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REPORT OF THE MISSIONARY BISHOP OF THE TWO KASAI, THE RT. REV. A. T. OLAOYE, PRESENTED TO THE MEETING OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE PROVINCE OF CONGO WITH HER PARTNERS AND THE PROVINCIAL SYNOD HELD AT BUNIA BETWEEN 17TH AND 25TH APRIL, 2007.

1. INTRODUCTION
Before our arrival in Congo, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of Congo, His Grace, Dr. Dirokpa Fidele, has made us to know that the goal of our Mission is to develop the two Kasai so that they can become two separate dioceses. The two future dioceses of the two Kasai will be in Kasai East and Kasai West Provinces.
We arrived from Nigeria to Congo in November 2005 to know the state of things. In December 2005, we returned to Nigeria to take our wife and we returned together to Congo on 3rd April, 2006. We got to MbujiMayi on 11th April, 2006.

1 STATISTICS
Kasai East and West are two Provinces out of the eleven Provinces in Congo RDC and they are found in the hinterland of the vast country.
There are three Anglican Church Archdeaconries in these two Provinces:- MbujiMayi(where our residence is situated), Kananga and Kabinda. There are 35 priests, 36 parishes and about 7897 members (which include the adults and the youths).

A. Kasai East: 2 Archdeaconries
                                                  Priests Dea Evan Cat Parish S/P Men Wom Youth Baptd Confmd
     i) MbujiMayi -                         12        3      16     13   15        7    441 647    834    558     382
    ii) Kabinda   -                            2        -       12      31    5        6    514   593    721   1523   1209
B. Kasai West: 1 Archdeaconry
     Kananga    -                           18       5        9     17   16       4   542 1517   544    2259   2259

We made an evangelical visitation to some of the parishes in the two Kasai. The purpose of the visit was to acquaint ourselves with the situation on ground in the two Kasi and to evangelise the areas visited. Therefore, when we were going for the journey, we went with evangelical equipments – amplifier, loudspeakers, video film projector, etc. To the glory of God, we were able to visit parishes that had never seen a bishop since they were established many years ago. We have visited the parishes in Mbuji-Mayi town. From 17th August – 10thSeptember 2006, we made evangelistic visit to all the parishes in Kananga Archdeaconry – Kasai West.
The visit to Kananga Archdeaconry covered 1950 kilometers and cost us more than US$2000. We went everywhere with our Nissan Pathfinder Jeep. During the evangelical visits, we held confirmation services in which 64 members were confirmed. We held revival services and showed christian film in many of the parishes and many people gave their lives to Christ.
Again from Saturday 11th – Monday 20th November, 2006, we made an evangelical visit to Kabinda Archdeaconry in Kasai East. Revival programs were held in most of the parishes visited and a Christian film for soulwinning was shown and many gave their lives to Christ.
OUR VISION
After visiting about 85% of our parishes in Kasai East and West, the vision of what we have come to do became clearer to us. As it is given to us, we are to develop the two Kasai to become two separate dioceses. This we see as developing them spiritually and socially, in five years, God helping us.
What we are to do.
A. Spiritual Development:-   What to be done –
     a) Train and encourage the workers
     b) Develop the members so that they will be able to stand spiritually
     c) Develop more churches and assist the existing ones to grow.
         All this will be achieved through;
    i) Evangelism – Bible study, revival programs, prayer programs, neighbourhood witnessing, production and distribution of tracts, etc
   ii) Holding seminars for clergy and laity.
iii) Sending clergy for training in Theological College.
iv) Providing means of transport – bicycle – for the clergy living very far away where it is not easy to get transport to the Archdeaconry seat.
v) Establishing the means of paying the clergy stipend monthly.
vi) Establishing a Bible School.
vii) Establishing more churches.
viii) Creating more Archdeaconries
ix) Building a Bishopscourt in Kananga
x)   Providing a vehicle for Kananga
xi) Providing musical instruments to Archdeaconry seats.
xii) Assisting some churches in the purchase of church land and in the construction of church building.
xiii)Extending our evangelical programs to areas where there is no Anglican presence.
B.   Social Development:-    What to be done.
a) Establish a clinic.
b) Establish a Pastoral Centre where there will be lodging, conference and Inter-net facilities.
c) Establish a Youth Centre for learning Carpentry and Sewing.
d) Encourage Archdeaconries, Churches and individuals to establish agricultural or commercial projects.

PROGRESS MADE SO FAR
I) INTER – ARCHDEACONRY CONFERENCE 2006.
We held an Inter – Archdeaconry Conference at Mbuji-Mayi from 25 – 28, May, 2006. 58 delegates were in attendance. The theme of the Conference was, “Let’s rise up and build“ Nehemiah 2:18. It was very successful. It was agreed at the Conference that Bible Study, Prayer and Evangelism will be our main focus while social work comes next.
ii) EPISCOPAL / EVANGELICAL VISIT TO OUR ARCHDEACONRIES AND PARISHES: (Already mentioned above)
Some of the equipments already purchased for evangelism are:-
a) Hitachi Video/CD Film Projector
b) Sony CD Player
c) Toshiba video cassette player
d) Lucky Star Cordless microphone
e) Jacob's¨PA Amplifier/speaker System

-For evangelism in MbujiMayi Archdeaconry, we have purchased,
a) 400kva electricity generator
b) Amplifier
c) 2 Ahuja Loudspeakers
d) 10metre extension reel
e) Lectern
f) Altar Table

-For Kananga Archdeaconry, we have purchased
a) 270kva electricity generator
b) 2 Ahuja Loudspeakers
c) 2 microphones
d) 10metre extension reel
e) Amplifier

PURCHASE AND SALE OF BIBLE AT A REDUCED RATE
We bought 74 Tshiluba bibles and sold them at less than half the cost price. Some were even given as free gifts because more than 80% of the people do not have bible. At that reduced price, many could still not afford it.
Our sincere gratitude goes to some members of St. Paul’s Church, Jersey, who, at the begining of this year sent a sum of One thousand and five hundred (1500) pound sterling to buy bibles for all our priests, evangelists and catechists.
BELIVERS’ CLASS
We started a Bible class called "Believers' Class" to develop members spiritually so that they can be useful in the work of evangelism.

SPECIAL PRAYER GROUP – THE DANIELS
We also established a special prayer group called “The Daniels”. Members of this prayer group are divided into seven groups to be praying in the church each day of the week. However, not all the groups are functioning as they should now.

MARKET EVANGELISM
We started Market Evangelism last year December. We had been there three times to evangelise and we received good response to our invitation to the people to give their lives to Christ. They came out openly to confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and also knelt on the bare ground for prayers.

NEIGHBOURHOOD EVANGELISM
We have also started neighbourhood evangelism, going from house to house, around the church.

SEMINAR ON SOUL WINNING
We conducted a Seminar on Soul-winning from January 24 – 28 this year at Mbuji-Mayi. At the end of the seminar, more people joined us in our evangelical outreaches. However, we are yet to go to Kananga and Kabinda Archdeaconries to do the same program.

TRACT PRODUCTION.
We have written and produced tracts in French and Tshiluba languages. These we give out to people during our evangelical outreaches.

We have started Children Service on Sundays. Attendance is now between 130 and 150 children. Children from the church environment also attend the service and we encourage them with biscuits and sweets every Sunday.
However, once we travel or go to other parishes, the children service does not hold. We are still praying for committed youths and adults who will take over from my wife.

PURCHASE OF A PLOT OF LAND FOR A PARISH
The Lord enabled us to purchase a plot of land for Ditekemena Parish in MbujiMayi Archdeaconry. The land has a small building on it. We have obtained government papers for the land. The members of the parish are already worshipping on the land.

DONATION OF A BICYCLE
A bicycle was purchased and donated to a priest in Kananga Archdeaconry.
Various assistance has also been given to churches and individuals in one form or the other-repair of church roof, paying medical bills, assisting them in their business ventures,etc.

AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
In order that the future diocese could be self sufficient, US$665 5000fc was given to MbujiMayi Archdeaconry, US$500 to Kananga Archdeaconry and US$1000 to Kabinda Ardeaconry for Agricultural and commercial projects. We hope to hear their success story, and not any other story, during our Inter – Archdeaconry Conference in Kananga in May this year.

Mothers’ Union Conference for the two Kasai was held in Kabinda last year November. It was very successful. Thirty-one delegates from the three archdeaconries attended the Conference. Decisions taken at the Conference are being carried out in their programme this year..
In May 2006, during the Inter-Archdeaconry Conference held at MbujiMayi, Mama Bishop gave US$350 each to MbujiMayi and Kananga Archdeaconries and US$200 to Kabinda Archdeaconry to establish/enlarge their Mothers' Union Projects.

EDUCATION
We believe in God that our schools will soon be approved by the government. We have sent someone to Kinshasa to that effect. We hope to include our clergy as part of the teaching staff to teach Bible Knowledge so that the pupils will be taught the word of God. This will also enable our clergy to earn salaries.
ADMINISTRATION.

OFFICE:- We do not have an office now. Before we came to Congo, we were told that we would be using the boys’ quarters in our compound as our office. But when we came, we met the Archdeacon of Mbuji-Mayi, Ven. Mukendi Casmir Mpinga, already living in the house. The Archbishop Dirokpa had asked him to leave the place two or three times, but he has refused to leave. The last three months were given him the second time to look for his own accommodation and pack out of the house, but he is yet to move out of the apartment. So, we are using our sitting room as our office. This situation has hindered our work a little bit.

For some other reasons and the reason stated above, the secretaries we employed usually leave after some time.

The Archdeacons supervise their Archdeaconries and submit reports to the Missionary Bishop at the end of every three months. The bishop is communicated if there is an urgent need for that.

FINANCE.
During the First Inter – Archdeaconry Conference last year, it was agreed that all the parishes should be paying 20% of their tithes and offering to the office of the Missionary Bishop as their contribution to
the progress of the work being done. Therefore, from July 2006 when they started to send in the 20%, up till March 2007, a period of 9 months, this is what has been sent in:

                         a) Mbuji-Mayi Archdeaconry    = 101,390fc
                         b) Kananga Archdeaconry       =   63,866fc
                         c) Kabinda Archdeaconry        =   23,660fc
                                              Total                    = 188,916fc    = US$349.8

This means that, in 10 months, the 33 churches were able to contribute US$349.8 only.
This shows that without the assistance of partners from Nigeria and CCA, very little or nothing could be achieved.

PARTNERSHIP.
We seize this opportunity to thank the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Dr. Peter J. Akinola, some Dioceses and individuals from Nigeria, the Vicar and members of St. Paul’s Church, Jersey, and all the members of Congo Church Association (CCA) for their spiritual and financial assistance for the progress of our missionary work in the two Kasai.

There are lots of things to be done, but the available fund are grossly inadequate to meet the needs. We are praying to the God of heaven and earth to provide abundantly for our needs.
It is difficult to transfer the priests because some of them have got farms or something that they are doing to keep body and soul together where they are, since they are being paid little or nothing as stipend every month.
Most of the clergy need training and retraining.
Poor roads in the states hinder travelling to and from one place to the other.
Most of the people are of the notion that when a visitor/leader comes, he has come with money to share with them, failure of which they are discouraged or disenchanted. We are making efforts to make them believe in their own efforts and in God’s kind provision for their needs.
The number of those coming for programs during the week is not encouraging. They prefer to go to their shops and market and look for what they will eat than coming to church.
Some of the walls of our residence need to be rehabilitated. The wall holding the sitting room and the kitchen has got a crack which is increasing gradually because the ground is sinking. One can now see the kitchen through the crack. This has affected other walls in the house and they have also developped cracks. The rehabilitation needs to be done
urgently.

We appeal to churches and individuals for prayers and financial assistance in order to realise all that we need to do.