Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Beloved sisters and brothers

    **Jump to 22 February update **

    “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
    —Romans 12:15

    We received a request for prayer from our leaders in DR Congo.

    Pastor Jean-Pierre Muya, president of MWC member church Communauté Mennonite de Congo (CMCo), writes: “This is a difficult time in our country. Please continue to pray for the restoration of peace and for the injured.”

    We recognize how the resource-rich eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced ongoing violence and conflict for years, exacerbated by natural disasters.

    And we hear how, in late January, the M23 army escalated fighting and seized Congolese territory in the Great Lakes region, including the city of Goma, and are threatening to march on the capital Kinshasa in the west. More than 700 people have been killed and 3 000 wounded.

    We are concerned for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been internally displaced. Food and water, medicines and electricity are in short supply and prices are high.

    Pastor Kimbila Antoine, president of MWC member church Conférence des Églises des Fréres Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC) writes that the church has six congregations in Goma out of its 34 congregations in the East region, with a membership of more than 4 000. “The Mennonite brothers and sisters in our churches have been crying out every day since the hostilities began,” he writes.

    We pray for wisdom, resources and clear pathways as the church devises strategies to assist.

    “God remains our only hope, for he is able to give us peace through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,” writes Jean Felix Cimbalanga, president of MWC member church Communauté Evangélique Mennonite (CEM).

    “Thank you very much for your prayers on our behalf,” writes pastor Kimbila Antoine.

    We cry out with our brothers and sisters for God’s mercy on DR Congo.

    • We pray for peace: for not only a stop to violence for also for the conditions of shalom where neighbours are reconciled to neighbours and all can flourish.
    • We call on our communities to seek justice for DR Congo and to engage our political systems in so doing.

    Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
    In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, amen.

    Henk Stenvers

    Henk Stenvers,
    president,
    Mennonite World Conference

    headshot of Siaka Traoré

    Siaka Traoré
    regional representative
    Mennonite World Conference

    Update: 22 February 2025

    Please continue to pray for DR Congo and send words of solidarity to the Anabaptist brothers and sisters there.

    The situation in DRC continues to worsen. The Rwanda-based M23 army has taken more territory in the East, raising concerns of escalation into a regional war. The UN estimates more than 50 000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries fleeing the humanitarian crisis. There are reports of grave human rights violations including sexual violence and civilian massacre.

    We received a report from a Mennonite Brethren (CEFMC) pastor who fled for his safety. His church building was appropriated by DRC government troops, then taken by the M23 forces with accusations of partisanship. His family has been separated; communication is difficult.

    Mennonites are providing support in his new location.

    Leaders of MWC member church Kanisa la Menonite Tanzania write this encouragement (read full letter in the comments box in English only):

    “As members of Christ’s body, we reaffirm our commitment to stand with you in prayer, solidarity and action. The church is called to be a refuge for the weary, a shelter for the displaced and a voice for the voiceless.

    “We urge leaders, nations, and all people of goodwill to pursue peace, reconciliation and justice…

    “We call upon the global community to provide humanitarian aid, protection and pathways for peace.

    “… Comfort the grieving, protect the vulnerable, and uphold the dignity of every human being. Your faith, courage, and resilience testify to the power of God’s love, which no war can destroy.”

    Leaders of MWC member church Meserete Kristos Church write (more in comments box):

    “The love of Christ compels us to be peacemakers, to extend grace, and to work for justice with humility and faith. In the midst of trials, may you find strength in his promises (Isaiah 40:31).

    “Know that you are not alone. We are lifting you up in prayer, asking the Lord to strengthen and sustain you.”

    Pray for good working relations and clear pathways as global Mennonites plan inter-agency responses.

    We invite you – as individuals, congregations or national churches – to respond to the cries of our brothers and sisters with prayers, messages of solidarity that will be conveyed to church leaders. We call for the courage to love through actions that advocate for an end to violence.

    Donations can be made to the Global Church Sharing Fund with a designation for the church in Congo.

    Global Church Sharing Fund

    a group of mostly women sit under a tree on wooden and plastic chairs

  • Akron, Pennsylvania, USA – A collaborative Anabaptist response will soon reach some of the 1.4 million people displaced by armed conflict in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) with food, household items and shelter supplies.

    The response, shaped and implemented by Congolese Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren church-based relief committees and coordinated by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), is supported by Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and other Anabaptist church organizations.

    The crisis began a year ago when a local militia group called Kamuina Nsapu and national security forces clashed over a political appointment. The armed conflict has escalated, and both militia and security forces have targeted civilians with forced conscription, mutilation, rape and mass killings.

    “It’s been hell on earth for a lot of our people, not only Mennonite people, but many peace-loving people in the same area that have gotten caught up in this maelstrom,” said Rod Hollinger-Janzen of Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM).

    Among the people displaced in DR Congo are at least 8,000 Mennonites. “There is no place where this conflict has gone where there are no Mennonite churches,” said Rod Hollinger-Janzen.

    Church leaders report that 36 Mennonites have been killed among the UN-estimated 3,300 deaths since October last year. Church buildings and church schools have been damaged or destroyed.

    National and local Mennonite leaders in DR Congo – from MWC member churches – are key to the response, which will initially focus around the cities of Tshikapa in Kasai Province and Kikwit in Kwilu Province, where many people have fled. The leaders represent Communauté Mennonite au Congo (CMCo; Mennonite Church of Congo) and Communauté des Églises de Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC; Mennonite Brethren Church of Congo).

    “MWC is playing in important role today: that of bringing the members of our Mennonite family together to promote unity and fellowship and to support one member who is suffering (the Congolese Mennonites,) using its arm embodied by the various partners, united in action so that they are more efficient,” says a Congolese church leader (name withheld for security reasons). “Through this action, Mennonites will be able to share the Mennonite values that are almost unheard of in the Congo. I think that our churches will enlarge their tent.”

    A Congolese assessment team visited the Kasai region in July and found a severe lack of food and increasing malnutrition. Families had to leave their fields and animals when they fled the violence, and food that is available for purchase is very expensive.

    “Many people are going hungry or eating once a day,” said Mulanda Jimmy Juma, MCC representative in DR Congo.

    In addition, families lack basic supplies such as bedding, kitchen tools and cans for carrying water, the assessment team reported.

    “MWC supports the Mennonite national churches CMCo, CEFMC and Communauté Evangélique Mennonite, and those in Angola who are also helping Congolese refugees,” says Deacon Commission secretary Henk Stenvers. “MWC links our struggling members to the global church with calls for prayer, financial support and by sharing information about the situation.”

    Seven Anabaptist organizations are working together to raise funds and awareness of the crisis, which has been largely ignored by Western media. They are International Community of Mennonite Brethren, MB Mission, Mennonite Church Canada Witness, and Mennonite Mission Network, in addition to MWC, AIMM and MCC.

    Contributions to the emergency response in DR Congo may be made online at mcc.org/congo-relief.

    – an MCC release with files from MWC.

    Communicate community

    As you pray for brothers and sisters suffering violence and displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mennonite World Conference invites your messages of encouragement and solidarity to share with our churches there.

    Take a picture with your congregation and a sign labelled “Prions pour la RDC” (Pray for the DRC). Please email messages and photographs to photos@mwc-cmm.org and post on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) with the hashtag #mwcmm.

    Send photos