has been meeting for the past several months due to security issues in the area of the seminary compound in Ntondo. The seminary has sat vacant for several months because of militant armed conflict in the area. The DRC military has been forcibly conscripting young men into the military in the area as a deterrant to joining the local malitias that oppose the current government. The violence has subsided in recent weeks and they are hoping to return to the seminary soon. Pray for peace and good leadership for this area of the DRC.
CCLC Bible Seminar Banner
My view while taking a break at the Bible Seminar in Kasumbalesa
CCLC pastors, seminary students, and leaders at the two-day CCLC Bible Seminar in Kasumbalesa
On Saturday, Peter and I were privileged to hear three seminary students defend their doctrinal dissertations. The three men were chosen out of the fifteen students to receive a Bachlor's Degree of Theology and were ordained as pastors of the CCLC. The other twelve students also completed their studies and were issued certifcates rather than diplomas and will serve the Lord as faithful CCLC evangelists and congregational leaders. The three students publically defended their dissertations in front of CCLC pastors, leaders, and several members of the congregations they will serve. The three topics were 1) Man is Justified by Faith Alone, Not of Works, By the Grace of God Alone 2) The Command and Promise of the Sacrament of Baptism, and 3) The Scriptural Understanding of Spiritual Gifts and a Refutation of Current False Teachings on Spiritual Gifts. Following their defense, Peter and I were given the opportunity to ask them questions about their essay and thier topic in general. They were, understandably, nervous but each one did well and I was encouraged to hear them speak so confidently and convincingly concerning the truths of God's saving word. Praise the Lord for preparing more faithful preachers and teachers of His saving word!
Seminary Dean, Pastor Yumba Lumbala, welcomes students and guests to the theological dissertation defense by the three seminary students
CCLC Seminary student, Yumba Musoya Wa Kasanza defending his essay on Justification by Faith Alone
CCLC Seminary student, Ngoy Wa Kwadimalenge defending his essay on Baptism
CCLC Seminary student, Patrick Lumbala defending his essay on Spiritual Gifts
(L-R) Peter, Patrick, Yumba, Ngoy, and some nobody
Sunday (May 10) was a long, full, and encouraging day of worship. A joint worship service with members from several CCLC congregations gathered at a newly established congregation on the outskirts of Lubumbashi. Some pastors and members traveled all the way from Manono in the Tanganyika Province to the north. This is no small task. I visited Manono a few years ago. You can read about the journey and see a few pictures HERE. There were well over 200 in attendance! The service began around 10:00 am and didn't end until after 3:30 pm. The service included the baptism of thirteen infants, six children, and 1 adult! I also had the privilege of conducting the Marriage Blessing for two couples. In the DRC marriages are officially done by the government, but Christians, understanding that marriage was instituted by God and needs His blessings, then also conduct a marriage blessing ceremony in church. Following the ordination of three seminary students, two of whom are called to serve this new congregation, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was served. Peter preached for the service. Because he preached in French and it was then translated into Congolese Swahili/Kingwana, I have no idea what his sermon text was nor his theme. But I'm sure it was great and faithful to the Scriptures. Between the different parts of the service, choirs from a few different CCLC congregations sang and danced praises to our Savior. Following the service Peter, Yumba, and I returned to our hotel for a final meeting to discuss the work and future plans of the CCLC and the seminary and how the CLC can better parnter with them. It was a long and tiring day, but one I wouldn't have wanted to miss. What a joy to join in with brothers and sisters in Christ to rejoice over and grow in the saving grace and mercy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! The joy that exudes from their worship and their dancing and singing is infectious and brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face. I marvel daily and still can't wrap my head around (apart from His grace and mercy) why He let's someone like me be a part of this amazing work, but THANK YOU Lord for the privilege of serving You and Your Kingdom in this way and for giving me a wife and family who are so supportive!!
Newly Established CCLC Congregation on the outskirts of Lubumbashi, DRC
CCLC Joint Worship waiting for distant members of arrive
Pastor Yumba Leads Worship at the joint CCLC Worship Service
Another great blessing of the visit was finally getting to meet Pastor Eddy Nakalala. He has been aquainted with Pastor Yumba since he spent almost a full year during the pandemic staying in Lubumbashi where he visited the CCLC seminary and joined a CCLC congregation. He is also aquainted with Pastor Tim Daub and me through Facebook. He was trained by the LC-MS affiliated seminary in South Africa, but did not accept a call into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Congo upon graduation due to leadership issues within the church body. Since then, he has discovered the CCLC and the CLC and desires to bring the congregations he serves into our fellowship. He serves a congregation and two preaching stations with more than 400 believers being served in the city of Uvira near the Burundi boarder in the north-east part of the DRC. He traveled to Lubumbashi to meet us and to attend the Bible Seminar and other events. He was quite pleased with what he heard and learned and is now more convinced that the congregation and congregations he serves should formally apply for membership in the CCLC. He and Yumba will be working together to provide study materials for Pastor Nakalala to use with the congregations he serves. Praise the Lord!!
At his request, a selfie with Pastor Nakalala and the Missionaries
On Monday morning Peter and I worked our way through the chaotic Lubumbashi Internatiional Airport where Peter flew home to Togo and I flew to Lusaka, Zambia where I will spend the next twelve days working with Pastor Ibrahim and the other pastors and leaders of the Zambia-CLC (ZCLC). The first couple of days will be spent trying to finalize the much needed and difficult to acquire church registration process. Later in the week fifteen pastors and church leaders from three different districts will travel to Lusaka for a Bible seminar and the first official organizational conference of the ZCLC. Following the semiar and conference, I will travel to Livingstone to assist Pastors Ibrahim and Kulobone with outreach and evangelism efforts for a few days and to help settle some issues with the ZCLC property.
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