Multi-faceted outreach is key

KINSHASA, DR Congo — General Secretary the Rev Christophe Kongo and the staff of the Bible Society of Congo aim to penetrate every village with God’s Word and to have the people understand it and respond to it. Every staff member puts in large amounts of ‘personal time’ sharing the Scriptures.

The African equivalent of a drive-in movie attracts both children and adults to the football pitch of their village. The Bible Society of Congo shows Christian films as part of its outreach to bring God’s Word to Africans who do not have the Scriptures. Kasangulu, DR Congo. Photo: UBS/ Larry Jerden (DRC02DJ-66)

Francine Muanu Sambu, Administrative Assistant for Distribution, is one example.

“I distribute the Bible in my church, and also go to churches near me,” she says. “Everyone on the staff does this.”

Staff members also devote one weekend each month to work in outlying villages. There, they show Christian films, hold Bible seminars and promote the Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program.

“All members of staff go to a village for the weekend and make contacts,” explains Mr Kongo. “Then on Sunday each staff member goes to a different church. They are trained to explain to a local church what we are. They also sell Bibles.

“Then we try to establish a centre for selling the Bibles in the middle of each village. When we travel near that village again, we check on how things are going.”

Sees film ‘backwards’

Things are going well for the distribution effort, as a visit to a province about 30 miles (50kms) from Kinshasa, indicated.

The weekend begins with a showing of two Christian films on a football pitch. The screen can be viewed from both sides, so half the crowd sees it ‘backwards’ through the fabric. But on both sides, children and adults alike sit in rapt attention.

Tonight’s showing is a double feature, with the Martyrs of Madagascar: A Book Which Refuses to Burn followed by an African film in French that tells of a young footballer who becomes a Christian.

After the films, a staff member asks if there is anyone who wants to make a commitment to Christ. Dozens of little hands go up into the air. Some older hands go up as well.

“Members of churches are here to give out decision cards to the people, then they are responsible for following them up after we have left,” Mr Kongo explains.

The films are just one part of the Bible Society’s work. A major thrust in the effort to share God’s Word is the FCBH program.

“The Bible Society has 10 churches in the province involved in FCBH,” Mr Kongo notes. “On Friday nights, each church meets and listens to the tapes. Then the pastors conduct a question-and-answer session.”

On this night, Mr Kongo and his staff turn off the paved road from Kinshasa, onto a dirt road that soon becomes a very potholed trail leading to the Salvation Army congregation. After participating in the FCBH session, they drive on to the Eglise de Christ de Congo (Evangelical Church of the Congo).

The pastors at both churches are enthusiastic about the program.
“Hearing is better than reading for us,” says the Rev Mako Nkinzi, pastor of the Evangelical church. “Most of our people don’t read – but when they hear, they understand.”

“I like the FCBH program because it allows members to directly follow the Word of God,” adds the Salvation Army officer, Major Lutumba Gaston. “It also allows the participants to ask questions directly after hearing the cassette.

Eager hands grasp for response cards after Bible Society of Congo staff member Jerome Ngindiwe asks film watchers if they would like to be contacted by a local church. The local church pastors then follow up with those who return the cards. In this way, the Bible Society of Congo partners with local churches in reaching out into their own communities. Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (DRC02DJ-68)

“Even if a person doesn’t have a Bible, they can follow the Scriptures on the cassette. And one family can follow the program together, instead of just one person reading the Word.”

In addition to the weekend outreach efforts, the Bible Society is reaching an even bigger audience through a local Christian radio station, Radio Methodiste Lokole, which broadcasts FCBH for one hour each day, half an hour in French and half an hour in Lingala.

Bienvenu Masingende, manager of Partnerships, Church Relations and Fundraising Clubs, is responsible for other aspects of Bible Society outreach. His dream is to see the clubs become a major force, both in sustaining the Bible Society financially and in taking the Bible to the people.

For now, due to logistical problems, the program is limited to the Kinshasa area, but “next year we want to expand it to other provinces where we have warehouses or depots,” he adds.

Mr Masingende is also responsible for Bible Month, which occurs in December.

“We have a Bible Month committee for Roman Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical churches,” he says. “They help the Bible Society organise the event. We send staff and volunteers into the churches to lead worship, distribute prayer bulletins, recruit members and ask churches to take an offering.”

He declares, “This is not just my job, all of the Bible Society staff take part. The General Secretary and everyone else supports these efforts.”

“The dream of our General Secretary is to recruit one million members,” notes Mrs Sambu, Mr Masingende’s assistant. “With the help of the Holy Spirit, we believe that we can have 100,000 members in five years. Our people are poor, but if we can get one million people to give only US$1, we could provide many Bibles.”