Mennonite Brethren gathered in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Aug. 4-11, 2024, for a weeklong celebration commemorating the centennial anniversary of the Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC, Community of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Congo).
The celebration—which was delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic—included preaching, singing, choir performances, a pastors’ conference and evangelistic rallies with international guests.
The festivities culminated in a celebration service Sunday, Aug. 11, attended by thousands, including Henk Stenvers, Mennonite World Conference president; Paul Dück, ICOMB global board chair; Doug Hiebert, Multiply; Garry Prieb, a Multiply staff member who grew up in Kafumba; the president of the Church of Christ of Congo and others, according to Mennonite World Conference.
For Hiebert, Multiply regional team leader for Sub-Saharan Africa, the most meaningful was the relationships.
“Having the time to talk with Congolese I haven’t seen for a long time, as well as getting to know new people, was the best,” Hiebert says. “I especially enjoyed getting to know some young church planters who have such a zeal for the work of God. It was a good time to wrestle with God’s mission in Congo.”
Early MB activity in Congo
The celebration commemorated the beginning of Mennonite Brethren mission activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—then the Belgian Congo—when in 1922 Aaron and Ernestina Janzen from the Carson MB Church in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, independently started a mission station in Kikandji.
At the time, Congo was under Belgian colonial rule, and is an area that has faced political, social and economic struggles, according to Jean-Claude Kikweta A Mawa Wabala and Maurice Matsitsa-N’singa in the April-July 2022 Journal of African Christian Biography.
In 1924, the Janzens moved the station headquarters to Kafumba because of its agricultural potential. Kafumba became a major missionary center including a school, a health center, a printing press, an orphanage, workshops, a brickyard and a sawmill.
By the time Janzen handed the work to the MB Board of Foreign Missions in 1943, the mission numbered 1,600 active members, and 100 schools had been established with 2,000 students.
The General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America appointed the American Mennonite Brethren Mission Union (AMBMU) to the work in Congo, and evangelism became a top priority. As more missionaries arrived, additional stations followed at Matende, Kilembe and Kipungu. Arnold and Rose Prieb, parents of Garry Prieb, were among the missionaries who came, arriving in Kafumba in 1950.
Though evangelism was the top priority of the mission, the work expanded to include education, and in 1953 a teacher training school was established at Matende. Bible schools helped promote evangelism. With the Mennonite Church, Mennonite Brethren established what today is the theological school Université Chrétienne de Kinshasa.
The Republic of the Congo gained its independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960.
That same year, the Association des Églises des Freres Mennonites au Congo (AEFMC – Association of Mennonite Brethren Churches of the Congo) was formed, though true partnership between Congolese Mennonite Brethren and missionaries was lacking, as stated in the JACB. The mission held power and finances, while Congolese Mennonite Brethren, whose training had been limited to reading and writing, simply carried out missionary decisions.
When missionaries evacuated the country due to instability, Congolese pastors assumed leadership of the stations, though they had not been given prior opportunity to make decisions or take much responsibility.
Some missionaries returned in 1961, and church headquarters moved to Kikwit for security reasons. The 1964 rebellion led by Pierre Mulele caused extensive property damage at Kafumba, Matende and elsewhere. After that, mission effort focused at Kajiji, Kikwit and Kinshasa.
Not until 1971 did a true merger between the mission and Congolese church take place, when the AMBMU handed its work to the newly formed l’Église Freres Mennonites au Congo (EFMC). The name was changed in 1997 to Communauté des Églises de Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC).
With strengths of being a church with services in evangelism, health, education, Bible translation, community development and more, the Congolese MB Church had various weakness as well.
“It was a church of the masses that were not involved in financial and institutional support,” write Kikweta A Mawa Wabala and Matsitsa-N’singa. “This was the logical consequence of the paternalistic policy set when the AMBM(U) took responsibility for the church from 1943 to 1971. The child had to expect everything from his father; everything had to come from North America.”
Evangelism had and continues to be a primary focus of CEFMC, alongside theological training and the establishment of primary and secondary schools. The Congolese state supports the primary and secondary schools.
The church has faced challenges from tribal divisions, political upheaval and limited financial resources due to unemployment.
Despite this, congregations are growing, and in 2024, Congolese Mennonite Brethren report 638 congregations and 98,519 baptized members, making it the second-largest member conference of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB), second only to India.
“The Lord has been guiding the initiatives and the expansion step by step over these 100 years,” says ICOMB executive committee member Paul Dück. “Despite early hardships, conflicts, persecution and losses, the gospel transformed lives and empowered local leaders to reach villages for Christ. The commitment of CEFMC members to reach the unreached continues to inspire the entire ICOMB family. Achieving 100,000 members in 100 years is a remarkable example to follow.”
A centennial celebration
The centennial celebration week began with the dedication of Centennial Church in Kikwit on Aug. 4.
Three years ago, Antoine Kimbila, CEFMC president, had shared a dream with Garry Prieb of building a church in which to hold the centennial celebration. Kimbila asked for funding help, and Prieb and his network of donors contributed finances for the three-year building project through Lumeya International Ministries. Though not completed, the building’s dedication kicked off the week of celebration.
“I felt honored and privileged to be a part of this historic day—a gathering that brought together Mennonite Brethren from across the world,” Prieb shares on Facebook. “With a packed church, voices echoed off the wall in praise. Worship teams, choirs and a challenging sermon followed that led to an invitation for people to receive Christ. The service ended with a prayer of dedication challenging us to make it a house of prayer and a space to share the hope and light of Christ to the city of Kikwit and beyond.”
Also in attendance was Paul Dück, ICOMB global board chair, whose mother’s aunt was a missionary to Congo. This aunt inspired his mother to be a missionary in Colombia, which led to Dück’s involvement in missions as well, he says.
“The dedication was a remarkable event, drawing around 2,000 participants from far and wide, with some traveling over 40 miles on foot,” Dück says. “The church was dedicated as a beacon of Jesus’ light, serving both the city and the surrounding areas.”
During the week, attendees visited the Matende and Kafumba mission stations, both destroyed during the Mulele rebellion in the 1960s. While Matende was later rebuilt, Kafumba was not, though the main church building has been recently restored, Prieb says.
“The road to Kafumba is only passable with Land Cruisers or high vehicles,” Prieb shares on Facebook. “We had a wonderful time there, encouraging one another through prayers, singing and worship before touring what was left of Kafumba station.”
After the mission station visits, people attended conference meetings in Kikwit including a variety of speakers and featuring evening evangelistic campaigns with singing and preaching.
Henri Ngolo, Eastern District regional minister, spoke during workshops about the challenge of entrepreneurship in MB churches. He also spent part of the week delivering Bibles in remote villages and distributing school supplies to children.
Faith in the midst of suffering characterizes the Congolese MB Church, Ngolo says, in a country rocked by violence and unemployment reaching 84 percent.
“I think that the most (important) thing is to see the faith in the midst of hardship,” Ngolo says. “How does God become a cornerstone where everybody connects that you see it in action. When you look at the churches you will (see) that faith has carried us through this hardship.”
The week culminated in the centennial celebration Aug. 11 at the newly-dedicated Centennial Church in Kikwit.
“The Centennial service on Sunday featured numerous worship teams, choirs and the entire congregation singing praises to the Lord for what God has accomplished over 100 years of MB presence in Congo,” Dück says. “The event and the CEFMC institution were recognized by the national church organization, ECC (Church of Christ in Congo), through its leader, for their significant impact in the country and with a call for unity.”
Watch a video of the celebration from Doug Hiebert by clicking here.
With files from the Journal of African Christian Biography, Vol. 7, No. 2/3.
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.
