Family donates funds to build South Congo church

Key points :

• United Methodist lay leader Jean-Claude Mukaz A. Mushid and his family donated the funds to build the new modern church with room for 800 people.
• Bishop Owan Kasap, Southern Congo Area, credited the project’s success to faithful United Methodists who honor God through their generosity.
• Membership has grown from 200 to 300 with the new church and the expansion of the church’s choirs.

United Methodism is “blossoming” in the South Congo Conference with the dedication of a new church building that can hold up to 800 worshippers.

The new structure was built thanks to funding from the family of Jean-Claude Mukaz A. Mushid, lay leader of the Jerusalem District.

About 200 faithful members of the Mont Morija Parish in the Jerusalem District dedicated the modern church building late last year.

Jeannine Kayakez, parish lay leader, noted that the faithful formerly gathered in difficult conditions.

“Before the new church was built,” she said, “we used to meet in the living room of our house. Then we found ourselves in a small tin shed with around 30 people.”

The new building, she noted, has enabled strong growth, from 200 to 300 worshippers. Two new choirs, one for music theory and the other for instruments, were created, bringing the total number of choirs in the local church to four.

“We’re blossoming and praying in complete freedom, without crowding or suffocation,” she added. “We bless God and the family of Papa Conductor Jean-Claude Mukaz for this endowment.”

Along with worship space, the building includes two offices and restrooms.

The new church, christened “Mont Morija Mémorial Mukaz A. Mushid” in honor of the family, is located in Golf Plateau III, a fast-growing district of Lubumbashi, with a population of almost 41,000. The facility is located in the commune annex, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the city center. It is designed to be a true gathering center for United Methodists.

United Methodist Bishop Owan Tshibang Kasap, who leads the Southern Congo Episcopal Area – which includes Zambia – presided over the dedication ceremony. He was accompanied by the Rev. Olivier Izwela Sakanono, dean of the bishop’s office and superintendent of the Jerusalem District. The event brought together local clergy, lay leaders, and Lubumbashi political and administrative authorities.

“I thank the Mukaz family very much for the work they have done,” the bishop said. “We invite everyone to take part in God’s work at every level.”

The effort to build new churches in the Jerusalem District reflects the dynamism of The United Methodist Church in the region. Another building built by an anonymous family in the same district was inaugurated in October 2022.

Mushid reported that construction took three years and eight months. He said that his family is committed to completing the construction of the pastor’s house and the purchase of musical instruments for the church.

“The building of this church is a thankfulness to our God for his abundant grace on our lives,” Mushid said. “Our homes are well built. Why not do the same for the house of the Lord?”

District Superintendent Sakanono thanked God for the realization of this project. In his sermon, “The joy of giving to the Lord,” he recalled the importance of generosity in the Christian faith.

Drawing on 2 Corinthians 8:2, Psalm 24:1, and Genesis 22:15-18, he encouraged members to give joyfully and to recognize that everything belongs to God.

“In our vision of the Builder, we have a wide-ranging project for the construction of new churches and the transformation of chapels into parishes in our district,” Sakanono said. “With the help of the Eternal, our desire is to give a new image to the church through new infrastructures.”

He noted that the construction of another large building is nearing completion, and several parsonages and modern churches are under construction.

“Beyond the bricks and concrete, the new church … embodies the history of a community united by faith and the desire to build a solid spiritual future,” he said.

Londe is a UM News correspondent in Congo.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digests.