Under the theme “Cast the net on the other side of the boat” (John 21:6), the 14th regular session of the East Congo Annual Conference was held July 21-26. The conference convened in the Bishop Gabriel Unda Yemba Multipurpose Hall at the Maman Lynn Center. The center is at the Lokole Mission in Kindu, the capital of Maniema Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Marking a turning point for the Episcopal Region of Eastern Congo, it was the first annual conference presided over by Bishop Antoine Kalema Tambwe since his election as resident bishop and legal representative. Tambwe succeeded Bishop Gabriel Unda Yemba, now retired. In his opening address, the bishop paid a heartfelt tribute to his predecessor and mentor, whom he hailed as the founder of the episcopal region. Tambwe asked for God’s blessing upon Yemba and his family.
Attending the opening ceremonies were a representative of the governor of Maniema Province, the president of the Provincial Assembly, the provincial president of the Synod of the Church of Christ in Congo in Maniema, provincial deputies and ministers, as well as members of the Provincial Security Council, alongside district superintendents, pastors and delegates from across the East Congo Annual Conference.
The assembly observed a minute of silence in memory of church members who died during the 2025-2026 church year. They included the Rev. Jean Okende Kelanga; the Rev. Shabambulu Ekokola; Papa Ndeka, former lay leader of the Kibombo 1 District; Maman Okedi, former president of the United Methodist Women of the same district; and Omesumbu Tunda Thomas, as well as the son of Bishop Daniel Lunge of the Central Congo Conference.
Tambwe also thanked Germain Mupasa Unda and Jean Tshomba Matayao Kibonge for their efforts and support in securing the conference’s legal status and its publication in the Official Journal of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Elections for the 2028 General and Regional Conferences
In accordance with General Conference guidelines, delegates elected members who will represent Eastern Congo at the 2028 General Conference and Regional Conference, and the lists were forwarded to the appropriate authority.
Clergy delegates to the 2028 General Conference include incumbents Ketoka Lokondo Paul, Mahamudi Ngereza Benoît, Kiboko Saleh, Antoine Otoka Kepele, Ndjeka Shango Paul, Lange Avilo Omesumbu Clément, Okonda Omesumbu André and Shako Yungi Pascal.
Clergy alternates are Kombe Djamba Hélène, Wembo Lushima François, Asemo Ofelo, Nyande Wetshomba Philomène, Mwayuma Ayenda Véronique, Mbutu Alunga Jean, Salumu Tambwe Joseph and Kibatuli Bununu Hilaire.
Lay delegates to the 2028 General Conference include regular members Damas Lushima, Muthoma Bushiri Sylvestre, Mwinyi Thaluhumbu, Luyamba Lodi Moïse, Maman Ngole Kalema Charlotte, Lokale Senga Cudens, Jean Tshomba and Roger Kasongo.
Lay alternates are Jacqueline Luhahi Lumumbu, Hervé Tshoso, Omesumbu Nestor, Maman Waso Rashidi, Dieudonné Okende Ungu, Émile Lushima, Denis Opombo Milambo, Maman Furaha Tshoso, Tunda Lukale and Jean Senga.
Resolutions and Actions
Regarding the lay sector, six of the 11 districts (Kindu-North, Kindu-South, Shabunda, Punia I and II and Kibombo II) sent male delegates to the conference, while women from all districts participated, with elections held in Kindu-North, Kindu-South and Kasongo-Samba. Five districts participated in the Youth Conference (JPC) in Tunda, where a new JPC president for the conference was elected. Delegates noted the suspension of activities at the social center and in several parishes in the Kibombo 2 District and recommended their resumption. This year, the bishop provided $17,800 in support to the districts, distributed among Kibombo 1 ($5,000), Kindu-North ($4,000) and Kindu-South ($8,800).
Regarding education, the conference established a mandatory contribution of $1 per high school student and per teacher to the Educational Intervention Fund (FIP), as well as the same contribution for elementary school teachers. It also reaffirmed that education would be free from preschool through the Methodist University of Kindu, for all pastors’ children. This represented a personal commitment by Tambwe.
The health segment emphasized the continuation of free health care for pastors and their families at church facilities, as well as the support provided by the health department for the response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the eastern part of the country. In his address, Tambwe thanked Global Health as well as partners the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Committee on Relief, BCCOR, United Methodist Communications and Connexio for their ongoing support, with a special mention of Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, which donated a new minibus to the Maman Lynn Center and whose Sunday school funded the purchase of land for the local church in Libenga.
Financially, the conference reaffirmed the biblical principle of tithing and maintained the annual contribution of $1 per member.
The Yambasu Agriculture Initiative continues to thrive in the conference, with new livestock projects: construction of a livestock pen; redistribution of the Tunda sheep herd to the districts of Kasongo-Samba, Shabunda, Punia I and Kibombo; and diversification of pig farming. Delegates also called on each district and local church to develop farmland, fish ponds and livestock farming, and to intensify reforestation efforts on church-owned land.
Two new departments were created within the episcopal region: Sustainable Environmental Management and the Church’s Ministry to Vulnerable People.
Referring to the ongoing war in eastern DR Congo, Tambwe shared that he had met with Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye — who is also chair of the African Union — during a visit to Bujumbura, where he also visited Congolese refugee camps. He also reported on discussions held during the Council of Bishops meeting in Jacksonville, in the United States, regarding the situation in the east. The episcopal region reaffirmed its support for the efforts of the Congolese head of state and the Church of Christ in Congo toward inclusive dialogue and lasting peace.
The 2027 Annual Conference will be held in the Kibombo 1 District.
A committee dedicated to improving living conditions and promoting the economic empowerment of pastors presented a project that includes the purchase of a whaling boat, the establishment of five shops, and livestock farming and agriculture. Tambwe offered personally to donate a whaling boat valued at $35,000 to kickstart the funding. Initially, each pastor will receive $200 per month as part of this program.
Ordination and Statistics
Fifty-three people were ordained, appointed or admitted as associate members this year, with an average age over 45; no clergy retired.
The statistical report remained positive across all areas: 653,219 members (+4,065 compared to 2025); 617,244 worship attendees (+1,484); 622,475 participants in religious education classes (+6,130); 5,203 professions or reaffirmations of faith (+300); 953 adults and young adults involved in small groups (+79); and 445,637 members engaged in mission work (+41,842).
— Chadrack Londe, communicator and UM News correspondent in the DRC.