Update about the DRC and the Confessional Lutheran Church
During the month of August, the condition of the country was in bad shape as they experienced multiple situations of unrest, robbery, kidnapping, and killing. One of the Lutheran pastor’s houses was stormed by insurgents and the entire household was killed. Some church leaders suffered the same consequence on the center-eastern side of the country.
The church opened its doors for worship on August 23, 2020, and the majority of members came back after a long break due to Coronavirus. The church lost few members during the pandemic, but pastors praised God. As doors are open for worship, they are also conducting door-to-door visits for discipleship.
Theological College
The dormitory of the theological college is completely finished. Students aren’t using yet the dormitory because it’s not being furnished yet. The dormitory is in need of beds, mattresses, linens, dining furniture, and kitchen supplies. We hope that by the academic year 21-22, the dormitory will be in full use.
Women and orphans in our care
Since the beginning of the pandemic, most of the women in our counseling and empowerment stayed in their homes. They didn’t have opportunity of gathering and praying together, as the lockdown was enforced in the country. But we have now learned that they are gathering again and sharing their experience of being in lockdown. One of the women said that the lockdown time was the most dangerous of her life, as the abusive husband was always present in the house, not for helping, but arguing and fighting. This statement was the same for many of them.
Preparation for returning to the DRC
We have been in lockdown also for almost 5 months before planning to visit some of our partner churches. During that time, most of our contacts were through Zoom, emails, and phone calls. We had success zoom meetings with Peace Lutheran Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and good responses through emails and calls. Now we begin to move to a limited schedule. At the end of August, we visited Black Forest Lutheran Church in Colorado, where we experienced good interaction and exchanges, from the council to church members. Because of this congregation, we took significant steps forward toward our returning to the DRC. Now we are visiting Pennsylvania, where we will be visiting two church partners and the NALC Theological Seminary.
In our return plan, we are collecting household items and also clergy vestments. For anyone interested in donating items, they can be shipped to
Pastor Didi Panzo; C/O Arturo Panzo; 2701 Skybrook Lane; Durham, NC 27703
Prayer Requests
- Pray for the DRC government to secure the security of its citizens.
- Pray for the Confessional Church leaders that God may give them strength and vision of continuing to lead the church in a good direction. And may the Word must be preached faithfully.
- Pray for God’s provision to help furnish the dormitory for future students’ use.
- Pray that God’s provision as we plan to return to the DRC and while us still here in the USA through the end of December.
- Pray that we may fulfill the requirement for the granting of visas.
- Pray that we may have a good encounter and meeting with churches that we will be visiting.
Pastor Didi Panzo is an NALC Global Worker, serving with WMPL, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To learn more about the Panzo family or to partner with them in ministry, please visit thenalc.org/pastor-didi-panzo.