Congo

In the Congo, the ELCA engages in ministry ecumenically.   Lutheran churches have a long tradition of working together in mission.   This ecumenical collaboration means:

• less duplication of effort and costs
• more access to operational, on-the-ground expertise
• access to places where there are few or no Lutherans
• stronger, more effective ministry.

In the Congo, the ELCA works with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a global communion of 140 churches (including the ELCA) and 68 million people, which is grounded in a common Lutheran faith.  The LWF provides space for Lutherans from around the world to share joys, challenges, and expertise as they seek the healing of the world. ELCA World Hunger funds help support the Department for World Service (DWS), the LWF’s relief and development arm, and the Department for Mission and Development (DMD), which focuses on holistic ministries through which the church participates in God’s mission to all creation.

ELCA World Hunger funds help support the LWF Department for World Service program in the Congo.  With its operational presence, the Department for World Service Rwanda/Democratic Republic of the Congo implements or facilitates emergency response on behalf of Action by Churches Together (ACT).  Emergencies arise with continuing insecurity and the displacement of large populations, and follow natural disasters such as the volcanic eruption near Goma in 2002.