"The Things We Didn't Know"

Notes from May 28

One of our goals for the journey was to learn what it means to "walk in another's shoes", and to share what it means to walk in our shoes.  This Saturday was certainly a wonderful opportunity to accomplish that task.  Scott Seay, a professor of Global Christianity at Christian Theological Seminary, had the opportunity to visit the faculty and students of the theological faculty at the Protestant University of Equateur (Equateur is the province in which Mbandaka is located).  Bob Shaw went along as interpreter and, as chair of the Congo Task Force, interested party.  According to all reports, they had an exciting morning sharing information about theological education in both countries.  Scott reported that although their library was, of necessity, small, its contents were very impressive.  The depth of the curriculum was likewise very impressive.  Knowing that there will be few opportunities to share much of the material in the churches the students will serve, it is nevertheless considered important that the pastors' own faith be grounded in a deep understanding of the Bible and Christianity's greatest thinkers.



The rest of the pilgrims spent the morning with Disciples women and female pastors.  The study was led by our own Rev. Toni Colbert, who spoke deeply and movingly of the meaning of a Bible passage for all Christian women.  She was presented with a gift of cloth that is worn by many Christian women in Congo.  Both Congolese and US women shared stories of their vision for their role as women in the church.  The whole group broke out into spontaneous song and dance, accompanied by enthusiastic women drummers.  Surely a morning to remember.

During the afternoon, most of the group journeyed down the Congo River by pirogue to Ikengo Farm, a model agricultural project that is sponsored by the Disciples of Christ.  This project (Centre Agro-Pastorale) is both teaching the Congolese how to improve their own agriculture and providing a much-needed source of income for Disciples in Congo.



Vernon Stover spent the afternoon working with the choral directors of the Mbandaka parishes, sharing western four-part harmony versions of hymns that are traditional both in Africa and the USA.  I was privileged to help with translation (and when necessary, demonstrations of directing techniques, but certainly not with the singing).  It was amazing to hear how quickly tunes could be learned by a people where music is simply a fundamental part of their being.

Saturday ended with some very welcome rest, after four very intense and exhausting days.  Besides, all of the pastors needed time to prepare for their sermons, to be given at five very diverse parishes, the next day.