Key Points
- Bishop Antoine Tambwe Kalema presented 11 motorcycles to United Methodist district superintendents in Maniema.
- Most had been walking or biking long distances to care for the communities they serve. One pastor said he had been traveling about 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) each year on foot.
- The bishop purchased the vehicles, which cost about $22,000, with his own funds, reflecting his conviction to build first with local resources.
After years of traveling the trails of Maniema on foot, by bicycle or on rented motorcycles, 11 United Methodist district superintendents in the province now each have a motorcycle to carry out pastoral supervision of their communities.
The vehicles cost about $22,000 and were funded by Bishop Antoine Tambwe Kalema, who leads the East Congo Episcopal Area. The bikes were presented by the bishop during the closing ceremony of this year’s Eastern Congo Annual Conference.
“We worked hard, and God blessed us. Using our own funds, we managed to purchase 11 motorcycles so that each superintendent can carry out the work of supervision as outlined in our (Book of) Discipline,” he said, noting that superintendents and bishops are listed in the same section in The United Methodist Church’s policy book.
“(Pastors) are responsible for supervision,” he said.
The Eastern Congo Conference, which he describes as the “parent conference” of the episcopal region, comprises 11 ecclesiastical districts — all of which are now equipped. However, 16 districts in the church region still lack their own means of transportation.
The donation reflects a conviction that the bishop has placed at the heart of his mandate: to build first with the resources of the episcopal area before seeking outside support.
It also is in line with the mission that Kalema unveiled during his installation ceremony in 2025 structured around evangelism, education and health. Titled “Cast the Net on the Other Side,” the initiative is taken from the Gospel according to John 21:5-6.
“We must have a vision, and our vision is to change the way we work — to begin first with our own efforts before receiving outside support,” he said.
He cited as an example the biblical account of the feeding of the 5,000, in which Jesus first asks his disciples what they have before taking action.
“Let’s cast the net on the other side of the canoe,” Kalema said, expressing the hope that this initial effort would generate additional support.
The bishop thanked partners including the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and its general secretary, Roland Fernandes; Connexio, a partner of The United Methodist Church in Switzerland; and Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, which supports initiatives in eastern Congo, notably the Mama Lynn Center and programs for orphans.
“We are confident that our partners, too, will dig into their own pockets to help us,” the bishop said, while assuring that the self-financing effort would continue regardless of external support.
Kalema purchased a 12th motorcycle with his own funds for the Rev. Kiboko Saleh, an assistant evangelist.
“We give thanks to God for making this possible. Thank you to His Grace the Bishop for providing us with a means of transportation to spread the Gospel,” Saleh said.
He highlighted the vastness of the territory to be covered.
“Our annual conference covers a very large area, and many districts are very far apart. Until now, we faced many difficulties traveling to bring the Gospel everywhere.”
The motorcycle now paves the way for an expanded mission, he said. “We are free to travel to the various districts to continue the work of spiritual revival and evangelism there.”
Changing daily life
The Rev. Makila Luka, superintendent of the Shabunda District, said he used to travel more than 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) each year on foot.
The Rev. Njovu Longane Mathias, Dembo District superintendent, highlighted the symbolism of the handover day. “I came by bicycle, and I’m going home on a motorcycle,” he said.
Speaking on his four decades of itinerant ministry, the 69-year-said, “I’ve been riding only a bicycle for 39 years; I’ve suffered a great deal.”
Other superintendents relied on rentals — at their own expense and with the support of laypeople — for long and costly trips. The Rev. André Okonda, from the South Kindu District, estimates that he traveled 2,850 kilometers in 2025 and 2026 on rented motorcycles, under conditions he describes as “very difficult.”
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The Rev. Mikembe Bundibani Josué and Rev. Baukwaga Kanja Evariste, superintendents of the Punia 1 and Punia 2 districts, respectively, recalled traveling about 240 kilometers to attend the handover ceremony, on roads that the latter describes as being “in a state of severe disrepair.”
Kalima District superintendent the Rev. Munyani Bin Ponyo Luc said for years he walked everywhere to carry out his mission. “Now, (the motorcycle) gives me the strength to do God’s work.”
Kibombo 2 District superintendent the Rev. Simba Muchukiwa Evariste traveled to the annual conference session by canoe. He said the motorcycle will make it easier for him to get around to advance God’s work.
For Josué, the gift also carries a dimension of institutional recognition. In Punia, he notes, “no leader of the sister church districts has a motorcycle other than a rented one. We United Methodists have a motorcycle.”
The Rev. Diowo Luhata, from the Kibombo 1 District, described the gift in terms of his Tetela culture: “The gesture the bishop has just made, we call it Ekaha Njala, which means the person who gives to others, even if they themselves are hungry, they go without.”
The donation of motorcycles is part of Kalema’s commitment to social justice within the institution, particularly to improving the living conditions of clergy.
“We will fight throughout our time leading the church to improve the living conditions of pastors,” he declared. “Pastors’ families must live like other people.”
Londe is a UM News correspondent based in Congo.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
