The GLS in Congo

In a country marred by unrest, civil war and unspeakable atrocity, the first ever Global Leadership Summit in Kinshasa, Congo was a great success by all accounts. On November 13-14, 2009, The GLS served 1100 Congolese church leaders, inspiring and equipping them to do God's work in a country scarred by decades of a brutal civil war.

The Democratic Republic of Congo lies in Central Africa. Having been marked deeply in the early to mid twentieth century by colonialism, the DRC gained independence from Belgium in 1960. Shortly thereafter, military leaders violently seized power of the new nation, renaming it Zaire and beginning a period of social unrest and civil war which lasted four plus decades. Humanitarian atrocities which resulted have largely been regarded as one of the biggest crises in modern Africa. A second round of civil war began in 1998 and has claimed 5.4 million people through fighting, disease and starvation. AIDS has left its mark as well. Due to the disproportionate amount of people dying from this disease, the average life expectancy in the DRC is a mere 54 years. The disastrous effects of these forces have left their scar on the Congolese people, the country, and its infrastructure. But, through all of this strife, the Church in this war-torn country is on the move.

70-80% of Congolese people identify themselves as either Roman Catholic or Christian. Most churches are small, about 300 people or so serving a small section of the community where they are located. The pastors are bi-vocational as churches generally cannot afford to pay a salary. Church leaders in Congo are desperate for leadership development. When exploring the possibility of a Congo site last Spring, Gary Schwammlein heard first hand from the Congolese church leaders that they are in desperate need of leadership development. As a result, the first GLS in the DRC was held this fall, the full results of which we will only see in Heaven.

Aliece Hendricks, Executive Director of International Conferences at WCA International attended the Congo GLS. Below are some of her pictures and impressions during her trip. Despite some early challenges due partly to the poor infrastructure of the country, The GLS in Congo was a huge success.

"We were not able to source the equipment [projector especially] we needed for the GLS in the Congo so we brought it from S Africa, the team made a screen the size that we needed and were ingenious in helping us figure out how to hang it.. they have limited technical resources but use what they have to the full extent as challenging as it can be."

Congolese workers lifting the screen.

The day before the event, there were only 200 registered for the event. On the day of the event, 900 extra people arrived, excited and ready to be inspired. As you can imagine, this caused quite a problem for our event management volunteers as they scrambled to provide all the notebooks, food and supplies needed for a surprise 900 guests. After much hard work, every guest was served, and everyone was so grateful for our volunteers who worked so hard to make it all work. In Hendricks' words "really a fishes and loaves event".

The Congolese people were so convinced of the power of an event like this, they had a full intercessory prayer team which undergirded the event with prayer. A full three weeks before the event, they were praying for the success of the event and its impact on the Kingdom's in Congo. The Congolese are faithful prayer warriors, and they believe part of the reason God blessed the event as he did was as a result of their committed efforts.

The GLS in Congo had its effect on Hendricks as well. "The Congolese people are so open and generous, even though they have so little, they touched me to reassess how I steward the resources that I have to help those with less. Many of the Congolese will walk up to an hour jsut to attend church on Sunday, I was reminded not to take lightly the opportunity I have to meet regularly with other believers for the teaching of the word."

Despite their daily circumstances, the Congolese trust in God as their sustainer. They live with a conviction that God redeems and restores every situation. So much so that their joyful worship events often end in dancing. The GLS was no exception.

Hendricks heard over and over how this event will change Congo. The people of Congo need your prayers as they fight to overcome unimaginable circumstances and lay a foundation for their future. Events like this is the reason we at The GLS does what we do. The Congolese are desperate for what the GLS offers and we are so grateful to partner with God in serving them.