Three for the World

Please pray for Dr. David Kasali in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After completing his PhD in New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1993, David returned to the faculty at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (Kenya), where he later served as President for eight years. Following the Second Congo War – which involved nine countries and 20 armed groups, and left over five million dead and displaced another two million – David and his wife Kaswera sensed God’s call to return home.

In 2005, David and Kaswera founded Congo Initiative (CI), a holistic ministry that brings together church, government, education, and healthcare leaders working to rebuild communities and rekindle hope in the DR. Congo. In 2007, Congo Initiative founded the Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC), which has enrolled over 150 new students in this academic year. Committed to promoting reconciliation and strengthening communities, the school trains Christian women and men to serve faithfully across all sectors of society.

The most populous country in Francophone Africa, the DR Congo is home to nearly 92 million people from 250 ethnic groups. Approximately 94% of Congolese are Christians: 30% Catholic, 27% Protestant, and 37% other Christian (mostly Evangelical). Sixteen years after the Second Congo War (1998-2003), armed conflict among faction groups continues in the northeast. Ongoing violence has exacerbated food insecurity, driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, and prolonged the Ebola crisis, which has claimed over 2,000 lives since August 2018.

David and the Congo Initiative Team share the following message:

We ask for your prayers because we know our God is bigger than this destruction and loss of life. Nothing is hidden from our God. Though we do not see clearly, we choose to believe that this chapter is not the end of the story for Beni. Indeed, our risen Savior has spoken: “Behold, I am making all things new.” We know we are called to be a part of that new story. Join us in bringing these requests before His throne:

• Protection of civilians in Beni and Oicha, including the Congo Initiative community. We have temporarily suspended activities for the safety of students and staff.
• Complete dismantling of the armed group causing destruction.
• Wisdom and dialogue among civil and military authorities who are responsible for protecting the city and responding to violent protestors.
• Comfort and grace for grieving families.
• God’s name to be known and glorified.

This post is from Scholar Leaders’ prayer community. To register for weekly prayer updates from Christians from the Majority  World, click here.