Pastor Jules Mukaba needs a van so his congregation can get to church.
Restoration Church in West Chester, Ohio, is a Congolese USMB congregation in a northern suburb of Cincinnati. As with many immigrant churches, members lack transportation and struggle to get to church or to appointments with their doctor or immigration lawyer.
“This church is connecting well with immigrants coming to Cincinnati,” says Eastern District regional minister Henri Ngolo. “We are looking forward to buying a van so we can help immigrants.”
To help with these and other needs, Restoration Church has been named the second congregation to receive CORD funding. Terry Hunt, CORD Committee chair, made the announcement at USMB Gathering 2024 in July.
“Your gifts will make a huge difference,” Hunt said to Gathering attendees prior to an offering for CORD.
About CORD
The CORD acronym describes USMB’s partnership with immigrant churches: connecting immigrant churches to resources and other congregations within the MB family; organizing and assisting with establishing a stable place of worship; retooling through biblical training and educational resources centered around the USMB Confession of Faith; and developing pastors and key leaders capable of shepherding a healthy church.
USMB has committed to partnering with up to three vetted congregations by providing $55,500 to each church over three years. This includes $12,000 per year for a facility, $6,000 annually for pastoral needs and $500 per year for education.
In addition to Hunt and Ngolo, the CORD Committee includes national director Aaron Box, district ministers Brian Harris (Southern), James Moore (Eastern), Jordan Ringhofer (Pacific) and Daniel Rodriguez (Central), Multiply’s Doug Hiebert and Stephen Humber, retired national director Don Morris and Garry Prieb, a retired Multiply worker who grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Giving back
Christian Center the Hand of God (CCHG) in Hamilton, Ohio, was announced as the first CORD recipient in 2023 and is now in its second year and fully funded. The Congolese congregation continues to grow with attendance around 200 people with a sanctuary built for 60. Its Wednesday Bible study has doubled in size.
Most immigrant pastors, like CCHG’s Hermann Mputu, are bivocational, with responsibilities that would make holding two services difficult. CORD funds will contribute to a building expansion project. The blueprints are drawn, but the architect’s illness has delayed the start of construction. Ngolo says the hope is to be ready to break ground in the spring.
While the CCHG congregation waits for more space, Mputu has quit his third job, thanks to CORD funding. Because he now works only one job in addition to pastoring, Mputu has more opportunities to connect with the congregation, including via a Wednesday Zoom meeting, and undergo training.
Mputu is a student of The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) and is also teaching a TUMI class in French. A former lawyer in DRC, Mputu has completed Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) immigration law training and is working toward accreditation from the Department of Justice, allowing him to assist immigrants with legal issues. He has also completed USMB’s LEAD Coaching.
“He’s a very dedicated person who’s looking to grow the church,” Ngolo says.
In August, 40 people from three Cincinnati churches, including CCHG, Restoration Church and Royal Family International Church, partnered with MCC to pack back-to-school kits for children in Ukraine and DRC and make blankets for refugees around the world.
“We are giving back,” Ngolo says. “The vision is to give back not to be always receivers.”
Transportation needs
Restoration Church, the second congregation to receive CORD funding, is about a 10-minute drive south of CCHG. The congregation averages attendance of 45 to 70, Ngolo says, and is seeking to invest in the second generation through Sunday school.
Rent has increased on Restoration’s worship space, and the congregation would like to set aside money for its own building, Ngolo says.
“The church has been in existence for over 18 years without having a building or a plot of land,” says pastor Jules Mukaba via email. “Every time we change addresses, we lose members.”
Mukaba has several temporary jobs with no benefits, and CORD funding will allow him to dedicate more time to his pastoral work. Mukaba plans to enroll in TUMI classes next fall.
Transportation is a major hurdle, making a van one of Restoration’s biggest needs.
“If your church has a van you are not using or can help with a used van, please give it to CORD,” Hunt says.
Thanks to a gift of $55,500 from MB Foundation, Restoration Church is fully funded, allowing CORD fundraising efforts to focus on the third church, which is yet to be named.
“Thanks to MB Foundation’s generous gift, Restoration Church is fully funded,” Hunt says. “But the need doesn’t stop there.
“We are already raising funds for the third CORD recipient, and we cannot commit to this next church without funding,” Hunt says. “Please give to CORD so we can partner with more immigrant churches.”
More than 10 churches have requested assistance, Ngolo says, and conversation continues among the CORD Committee to determine the next recipient.
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
