The NCP Congo
Partnership Is:
Building hope, relationships, and empowerment for the people of DR Congo and New Castle Presbytery through mutual respect, understanding, support, and love.
“When we come together, we rise. And in the world
we’re building, everyone rises. No one is exploited
because they’re poor or excluded because they’re weak…We have shed our false boundaries.
We can love without limits. We see ourselves in others. We see ourselves as others. That is the moment of lift”.
Melinda Gates
The NCP Congo partnership was established in 2004 with Kananga Presbytery, located in West Kasai province of central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Currently, our team consists of 18 churches and
four new church developments.
“We love because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
Since our team of five first visited Kananga in 2004, New Castle and Kananga Presbyteries have had a vibrant partnership. Now in our 20th year, we’d like all the churches in NCP to join us in celebrating. One way we’d like to suggest is to designate one Sunday as “Congo Sunday”. Provide African music and colorful dress. Invite someone from our Partnership team to do a Minute for Mission and/or send pictures or a display. Take up a free-will offering with a special designation for vulnerable children (see below). Other ways to celebrate would be to include Congo in your prayers or make a donation or adopt one of the churches in Kananga and share news and prayer concerns.
Although there are many needs, for the next few months we are focusing on vulnerable children. Many children become vulnerable when they are abandoned because parents have died and/or families can’t afford to raise them. Often they are accused of being witches who caused their parents’ deaths. As mentioned in an earlier Midweek article, an effective strategy to care for them is to train congregations to help foster them and find permanent homes. For the West Kasai Synod to train all their churches, it costs $20,000. We have pledged $10,000 from our Congo Reserve Fund with the remaining $10,000 to be matched from churches and individuals like you. Thus far we have raised $2500, which leaves $7500 more. We invite sessions and mission committees to prayerfully consider making a donation, no matter how small or big, just so we have strong support from many of our churches. Donations can be made on our website www.ncpcongo.com or by sending checks to NCP earmarked “Congo vulnerable children”. We hope to reach our goal by June 15 so our partners in Congo can plan the training for the end of the summer (and before the school year begins). Thanks in advance for any help you can give to improve the lives of these most vulnerable.
Yours in Christ, Laurie Loveless for the NCP Congo Partnership team