CCL-Congo - Lubumbashi Visit - May 2026

Pastor Yumba Lumbala Leads Worship

Missionary Evensen and I arrived in Lubumbashi on Tuesday, May 5th for a short visit with Pastor Yumba Lumbala, along with several pastors, leaders, members, and seminary students, of the Congrégation Luthérienne Confessionnelle du Congo (CCLC). It was a busy week with a two-day Bible seminar in Kasumbalesa, seminary graduates doctrinal theses defense in Lubumbashi, gradution, and a full day of worship, baptisms, marriage blessings, Lord's Supper, and ordination of new pastors at a newly established CCLC congregation on the outskirts of Lubumbashi. 

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.

More Pictures from the CCLC HERE.

DR Congo - Kinshasa Visit - APR/MAY 2026

Yesterday morning (5/11), Missionary Peter Evensen and I parted ways. He flew back to Togo via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and I flew to Lusaka, Zambia via Johanessburg, South Africa. We spent the past two weeks visiting the two ministries we work with in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As the visit to the DRC drew to a close it was one of those bitter/sweet moments of life. I've been visiting the DRC since 2010. Since the DRC is a former Belgium colony and thus a French speaking nation, it has been the plan of the Board of Missions for the past seven years that Missionary Evensen has been living and working Togo (another French speaking nation) for him to be the primary contact for the DRC and to make the annual visits. This makes a lot of sense due because he speaks fluent French and it is much easier for him to get the required visa. Due to several factors, this change hasn't happened...until now. This was most likely my last regular annual visit to the DR Congo. I call it bitter/sweet, because as much as I have come to love and appreciate those I have worked closely with over these past 16 years and I will miss fellowshipping with them, I am also very thankful that our Savior has provided a missionary with such amazing gifts in Peter Evensen who will continue the work much better than me. I will miss these regular visits to the DRC, but I can also honestly say that I won't miss the crazy DRC airports, chaotic Kinshasa traffic (it takes 3 hours to travel 22 miles!), and the less than effecient visa application process. Not to worry though...there are still lots of crazy airports and chaotic traffic that I will get to "enjoy" in the many other developing nations I visit every year on behalf of the CLC :).  

After meeting at the airport in Lome', Togo on April 28th, Peter and I flew directly to Kinshasa. We spent about week meeting with Pastor Jacques Pondi Lumiangu and conducting a Bible seminar at the local congregation. Peter taught the first day on Law and Gospel and the doctrine of Objective vs Subjective Justification. I taught the second day on Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and Scripture Alone with a closer look at what saving Faith is and is not according to Scripture. I also had the privilege of preaching for the Sunday morning worship service on John 14...Jesus - The Way, The Truth, and The Life. My sermon was translated from English to French (by Peter) to Lingala (the local language). 

Pastor Lumiangu is a very sincere and dedicated servant of the Lord. The congregation has faced several challenges over the past couple of years. They lost the place of worship they had been renting for several years. The elderly couple who owned the property passed away and the family decided to sell it. The congregation didn't have the financial resources to purchase the property so they have had to move locations a couple of times in recent years. Since most of the members do not own cars and transportation is difficult and costly, the congregation needs to stay within reasonable walking distance of all the members. They found vacant lot to rent and have constructed a small worship place. They would like to purchase property and build a proper church, but the cost is very expensive in Kinshasa. 

Pray that the Lord will provide for this ministry as they strive to estalish a confessional Lutheran congregation that will serve as a strong foundation from which to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ among the 21+ million residents of Kinshasa and beyond.

On Tuesday, May 5th, Peter and I flew from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi for our visit with Pastor Yumba Lumbala and the CCLC.

Visitation Album HERE

(L-R) Me, Pastor Lumiangu, Peter, and the Liturgist Jean Raphael

Lunch...yep, that's a caterpillar, and yep...I ate them all. They taste like chewy dirt

Enough catapillars for everyone!

Peter teaching in French with Jean Rapael Translating into Lingala at the Bible Seminar

Two little girls sitting near me that kept asking me to take their picture

CLC Affiliated congregation in Kinshasa

Boarding our Air Congo flight from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi

From Tanzania to Zambia to Congo...NOV/DEC. 2022

 It's been a few weeks since my last post. That's due to a very busy schedule of travel, teaching, lesson prep, and meetings. My last blog post was just before I departed from Tanzania on November 24th. Since then, I have traveled from Arusha, Tanzania to Lusaka, Zambia (via Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Harare) and then to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

When I arrived in Lusaka, I was met at the airport by Pastor Ibrahim in the late afternoon. After we discussed our schedule for the next few days, I made my way to one of my favorite hostels and slept. Having missed a night of sleep while flying from Tanzania to Zambia, I slept hard until rising early the next morning for our seven-hour bus ride to Kitwe. We arrived mid-afternoon and were met at the bus stand by Pastor Yumba (who leads the CCLC in the DRC but also works with a few pastors over the border in Zambia). We had some lunch and discussed the schedule for the next few days of teaching and meetings. We would be working with pastors and leaders of the Zambia-CLC congregations and preaching stations in this northern part of Zambia called the Copper Belt. 

Pastors and Leaders and Sunday School Teachers of the ZCLC Copper Belt Distric

The next three days would be spent teaching an impromptu seminar on what Lutherans and the Bible Teach. I had thought that I would be teaching a pastoral training seminar, but somewhere between the planning emails that had been exchanged a couple of months earlier and my arrival, the Lord opened a new opportunity in the Kitwe area. This opportunity to teach the truth of God's saving word came in the form of seven congregations that are led by one man and several evangelists. The pastor in charge of this effort recently became acquainted with Pastor Manza, one of the ZCLC pastors in the area. The two of them began discussing the ministry and the work of the ZCLC to train more pastors. This led the leader of the seven congregations and preaching station to ask about the possibility of training for him and the men who were assisting him in the ministry. The pastor in charge of this effort told me that he received a certificate that he paid for from an online theology school in the U.S. but he said he didn't really receive any training. When Pastor Yumba showed up a few days before my arrival to meet with the ZCLC pastors to organize our schedule, they asked if a special seminar could be conducted to explain the teachings of the Lutheran church to this group. Of course, Pastor Yumba agreed. When I arrived, the plans were all set, and I had one evening to begin preparations for the seminar. The Lord blessed the two-day seminar with these seven men, along with several members of the congregations. Plans are underway to begin a regular schedule of training classes for these congregations conducted by the three ZCLC pastors in the area. Pastor Ibrahim is also making plans to schedule a one-week training seminar to be held in Lusaka in March for all the pastors of the ZCLC along with several of the new contacts from the Kitwe area. Praise the Lord for unexpected opportunities to preach and teach the truth of His Saving Word!

Pastors, Evangelists, and Members at the "What the Bible and Lutherans Teach" Seminar in Kitwe

On Monday, November 28th, we headed to the Zambia/D.R. Congo (DRC) border town of Kasumbalesa to make our way to Lubumbashi, DRC. Crossing land borders in Africa is never a fun experience, but this border in particular is something else. I have crossed this border before, but it's been about nine years ago, and I had forgotten just how crazy it is. 

From the time we got out of the mini-bus that we had taken from Kitwe to the border, to the time we actually crossed into the DRC was over three hours. That's three hours of, what seems to be, total and complete chaos and frustration. I must have had my passport checked and scrutinized no less than twelve times. My luggage and backpack and all my pockets were looked through at least six times. They even opened my medicine bottles at one checkpoint and spilled half of them on the ground. And then there were more hands than I can count, being held out expecting "a little something" for their efforts. 

I struggle to find the words to even begin to describe the chaos of this place. Semi-trucks were backed up for miles, literally miles, waiting to be inspected on both sides of the border. The closer you get to the border crossing point, the more chaotic it gets. There are small cars and vans loaded to the sky with all kinds of products that are all trying to maneuver their way to the front of the line. And little shops and people are trying to sell just about anything you can imagine to everyone in the vehicles that are at a standstill in the traffic. And young boys running alongside the vehicle asking if they can carry our bags.  On top of all of that, it had rained heavily that day and everything was covered in mud. Our mini-bus driver tried to drop us off about a kilometer before the drop-off point by the border because he didn't want to sit in traffic. But Pastor Yumba convinced him that we had paid to get to the border, and we were not going to walk through all the puddles and mud with our luggage. It took some rather firm words and raised voices to get it resolved, but the driver took us all the way. Once we were stopped and began to get out, the real chaos began as probably ten to fifteen young men and boys began jostling themselves to get close to us to try to "help" us with our luggage. There was no other option than to physically push them away and I even slapped the hand of one guy who was trying to take my backpack away from me as I was putting it on my back. It was chaos, but we made it and it didn't require one "special gift" for any of the border police on either side of the border. The Lord is good!

Mini-Bus like the one we road from Kitwe to Kasumbalesa

My view from the Mini-Bus as we approached the border...still 5 kilometers from the border

Photo Credit: ZNBC article describing the trouble truckers face at the border.

Once we actually arrived in the DRC (after all the immigration checkpoints) it was smooth sailing. Pastor Yumba's brother is a DRC Army Major. He came to meet us at the border, in uniform, and there were no questions asked, just salutes, as we drove through all the customs and immigration checkpoints to get onto the highway. 

We made it to Lubumbashi late that night only to find out that the hotel room they had booked for me had been given to someone else because of our late arrival. So, the hotel arranged for a room at a much nicer hotel at the same price. It was a very nice hotel. I was really wishing I could have stayed there for a couple of days just to rest. But that wasn't on the schedule. We were up early the next day to catch a bus to Kolwezi where the CCLC of the DRC has a preaching station. 

Kolwezi is a fairly large and well-developed city that is about an eight-hour bus ride from Lubumbashi. It seems to be rather prosperous, which is because it sits in the middle of several copper and cobalt mines, most owned or at least controlled by the Chinese. When you drive through the town you see almost as many businesses labeled with Chinese characters and names as you do in French.

The work in Kolwezi involved a two-day seminar with the lay leader and members of the CCLC preaching station and a worship service on Sunday. The seminar went from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm each day. It was a wonderful two days spent in God's word as we worked our way through a study titled Twelve Priorities for Every Christian Congregation that focuses on making faithful use of God's word in every aspect of the ministry we are privileged to conduct in the name of Jesus. We studied God's word as we considered the privilege of preaching and hearing God's word, administering and receiving the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism, visiting the sick, praying for one another, applying God's Law and Gospel in the many and varied situations and circumstances that both those who are strong and those who may be weak in the faith struggle with, and working together to spread the Good News of Jesus. This preaching station was started a few years ago when Pastor Yumba's sister (who lives in Kolwezi and is married to a schoolteacher) asked him to come start a congregation there where they could worship and hear the truth of God's word. The Covid pandemic kept them from getting much of a start, but it didn't lessen their desire. So, Yumba and the CCLC pastor from Likasi (about two hours away) have been making periodic visits. When plans were taking shape for my visit to the DRC, Pastor Yumba sent word to plan some outreach while I was there. They invited friends and family to attend the two-day seminar. We met in the home of Yumba's sister. It was packed. I counted forty in attendance on both days! There were almost that many there for the worship service on Sunday. It was a wonderful group that demonstrated a sincere desire to hear and learn the truth of God's word. They are looking for a place to rent for worship in the not-to-distant future. And they hope to send a student to the CCLC seminary in Ntondo next year to train to be their pastor. In the meantime, Yumba's brother-in-law serves as the lay leader of the preaching station and receives materials from Yumba and the pastor in Likasi for worship services and Bible study. 

Praise the Lord for this opportunity and for the zeal He has worked in the hearts of this fledgling flock in Kolwezi, DRC.

Kolwezi town center round-about with a monument to their mining heritage

Members of the CCLC Kolwezi Preaching Station

Kolwezi monument to honor the mining heritage and the miners

After a long day on Sunday of worship and Bible study, we had a good night of sleep and headed to the bus stand to catch a bus back to Lubumbashi early the next morning. We needed an early bus because a four-day training seminar was scheduled to begin at 9:00 am the next day on Tuesday morning. 

After a few hours of sleep, we headed out to the CCLC Holy Trinity Lutheran Bible Institute for the first of four days of classes. The Bible institute is located in Ntondo which is about a 2-hour drive from Lubumbashi. There is nowhere to stay in the little town of Ntondo, so I stayed in Lubumbashi and drove out every day. Which means about four hours in the car every day on roads that are mostly rough dirt roads that are pretty slow going. Google maps tells me that it's only 33 kilometers but because of the traffic getting out of Lubumbashi and the rough roads to the property, it took us almost 2 hours each day. Yumba likes this location because it is quiet and there are no distractions for the students. 

Approximate location of the CCLC Holy Trinity Bible Institute...from Google Earth Screenshot.
The land donated to the CCLC is approx. 9 acres within the yellow square.

The Bible Institute sits on a piece of land that Pastor Yumba is working with the government to develop. About nine acres of the land have been donated and legally titled in the name of the CCLC as part of the development plan for this property. 

Pastor Yumba owns the remaining acreage and plans to develop it into a farm for the community. Pastor Yumba has been involved with several government-sponsored community development projects. He and the non-profit organization that he runs has a good reputation and respect of the government. The Lord has blessed him with many gifts that he is using in a variety of ways to serve the Lord. The nine acres that the Bible Institute sits on are already being used and developed as farmland. The students are required to spend time working in fields to raise food for the seminary and also to sell to provide financial support for their studies. Yumba is also training them in other secular occupations so that they can support themselves in the ministry when they graduate and are ordained. 

Holy Trinity Bible Institute...under construction

It's getting late and we leave early tomorrow morning for Kasumbalesa so we can get there early enough to get the Bible seminary started by 9:30 am. It's about a two-hour drive, so that means an early departure. 

Holy Trinity Bible Institute Building...under construction

Students in class at the Holy Trinity Bible Institute

As the Lord wills, I should be home in a little over a week, with a few days to spare before Christmas. Thanks for reading and for your prayers and support!