Central Congo Bishop Daniel Lunge is extending his evangelism efforts across the Congo River to help establish a United Methodist presence in the Republic of Congo.
The bishop met with Christian Ntondele, a graduate of Cameroon’s Protestant University of Central Africa, in Kinshasa on Feb. 13 to talk about the next steps in bringing the first church to this central African country, also known as Congo-Brazzaville or the Congo Republic.
Brazzaville, the capital, is on the Congo River opposite Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Lunge serves.
The Rev. Collins Etchi Ako, a United Methodist Board of Global Ministries missionary assigned to the East Congo Episcopal Area, initiated the meeting between Ntondele and Lunge.
He said the bishop had expressed a desire to evangelize in the neighboring Republic of Congo. Ako, originally from Cameroon, also is a graduate of Protestant University, where he met both Lunge and Ntondele at different times.
“This was an opportunity for me to help build a bridge between Dr. Ntondele and The United Methodist Church in the DRC. After spending close to six years in Cameroon and actively participating in the implantation of The United Methodist Church (there), I knew this was an opportunity for Dr. Ntondele to realize his dream of implanting The United Methodist Church in the Republic of Congo,” Ako said.
