United Methodists promote COVID-19 vaccines in Congo

The global church has been hard hit by COVID-19, and Congo is no exception.

In the DRC, most people living with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure simply stay home from church to avoid contact with others, said the Rev. Clément Kingombe Lutala, superintendent of the Bukavu District.

He said he will encourage church members living with underlying conditions “to agree to be vaccinated against COVID-19 so that they can also begin Sunday services. We will even start to organize three to four Sunday services so that social distancing will be respected everywhere.”

According to Steward Kikuni, Kivu Conference statistician, the pandemic has impeded evangelism efforts, church finances and, perhaps most significantly, worship attendance. Before COVID-19, average worship participation in Kivu was 24,000. “Today,” he noted, “we are at 10,000 faithful as an average attendance at Sunday worship.”

According to Johns Hopkins University data, there have been more than 30,000 confirmed cases in Congo, and 775 deaths.

As the world mourns lives lost through the pandemic, Lokadi Omeyamba, Bukavu lay leader, said, “we do not know if it is the end of the world which is approaching.”

Justine Tshongo, the United Methodist Women secretary in Kivu, has had more than four cases of COVID-19 in her family. She said she is ready to educate people to accept vaccination.

On April 8, the World Health Organization said that less than 2% of the 690 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered to date globally were in Africa, where most countries received vaccines only weeks ago, and in small quantities. Limited stock and supply bottlenecks impede fair access to vaccines.

Currently, said Dr. Damas Lushima, health coordinator for the church in East Congo, those eligible for vaccination include health professionals, older adults and people suffering from chronic diseases.

He noted that the church will work to sensitize people to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine, adding that more than 1,527 people have been vaccinated since they began administering them in Kinshasa on April 19. The vaccination process began with the most affected provinces and will gradually spread to other provinces, he said.

Dr. Djuma Kasongo, the medical director at United Methodist Irambo Health Center, said the pandemic’s relentless pace has forced the church to teach the faithful how to live with the COVID-19 threat. Health coordinators in the East Congo District provided handwashing kits to all local churches, urging worshippers to wash their hands before entering the building.

Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda, East Congo Episcopal Area, is persistent with weekly reminders to comply with health measures such as washing hands with soap, wearing masks and respecting social distancing.

“This pandemic,” Unda said, “has paralyzed several activities of the church, but we will have to continue to help the Congolese government in the awareness component in order to eradicate this pandemic.”

Kituka Lolonga is a communicator in the Kivu Conference.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer, news editor, newsdesk@umcom.org or 615-742-5469. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests

 


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Central Conferences
A map shows the Mid Africa Central Conference, formerly known as the Congo Central Conference. The central conference is meeting July 10-13 in Kitwe, Zambia. Delegates will elect three bishops, two to succeed retiring bishops and one added to the central conference by last year’s General Conference. Graphic by Ben Ward, UM News.

Conference gets new name, adds bishop

More than 300 delegates in the Mid Africa Central Conference, previously the Congo Central Conference, are meeting in Kitwe, Zambia, and plan to elect three new bishops.
Disaster Relief
On a muddy street in the Ngaliema district of Kinshasa, residents attempt to salvage some belongings after floods destroyed homes and businesses in their neighborhood following torrential rains on June 14. Four United Methodists were among the nearly 30 people who lost their lives in the floods. Photo by the Rev. Fiston Okito, UM News.

4 United Methodists killed in Congo floods

The floods in Kinshasa look the lives of 29 people, including four church members, and washed away the homes of about 50 United Methodist families.
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Birgitte French (second from right) of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference addresses a class at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu, Congo. The center provides training to vulnerable women and girls. During a visit with other members of a United Methodist delegation from the U.S. in September, French expressed her joy at strengthening the conference’s partnership with eastern Congo. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Center provides hope for women in Congo

The Mama Lynn Center, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, provides training and spiritual support to women who have suffered sexual violence, helping them regain their dignity and become economically independent.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved