Dear Friends,
This week, please pray with us for Dr. José Thontwa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nearly 112 million people from 250 ethnic groups live in the DR Congo, where around 96% of the population identify as Christians. As 120 armed groups fight over land and mineral resources in eastern Congo,over six million Congolese have fled their homes in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri Provinces. Due to mass displacement and disruption of aid services, nearly 26 million Congolese will go hungry in 2023. Please pray for peace to prevail in the DR Congo, and for the Lord’s protection and provision for those facing danger and deprivation.
José teaches theology at Ubangi Protestant University (Gemena, DR Congo), where he has served as Academic Dean. He also guest lectures at Faculté de Théologie Évangélique de Bangui (FATEB) in the Central African Republic (CAR), where he earned his PhD in Systematic Theology in 2021. José’s scholarship focuses on Christian identity, a crucial topic for a region gifted with ethnic diversity yet blighted with political strife. In addition to teaching and research, José ministers among the poor in northwestern Congo through an organization he co-founded called Proximity Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism in the Precarious Areas.
ScholarLeaders supported José for his PhD from FATEB, which also participated in the Vital Sustainability Initiative. José completed part of his doctoral studies at FATEB’s extension site in Yaoundé, Cameroon after an ongoing civil war broke out in the CAR months after his family had moved there in 2012. We thank God for bringing José and his family safely through these challenges. José and his wife Amina have six children: Josepha, Naomi, Joshua, Caleb, Christian, and Princess.
José shares the following message:
Hello. I am glad to hear from you and to share some news and prayer requests.
I keep teaching at FATEB as a guest lecturer, as well as at Ubangi Protestant University (UPU).
Here in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we keep facing unrest in the eastern region, but we also keep working to share the Gospel and to teach God’s Word to unreached people. This is why, after completing my PhD in 2021, my family is living here in Gemena.
That is also why we have started a ministry among the needy. This ministry is called Proximity Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism in the Precarious Areas. Started in 2018 with seven people, the ministry holds gatherings every week with 325 people to worship and share the Gospel.
Prayer Requests
Please keep praying because we have to build a new house for our ministry, so people may gather in safety to learn the Word of God.
Please pray for the Lord’s provision because my old motorbike that I use in ministry has completely broken down, and walking by foot is painful.
Please keep praying for peace in the DRC and for the coming elections in December 2023.
Thanks,
José Thontwa