2018 Kivu Annual Conference Report

Amani local church in Goma District, June 22-27

Officiating bishop: UNDA YEMBA GABRIEL

Guest speakers and memorable stories or quotes by speakers:

We received three guests: the missionary Frido N. Kinkolenga of GBGM, Germain MUPASI who is the representative of the youth of Congo to the World Division of Youth, and the Rev. LANA ROBYNE from Wesley Foundation from the United States.

Frido came to participate in the annual Kivu Conference and also to be aware of all the major problems that the church knows in this part of the country, namely the sexual violence suffered by women, the major problems of street children and youth, orphans.

Frido says that there are several problems in this part of the country and that rapid intervention is needed, especially for the mentoring of poor and marginalized women.

Frido promises to work with young people so that they can begin to promote it in all orientations on school, moral.

Marie Claire MANAFUNDU took the opportunity to meet and talk with all the women's groups in Kivu and show them the involvement of the Church in women's works, she modelled herself by bringing clothes with the emblem of the United Methodist Church in Eastern Congo; this to motivate moms in the context of self-care according to the slogan in East Congo: "Let's get up and build"

MANAFUNDU says "already we are in the registration phase of all the raped women in our episcopal region and this will have to be the work of every woman in her local church to identify anyone raped near the administration of either her church or district.

For Germain MUPASI who is at the same time president of the young people at the Church of Christ in Congo throughout the Republic took advantage during the sessions to show young people the opportunities to obtain scholarships and also to have support in small projects.

MUPASI says: "I will work with young people in this area of scholarship finally that young people in Kivu can start benefiting from national and international scholarships."

Main actions put in place by the Kivu conference:

In relation to human sexuality, the lecturers of Kivu rejected the homosexual marriage in block and asked the pastors to multiply the teachings so that the faithful can continue to observe the heterogeneous marriages that is to say two opposite sexes which is even the recommendation of the Bible. The conference recommends that the Church truly respect the genre since it was created by God, who originally distinguished two beings: the man and the woman. But, what is wrong is homosexuality, which is naturally a phenomenon incompatible with the biblical teaching, strange and even unusual in our African culture. That is why the only convenient attitude towards our brothers and sisters who come from a culture different from ours is to show them that their option is not at all consistent with Bible teaching.

Moreover, we are totally concerned with the sacred unity of our Church on a universal scale.

Number of persons ordered: 86, ordered or received as associate members: 10, and average age: 32 years

The Kivu Conference elected new delegates for the 2019 Special General Conference which are:

• 1. Clergy: Rev KOMBI RAMAZANI Simon with Alternate Rev MILENGE
• BASILWANGO Alexandre
• 2. Laity: Mrs OMBA NDJOVU Therese with as substitute TSHOMBA NGOY Adalbert

Number of retired people: 06

The membership is at 22,021 faithful for this year 2018 which is at the top compared to the previous year.

Attendance at worship is 17,680 people present on average each week at the cult, which is higher than the previous year.

School attendance at the church stands at 3,556, up from the previous year, which was 2,850

Professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2017: 429, up from 2016 which had 325.

Adults and young adults in small groups for 2017: 32, up from 2016 who had 26

The faithful committed on mission for 2017: 2,578, up from 2016 which had 1,870

To strengthen the four areas of interest, Kivu's annual conference has made a commitment to:

• Capacity building of pastors and evangelists and sends different commissions in the circles to evangelize such as KAMITUGA, MWENGA;
• Construction in the future days of new health and maternity centers and also a care center for poor nutrition in Bukavu;
• Fight against malaria in the Kivu conference;
• Elaboration of projects on the protection of the environment;
• Send young people for university studies at Methodist University in Kindu, Zimbabwe and overseas countries.

--Philippe KITUKA LOLONGA, communicator in the Kivu Conference.