Sunday Post

Phil wrote this to me:

I do read the comments people leave on the blog and all emails they send to philincongo@att.net, which are very encouraging to me.

I have posted my notes for Sunday online so you could make a link from our blog so people can read Sunday or even before and feel like they're a little part of what's going on here. Pastor Jerry or whoever's doing announcements could also mention that Sunday since many don't read or blog, though I'm not there in person they can still "hear" (read) their pastor's latest sermon from Africa online by going to our blog link or to http://sermonaudio.com/gcbc (what an amazing thing technology is)!

 Here is the link:

http://media.sermonaudio.com/mediapdf/931131700.pdf

Sunday Recap:

 
Sunday morning Didier shows up a little after 8:00 a.m. at the front door of the place we’re staying and tells me “I have very bad news … all the chairs at church have been stolen.” During the night someone broke the lock to the church (first time ever) and stole all the chairs which were $800 worth of chairs. At the time there was only $157 left in their church fund, so Didier used every resource he had to borrow, rent, and buy some chairs for this week, and I helped him with some personal funds, but if any of the readers of this blog would like to help them purchase more chairs or help in any way to help their church through this huge loss for them, you can contribute via:

Community Bible Church

Check memo line: Compassion for Congo – Didier’s church

5121 Gold Hill Road

Placerville, CA 95667

530 391-6363 (check with Pastor Paul Anthes at this number first to make sure I have this right for church donations)

Church service began about 45 minutes late after we got chairs and people there. Didier prayed for the people who had stolen the chairs, that God would convict them from stealing from a church, and that maybe this would be what God uses for them to come to know Jesus Christ. There was much singing and clapping and swaying and though I didn’t know all the words I was able to join in heartily with “Alleliuia,” “Amen,” and “Jesus ahk-santi” (thank you). Pastor Didier’s leadership and respect by the people was obvious as he directed them and the service and a Swahili-speaking brother next to him interpreted for those who don’t know French as well. Every first Sunday of the month, both Peter’s and Didier’s churches come together and have a combined service and the Lord’s Supper and an agape meal after, which is what we got to experience.

Didier asked Annie to pray for the Lord to forgive us our sins, which she did from her seat, and then he asked a man to pray for the community, I think, and the man stood up and prayed a very passionate and powerful prayer. Then another man stood up and prayed for all the missionaries all around the world. I think there was a reflective song that was then sung, and then everyone prayed all at the same time. It was quite noisy and fervent. Then Didier clapped his hands, and I think then announced that the choir from Peter’s church would do 2 special numbers than the choir from Didier’s church.

Peter’s choir in the black and white matching outfits danced in synchronized choreography and sang in Swahili and they were very good. The choir from Didier’s church in matching flowered dresses sounded better in French than most professional music groups I’ve heard in English in the U.S. – beautiful angelic voices with harmony and intonations I’ve never heard before. As you watch them sing, especially the older girls from Peter’s church, it is clear that this is not a performance for them, their eyes are all upward and singing for the Lord, and the congregation didn’t clap after. 

Josie and I then sang as background vocalists for the 2 guitarists Gabe and Didier, for “Amazing Grace: The Chains Are Gone.” Gabe explained before we sang a little about John Newton’s life as an evil slave trader before God saved him. Then Didier asked if anyone had a praise from the Lord to share. A young man stood up and shared his testimony about how he had been in a car accident that week and how God had spared him.

After we were done I think Didier then said “Now, we get to sing all together as one great choir.” The African drums and other instruments and everything that makes noise was brought out, and much noise and praise was made, and it reminded me of Psalm 150.  I sense as I read that passage that their praise here comes much closer to the biblical calls to worship than our conservative Western traditions. I have some video footage of the service that’s too big to upload that I won’t be able to share till we come back. I felt their service struck a good balance between spontaneity and fervency yet everything done in decency and in order, as Corinthians says.

                                Phil Preaching, Didier translating into French, then into Swahili

Didier then prayed for me to bring God’s Word, and I preached through interpreters, my first time, which I felt God’s blessing and grace upon. It was my first time and the audience was very responsive, and I was told later by Pastor Peter that he appreciated my message and some insights he had never considered before from that chapter, and he was edified. After the sermon we sang another reflective song in preparation of the Lord’s Supper, which took on greater symbolic and spiritual blessing that day in that context. During it the girls choir sang in French a tune we recognized (“Lord we lift your name on high”) so we were able to sing along softly in English. They asked me to do a prayer of dedication for the 3-week old child of Pastor Peter and Dorcas, then I take the child from the father and hand to the mother.

Then we closed in prayer and the pastors exited first and began shaking hands with the first people exiting church and then they stood in line next to us and the next shook our hands and then stood in line and so on until there was a long line and everyone had greeted one another and shook hands. It is their way of fulfilling the repeated Scriptural commands to the churches to “greet one another.”

After the service we had an agape meal and we spent time in fellowship and came home from church around 2:30. In the afternoon we baby-sat all the orphans, Didier’s kids, and other kids who live around the compound at our place. We read some picture books to them (they are so excited to see a book) and gave them sheets to color, which they loved.

Baby Marie-Claire and I actually caught a quick power nap away from the rest while we waited for Mama Annie. In the later afternoon the men Didier is mentoring for ministry sat around and relaxed in the cool of later afternoon talking about the ministry and future visit with Pastor Bob Wheatley while watching the kids play futbol (soccer).

It would be SO great if Zephanie could be adopted by someone in our community so she has some continuity with her friends from here (Loucks/Wilmarths kids) but she is a sweet girl who the pics don't do justice and who needs loving Christian parents and a home.

You could add to my blog that Annie is caring for the orphan babies in the evening (Mark and now just Kivren) and is now "only" waking up a couple times a night to feed the baby. On Sundays she has all the orphans. Didier has gone to the doctor 3x in last 24 hours and will again this afternoon for some treatment, perhaps. He had a high fever last night and headache and gets a little relief from the meds but needs our prayers to sustain him till everything for Wilmarths is done.

Not only did our morning worship remind me of OT Israel, our dinner did as well. A lamb was slain for us … literally, and we ate perhaps a little like the disciples at the “last supper” where Jesus introduced what we call “The Lord’s Supper” after their meal of a slain lamb. After washing each others hands in a basin much like the Jews used to wash each other’s feet at such meal, we sat down to another incredible Congolese meal. Mama Annie is a fabulous cook who learned from her husband Didier who once cooked as a profession for years. We had lamb on white rice with some incredible sauce, okra, foo-foo, and we even had soft-drinks today.