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United Methodists in Congo, Rwanda Suffer from VolcanoDate: January 23, 2002 
United Methodists in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have been affected by the lava flows and accompanying earthquakes of the Nyiragongo volcano, which began erupting on Jan. 17.
Little is known about the situation of church members in Goma, the Congo border town devastated by lava flows. But the Rev. Clyde Anderson, an executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said that as of Jan. 23, 12 United Methodists, including two children, were reported to have died on the Rwandan side of the border. Anderson had received information from the Rev. Jupa Kaberuka, a district superintendent in Rwanda, who had been forced to take refuge in a school building, along with many others.
"We have a heavy United Methodist presence along the border," Anderson explained. "Many homes were destroyed, including that of the district superintendent." The destruction comes not only from the lava, but also the earthquakes that have followed the volcanic eruptions. "Jupa has reported the earthquakes are still very strong at night," he noted. More than 20 houses of church members have collapsed, and many people in the area are sleeping outside because of the fear of further collapse.
Wendy Whiteside, an executive with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), said the agency is responding to the crisis through Action by Churches Together (ACT), an organization of ecumenical relief groups. UMCOR released a $35,000 grant to Action by Churches Together (ACT) on Jan. 23, she added.Norwegian Church Aid and the Lutheran World Federation are among the ACT members on the scene to make assessments. Food and water for those who had fled their homes were the most immediate needs.
Goma has seen its share of crises in the past decade. The genocide in Rwanda drove up to 4 million Rwandan refugees to what was then known as eastern Zaire in July 1994, where foreign governments and international relief agencies struggled to keep them alive.
The Board of Global Ministries sponsored major mission work in the region between September 1994 and September 1996. More than 200 volunteers provided health care for refugees, assisted in the distribution of resources, built Jerusalem Church (right) and a United Methodist guesthouse, established a primary school in Uvira, renovated health clinics in Uvira and Bukavu, and provided primary services to refugees in the Kimbumba, Biriba and Panzi camps. A highlight of the mission work was the creation of the United Methodist Children's Village in Goma. In January 1996, UMCOR received a $3.5 million grant from the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees to manage firewood cutting and distribute pharmaceuticals to Rwandan and Burundian refugees living in the region.
Although the goal had always been to return the refugees to their homelands, fighting between Zairian refugees and government troops accelerated that effort. On Sept. 25, 1996, the missionaries managing the work in Goma, Uvira and Bukavu were forced to evacuate. When Goma fell to the rebels, supported by Rwandan troops, on Nov. 2, the United Nations also evacuated its staff. By Nov. 18, the five refugee camps were empty, with at least a half-million people crossing the border into Rwanda on foot during the previous three days.
Because of the political situation in the Congo, the United Methodists remaining in Goma are in infrequent communication with Bishop Onema Fama. "The rebels still have control of the land in Goma," Anderson explained.
Goma church members are more likely to relate to Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, based in Nairobi, whose jurisdiction includes Rwanda and
Burundi. The Rwandan church, part of the United Methodist East Africa Annual Conference, was born in the refugee camps in Goma and then transplanted back to Rwanda. As of last June, it officially had 48,000 members in three regions of the country.
You can support the reconciliation efforts and UMCOR's ministry with the area's refugees and displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo by giving to Advance #198400. Give through your local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts.
Source: United Methodist News Service.
Photos: Top Right-- The main road in the center of Goma has been destroyed by lava. Credit: Thomas van Kampen, ACT International/LWF, Goma, D.R. Congo, January 2002. Middle Left-- Choir arrives in a truck for the dedication of Jerusalem United Methodist Church in Uvira, 1996. Middle Right-- Hutu refugee tents, Goma, 1994. Credit: Jeneane Jones, GBGM UMC.