Singing the Lord's Song in the Congo

By James Henderson

After a night of tummy troubles I sat back in the window seat of the flight from Nairobi to Kinshasa. I fell asleep and woke up feeling better, restored.

I glanced around. The adjacent seats and the rows in front of and behind me were empty. It was quiet apart from the constant hum of the engines. I turned and looked out of the window at the endless skies. Below, through soft cotton-wool clouds I could see once again the mighty River Congo snaking its way through rich-green rainforests towards the distant silver-shimmering Atlantic. It was so beautiful.

Suddenly I realised I was singing. Not loudly enough to be heard, of course…after all, I am British, and that wouldn’t do, would it? But singing nonetheless. Maybe it was the wine the stewardess had given me for my stomach’s sake. “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine!” “O Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hand hath made”. I felt at ease, content in the presence of God. That I was with the Father, and he with me. That Jesus was by my side. That the Holy Spirit was comforting me. I wallowed in this thought, allowing myself to savour every moment. “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you”, said the Psalmist. No cares, no anxieties, no pressures. Just God, my God, and me. Together.

That togetherness God imbues us with is something to be shared. Christianity is not selfish – the relationship between God and myself extends to include others. Although I value moments alone with God, I also treasure the joy of being with others for whom Christ died – Christianity is about community. Being with our Congolese brothers and sisters reinforced in my mind the joy of fellowship.

Our 400 or so people in the Congo (former Zaire) have gone through so much hardship and suffering. Words seem insufficient to describe the deprivations they have experienced. Poverty grips this country of immense mineral wealth. Civil war and callous carnage has dominated the headlines for years. Political uncertainty remains.

Congo ministers: Mpinda Ndayi, Raphael Benze, Tsuka Kalume.  

 Things have got marginally better – for example, on this trip I did not see so many soldiers and tanks on the streets as I have seen before. Naturally, our fellowship there has felt a sense of abandonment at times. Our members have lived under a constant shadow of fear and suspicion. Communication has been difficult during the fighting and confusion, and to this day we have lost contact with some of our people and churches in outlying areas. I assured them that the prayers of the church worldwide have been and are with them, and that Jesus our Saviour who has known unjust and agonising suffering, will never leave them nor forsake them.

   One of the Kinshasha congregations.                     

The purpose of my June visit was to attend church services with one of our three Kinshasa congregations, and to conduct national leadership meetings. Services began with very upbeat versions of familiar traditional Christian hymns, and then there was a series of special music, some sung in local languages. The voices were stunning as they sang unaccompanied to all kinds of music styles, particularly a jazz Gospel song that lingers on in my mind even as I write. No one wanted it to end. The whole congregation joined in, rejoicing, banishing thoughts of the world they had come from, finding safety and peace in the sanctuary that is our church in the Congo. Singing, clapping, swaying, smiling, laughing, raising their voices to the God who comforts still in the midst of suffering. Emotions were high. I did not know the words or the beat but I joined in as best I could – it did not matter: we were together in the Lord. As the special music performances came to an end, someone began another song, a French song from neighbouring Cameroun – “Le Monde – il va passer” – “this world will pass”. Everyone sang it heartily and with anticipation. Living the Kingdom now is hard for them – harder than probably most of us in more privileged conditions can imagine, and they yearn for the return of the Second Coming with an urgency that may not be familiar to us – the idea of being delivered from “this present evil world” is so real to them. They worshipped the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness.

Your brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo send their warmest greetings to you, and they pray for you whatever your circumstances. Please join me in praying for them. Pray for the relief of their physical plight, for the end of war, for the their three leaders (Raphael Benza Tsuka, Mpinda Ndayi, Mvita Kalume), for the men and women who work so hard for their families, for the hungry children, and pray with them for our Saviour’s return. “When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, when He returns, what joy shall fill my heart………..”