Dem. Rep. of Congo

View Reports

• April 14, 2009
• May 20, 2009
• June 22, 2009
• August 25, 2009
• September 9, 2009
• November 11, 2009
• January 13, 2010
• March 3, 2010
• June 28, 2010

Harvest Partnership CPM

Evangelism / Church Planting,
Training / Education

Partnership Overview

The first question you will ask is, what does CPM stand for? It means Church Planting Movement. Harvest Partnership and its key people are involved in training people to plant home based churches and to encourage church planting in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Jerome Wa'Asende is one of the trainers based in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He, along with his team, develop written materials and resources for church planters and travel around the Great Lakes region leading seminars and encouraging church leaders. 

Jerome and his friend Floribert initially went with a team to Bukavu.  While there God opened up the friendship and help of some quality local people who gave Jerome great credit and encouragement.  After a year of service they were encouraged to establish their own mission agency. Jerome began “Africa Evangelical Ministries - Great Lakes”. The vision was for the teams to become self-determining in vision, ministry and support. Floribert left the ministry and now Abel N'zoa has joined the team. 

Their ministry is very wide, covering East African countries including Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. They serve churches so that God’s people and His church do what Jesus did and Paul said : “Going around doing good and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom”. The nature of the churches is outward looking – each knowing their goals of reaching out and filling target areas with the gospel.

History of Partnership

BHW has had a long association with Ken Rout from Harvest Partnership and it was Ken that introduced us to Jerome and his wife Nino.  Ken had spent a lot of time with them, in particular researching and writing an African instruction manual for CPM house churches which any group could use.  This manual has since been translated into Congo Swahili and the Burundi language.

Beneficiaries

This partnership involves personal support for Jerome and Nino and their family and Abel and his family. The support enables them to spend more time training church leaders and planters so there are therefore a large number of people who benefit from this partnership.

What We Like About The Partnership

The work these guys are doing has potential to significantly impact this very difficult part of the world. They are good people with a very clear vision. There is good accountability with regular visits from Harvest Partnership personnel.

Relationship To Other Partnerships

This isn't related to any other partnerships in the DRC but we do support two other men working with Harvest Partnership in South Africa (see RSA01 and RSA02).

Key People

Leadership Profile

Jerome and Nino

Jerome Wa'Asende

As a 19 year old Congolese, Jerome crouched with his friend amongst the bushes at the top of Lake Tanganyika. They had run for their lives when their Burundian killers swarmed across the Bujumbura border towards Uvira in the Congo announcing that the Great Lakes genocide had arrived. From their hiding spot Jerome could see his grandfather's home but he had no idea if he was still alive. Just a few nights before the old man and the younger had talked on the beach about dedicating a life completely to the Lord. Another 36 hours of hiding passed and a large canoe appeared with the promise of getting people to the safety of Kigoma Tanzania. The fare - with no money the shoes on his feet were taken. In Kigoma the United Nations refugee camp refused the young men entrance as they may be rebel-trained with a commission to kill. Jerome sold his shirt for food! But he had committed his life to God and His service and felt that God would take him to South Africa where he would learn how to serve Him.

This journey, which involved many dangers, took six months. The English that he had learned was his constant passport amongst other refugees who only had French as the countries they passed through had all been British colonies. In South Africa he stayed a year with relatives in Capetown’s dangerous Khayelitsha Township then a year in Durban as a haircutter and car guard. Finally, he heard of a Christian mission teaching “the sons of Africa” how to be missionaries in their own regions. He enrolled believing that at last God was going to teach him. OMS International had developed their very good “Into Africa” training programme. They involved Ken Rout of New Zealand to teach evangelism/church planting.

December 2001 saw Jerome and his new friends returning home – taking just a few hours in contrast to his journey down! Nine months later Ken was able to make an encouragement visit and they worked together and compiled a training manual for existing churches to plant multiple churches in cities and rural areas: many places still suffered from wars; some still infested by rebel guerrilla armies. Jerome had returned to a great welcome by his family, some of whom were Wesleyan pastors. Jerome began to teach them about house churches which would break down the problem of their tribal language use by using the communal language of Congo Swahili.

During Jerome’s one mini-bus journey from the Congo to Bujumbura, Burundi he borrowed a cellphone from a young lady. A year later he proposed to her on a Lake Tanganyika beach with the ring inside a bread roll! Jerome and Nino have been married for four years and have two daughters, Kenita and Gloria.

Abel Nzoa

In 2001 Jerome and some friends returned to the Congo firstly to encourage the war devastated churches and some then planted their own churches. Jerome, in Bukavu, chose to continue encouraging existing churches in evangelism and church planting without church buildings.  Two men in Bukavu became Jerome’s fellow teachers. The office was in one of their homes in an area of the city that regularly had no electricity. Abel Nzoa, a university student in his early 20’s, had observed the ministry and volunteered to be the local secretary of the work when he wasn’t studying. He enjoyed translating and computerising new evangelism and church planting materials. Abel found time to go to “taste” seminars with Jerome. By the time it was strategic for Jerome to move to Bujumbura, Burundi; Abel had become Jerome’s right hand man in Bukavu.

Under his care the number of denominations participating has grown from 12 to 16. Abel visits them to encourage and teach the leaders toward continued effectiveness. Beyond Bukavu many churches are being encouraged and new ones are planted monthly, even in rural areas dangerous because of rebel armies. Often in these areas church growth is faster with new churches being started in distant places.

At the other end of Lake Kivu is Goma, where Abel also encourages those who have planted many new churches. The bookshop, which imports the Congo Swahili Bibles, is also in Goma. Usually it falls to Abel to make sure these are purchased and are distributed appropriately in Goma, Bukavu and Uvira, firstly to Bible-less leaders and church-planters. More recently he has been guiding Alimasi and Pascal who work in places beside Lake Tanganyika.

Abel and Anita

Abel’s responsibilities include:
• Planning church planting seminars.
• Pastoring the leaders of both the city and rural church groups who have planted hundreds of churches. He hears of thrills and difficulties in the work, and gives advice.
• Planning refresher and leadership teaching seminars for church planters.
• Visiting city and rural churches out from Bukavu and Goma.
• Encouraging daily Bible reading and strategically distributing Bibles.
• Translating new materials and maintaining the A E M office.

Abel is responsible to Jerome and the Africa Evangelistic Ministry Great Lakes [AEM GL] Board. He has a love for God and a vision of people coming to the Lord through active churches. He is developing more and more in his leadership. In the near future Abel will be developed further to take responsibility for the East Congo work, the vision for which reaches from Kalamie in the south to Bunia in the north.

He has recently developed a relationship with Anita, and needs US$1,600 for the Bride Price payment before the wedding!

Vision And Annual Strategy

Jerome did not feel a call to be a pastor but rather to be a teacher and encourager of church planters. In a very short time more than 10 denominations in and near Bukavu were involved in church planting. In 30 days one group went from six small churches to 39 and has continued this growth these last three years. Jerome’s ministry vision is to see 15,000 churches planted.

Jerome is strongly convinced that the church today needs a certain new breath to enable it to follow Jesus' great commission in order to come out of its traditions which block the growth of the work.  This is the objective of every church that is planted - to fill its mission field by multiple churches in houses.  The vision is to meet needs and express Christ's love and salvation in the community.

Annual Budget

The annual budget to support these families is $US2,640

How Can I Help?

This partnership currently has no financial donor so is available for support.