Wendy sent this prayer request on August 16 to her missionary partnership team.  Please keep this situation in prayer ~

Greetings from the Democratic Republic of Congo ~

The Baptist Community of the Congo, our sister church which was founded by American Baptist missionaries in 1878, will be holding an executive committee meeting and two general assemblies in Kinshasa, starting August 23.  The Community has been ravaged by an administrative conflict that began in 2004, and this will be the first attempt to hold an assembly with delegates from both factions to hammer out the details of a plan for reconciliation.  The province of Bas Congo, where I work, has been the major battlefield in the conflict, with a rival general secretary controlling most of the city and village churches.  The result has been a decline in membership and service activities throughout the province for the past six years!  Please pray for the meetings, that there will be a spirit of harmony and a sincere desire to bring the Community back together again!  Missionary Glen Chapman needs your special prayers, as he will be serving as chaplain at the assemblies.
 
It has often been said that where you have two Baptists together, you'll have three opinions.  In other words, Baptists are known for disagreement and conflict!  Our American Baptist denomination in the U.S. is no stranger to conflict.  How our Lord must grieve to see His children at each other's throats!  I picture Him, together with the apostles Paul and John (who wrote a lot about love), banging their heads against the wall, pounding it with their fists, and crying, "Why are they wasting their time destroying each other, when the whole world still needs to hear the Good News, and see it lived out in the lives of Christians!?!?"
 
I'll be in Kinshasa for the assemblies.  Personally, I lost hope for reconciliation in 2005, so please pray that I'll be proven wrong!  I would love to "eat crow" on this one!
 
Shalom,
Wendy