Mission Discovery to N. Katanga Conference -Democratic Republic of Congo 

Katanga is a Province of the DRC and also a UMC Conference

Mulongo, DRC is straight north of Lubumbashi and slightly northeast of Kamina, perhaps halfway between Malemba and Kamola on the map below.  Since this community is in the northern section of the Katanga Province you will often hear about the North Katanga Conference.

 Targetting Young Adults

This mission is for young adults, ages 18-30. You must be physically and spiritually fit. The mission will require at least 2 weeks in July 2014. Participants will go deeper into Africa than they can imagine. It will be beyond the mission of a lifetime!

Aproximate Costs and Team leaders are listed to the left.

Participants will be responsible for raising their personal funding, project funding and for attending a mandatory orientation weekend, sometime in March or April, 2014.

 The Mission Project

We (Friendly Planet Missiology) think we have the perfect UMVIM mission project. We met with the Mulongo District Lay Leaders team. One of their generative themes is women's literacy. They are creating a foyer (women's school) to teach women to read through Bible study and general home economics classes, including health, child care, nutrition, sewing, etc. 

The local United Methodist Women have made and fired 20,000 bricks for the project, but they are now stuck. They lack the cash for cement and roofing to go ahead with construction. They also are unwilling to put this project in front of the church construction that is going forward. 

We've suggested that an UMVIM team come and help the community focus on this project. FPM will train the team and equip them with the community development tools they will need. The goal is to help the community move from stuck to completed project. The UMVIM team will also need to raise the money for cement and roofing (about $10,000, is needed). This team is requested to raise at least $5000, more if possible. 

We are planning a road/river route that would be quite the adventure for the UMVIM team. That would also give us time for their training.

 Mission Discovery and Friendly Planet Missiology

This mission is a partnership of Friendly Planet Missiology - a mission project of the Indiana Conference and Mission Discovery - a program of United Methodist Volunteers In Mission for the North Central Jurisdiction.

"In every village the issue of women's literacy comes in on top, even trumping safe water and malaria. We are convinced the community has this right. Work with the community on women's literacy and they will solve the other problems. We want this project to succeed and we are offering it to UMVIM and the Mission Discovery program. It is more than you thought you could bite off, but I know that it will change the landscape in North Katanga."  Bob Walters

Visit Taylor Denyer Walters Blog page for up close information and views of missiology and our place as servants to others.  http://friendlyplanetnews.blogspot.com/

 Indiana Conference

Friendly Planet Missiology is a mission project of the Indiana Conference.  Rev. Bob Walters is the Director of Connectional Ministry for the Katanga Conference.  His daughter, Rev. Taylor Walters Denyer is an elder in the North Katanga Conference.

By filling out the following short form, you are registering your strong interest in this mission. You will then be directed to complete the full application.  Or if ready, you can go directly to the FULL APPLICATION.  You are allowed to save your work as you go through the application form.

Seven participants will be chosen from the pool of applications that come in.

We hope to have the team participants chosen by March 1, 2014.  Get your application in early!