Reid Trulson - Remembering Family

This is our first full day (Oct. 17) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.). This morning we met with the Executive Committee and pastors from the Convention of Baptist Churches in the Congo (CBCO). Our meetings took place on the grounds of CBCO headquarters located on a hill overlooking the portion of the Congo River known as Stanley Pool. Here is where Henry Morton Stanley assembled boats for use in the upper portions of the Congo River. Stanley is familiar to most Americans for the newspaper reports that chronicled his feat of “finding” David Livingstone who was presumed to be lost in Africa.

Pastor Kembo, CBCO’s General Secretary, and I exchanged public remarks about our respective organizations. This was followed by a brief question and answer session. I was struck by the fact that American Baptist International Ministries is still primarily known here as ABFMS--- The American Baptist Foreign Mission Society---which of course is our legally incorporated name. Most importantly, the use of ABFMS recognizes our historic ties with the Baptist movement in Congo reaching back to the start of our mission service here in 1884 when American Baptists were invited to take over the ministry begun by the Livingstone Inland Mission from England. Repeatedly the leaders and pastors of CBCO spoke of CBCO and American Baptists as being one and of the role of ABFMS in helping to birth their movement.

Later in the morning we celebrated the remembrance of more of our family ties as some of our group met for discussion in Sims Chapel, the historic place of worship built by ABFMS missionary Aaron Sims. Others of us visited other buildings on the CBCO grounds. When we entered Pastor Kembo’s office, we saw portraits of Aaron Sims and Henry Richards (see photo above) on the wall. One Congolese leader immediately began telling how Richards had been sharing the gospel with little response from the villagers. Then, one day, a villager pointed to something Richards owned and asked for it. This was followed by others who did the same until Richards was left with a completely bare house. Dejected because the villagers had stripped him of all his belongings, Richards decided that he would need to leave the Congo. The next day, however, people began to return his goods. They had concluded that he was truly a man sent from God and that they should listen to him. People began giving their lives to Christ in such large numbers that the movement became known as the “Pentecost on the Congo”.

I was able to contribute part of the story that was unknown by the CBCO leader telling this story. Namely, that Richards had been translating the gospel of Luke and then gathering the villagers to read and discuss each newly translated passage. When he came to Luke 6:30 he hesitated. That text says, “Give to everyone who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again”. Richards feared that the people might take that verse literally and he had to confess that he had never literally obeyed it. Finally he translated the passage and read it to the villagers in spite of his fears. That text is what motivated the villagers to test Richards to see if he could obey its command. His response to being stripped of all his goods led to the villagers’ response of faith in Christ.

Of all that I have experienced today, the most profound has been to reconnect with our family in the Congo---family consisting of our missionaries past and present, and family consisting of Congolese brothers and sisters in Christ.