Congo Week 2021
October 17-23, 2021, is Congo Week. Congo Week is an opportunity for education and celebration with Congolese siblings. This year we will learn about Congolese refugees.
Sunday, October 17
To celebrate the beginning of Congo Week we have a number of prayer and worship resources including a recorded sermon from Rev. Melanie Ekofo, songs from CDCC choirs, a scripture reading in Lingala and a series of liturgies.
Monday, October 18
Mission Co-worker Rev. Bosela Eale, who is from Congo and serves with the All Africa Council of Churches in Kenya, shares a call to support refugees – to be generous and to extend love and assistance to refugees who have left their homes.
Mission Co-worker Bryan Parrish who is serving through Global Ministries with the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) shares about ECC’s ministry of responding to emergencies and working with refugees in the North Ubangi region. Learn more and support the work of the ECC in North Ubangi Province.
Tuesday, October 19
Ally Ntumba is a Congolese refugee living in Indianapolis, attending a Disciples of Christ Congolese congregation and working with Exodus Refugee, an Indianapolis-based refugee resettlement agency. He also helps to lead Congo American Bridge a US-based partner of Global Ministries in education and advocacy for Congo. Ally shares his story and what he would like folks to know about refugees.
Here are a few ways to heed Ally’s call to support refugees:
- Find your local refugee resettlement agency and find out how you can help.
- Learn more about refugee resettlement and how you can get involved with supporting refugees with toolkits from DOC’s Refugee and Immigration Ministries, UCC’s Global Hope and Church World Service. For more information, watch the Afghan Refuge and Welcome Webinar from the Disciples or the Serving Afghan Refugees webinar from the UCC.
Wednesday, October 20
An estimated 64% of the world’s reserve of coltan, a natural resource that is central to the function of our cell phones and other technology, is found in Congo. Millions have died in the conflict in Eastern Congo and conflict minerals like the coltan in our technology plays a big part in fueling that conflict. Join in solidarity with Congolese people by participating in a technology fast (phone, computer, tv) for an hour today.
Thursday, October 21
Oscar Pekombe from the Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo (CDCC) brings greetings and also shares about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is pushing people to leave their homes and villages.
Mr. Bolivard Mokbozas from the Disciples of Christ Church in Congo Brazzaville brings greetings.
The Disciples of Christ Church in the Congo – Brazzaville serves families through a variety of community development projects including working with the refugee community in Brazzaville through income-generation activities and agriculture projects. One such project is the Palm Oil Sustainable Production project which is supporting small-scale production of palm oil by refugee families living in Brazzaville.
Friday, October 22
On this Friday of Congo Week we celebrate Congolese culture through a cooking demonstration, music, and a chance to purchase handicrafts from Congolese artisans.
Makayabu Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe