By Michael Charles, Theological Education Advisor 

At Anglican Aid we expect that at any given time, at least one of the 16 Bible schools we support in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be closed, forcibly relocated, or experiencing great hardship. This will be due to war or the shockingly commonplace danger of random violence from bandits or roaming rebel groups. 

In 2021, Bishop William Bahemuka and the staff and students of the Institut Theologique Apolo Kivebulaya in the Diocese of Boga were forced to flee 100 kilometres to Bunia due to rebel activity. After two years of living without electricity or running water, they were able to return to Boga, only to find the Bible school buildings damaged, and all their carefully stored building materials for much needed renovations stolen. Through all these trials, the Bible school persevered in the vital training of leaders for God’s people. 

Further south, in the Dioceses of Goma and Bukavu, tribal conflicts and international power struggles over the control of land abounding in gold, precious gems, and rare earth minerals have generated decades of war between various rebel groups. Four diocesan Bible schools continue to operate in areas controlled by the M23 rebel group. 

I visited Goma in early 2024 and met a student who had not been able to see his family for more than six months because they were in rebel territory. When M23 captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu earlier this year, the Bible schools were closed and students sent home. Since then, a relative calm has descended, and the schools are running again. But ‘calm’ in Congo is not like calm in Australia: “Rapes, executions, beatings, kidnappings are not talked about as much, but are still all too frequent,” writes Bishop Martin Gordon of Goma Diocese. 

Bishop William wrote that despite the “insecurity that has caused the loss of lives to thousands and displacement of millions…we can see the mighty hand of God taking care of all of us who are still alive. That situation has greatly affected the Church, but it has not stopped the mission of Christ. Wherever people are going for safety, they always move towards the Church…That is where they find a great comfort, [in] our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 

Pray:

• Praise God that Bible colleges in DR Congo continue training leaders for God’s church despite ongoing troubles. Pray for peace in the country.