The Brunstad Christian Church (BCC) fellowship in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), held a conference in conjunction with a workshop over the weekend of 30 May to 2 June 2024 at the Jardin de Paix church centre.
THE CONFERENCE:
The conference program included three church services, a youth service and a dinner followed by a fellowship evening. Approximately 80 members of the BCC fellowships in the DRC attended, this included many young people. Ben Mulamba, spiritual leader of the fellowship in Lubumbashi opened the conference and Tielman Slabbert, spiritual leader of BCC in South Africa was the guest speaker at all the church services. In his messages, Slabbert spoke about the Kingdom of God and explained what is meant by the Kingdom of God. One does not have to be in a specific place to experience the Kingdom of God, nor is it something that is built up with earthly things – the Kingdom of God is within disciples of Jesus Christ and is built up in each one through the obedience of faith in Him.
Testimonies:
Frank Slabbert (South Africa):
“The conference was very good, and it was encouraging to see so many young people attending. There was also warm fellowship in between and after the church services.”
Bart Hulsman (South Africa):
“It was a blessing to be together with the members of the fellowships in the DRC. The enthusiasm and commitment during the meetings and in general was contagious and encouraging.”
THE WORKSHOPS:
In keeping with the goal of BCC fellowships in Africa becoming self-sustaining, several workshops were held over the conference weekend to assist in equipping members of the Lubumbashi fellowship to achieve this goal.
The Hippo Mundo Charity (HMC) Mentoring and Training Team and individuals from BCCSA assisted with training and support and the areas covered at the workshops were:
- Property maintenance, quarterly property inspections and inspection standards.
- Setting up, managing and analysing budgets.
- Income generating alternatives and improving the existing infrastructure for the water sales outlet – which will generate income through rental of the shop once the facilities have been upgraded.
Feedback from the support team from South Africa:
Bart Hulsman (South Africa):
“The purpose of the workshops was to enable the Lubumbashi fellowship to manage and finance their church centre to a greater degree. It was encouraging to see the engagement and positivity of the participants. New ideas were discussed and together solutions for the way forward were explored and the next steps were decided on. I am very thankful that I can be part of this work.”
Frank Slabbert (South Africa):
“The workshops regarding the finances and how the fellowship can be financially sustainable were very good and positive. Setting fund-raising targets will be motivating for reaching their goals.”
Travel for four of the participants was made possible by the HMC Travel Program.