Speakers at the 2009 General Assembly

Rev. Eliki Bonanga, General Secretary and Legal Representative of the Community of Disciples of Christ of the Congo (CDCC), will bring Friday morning greetings to the business session of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Bonanga leads the Congo Disciples in much the same way that General Minister and President Sharon Watkins works with Disciples in the United States and Canada.  He will offer a word on how the Disciples' global presence and partnerships promotes a "movement for wholeness in a fragmented world" -- particularly in Congo. The African nation was home of early missionary efforts by Disciples, where leadership eventually shifted to the Congolese, resulting in phenomenal growth there.

Bonanga is trained as an administrator as well as a preacher, teacher and tireless traveler to the widespread Disciples churches of Congo. He is credited with restoring confidence in the church's leadership following a series of conflicts and management crises.

Bonanga is a product of Disciples mission schools, where he spent his primary and secondary school years. He later attended the Theological Institute at Bolenge.  He earned a master's in Theology at the University of Kinshasa at the Faculty of Theology.  He returned to Bolenge and taught for two years at the Theological Institute.

From 1981 to 1986, he served as an ecumenical pastor in Germany through the United Evangelical Mission. He also served as Partnership Coordinator for the United Evangelical Mission where relationships were established between local districts in Germany and the Congo. These relationships continue to flourish today and change lives of people.  He later went for training in Church Administration in England before returning to the Congo. His studies in England were sponsored by Global Ministries.

Bonanga returned to the Congo in 1988 and served as the director of a technical rural training program – an ecumenical initiative designed to promote capacity building and mission enabling among member churches.  He was in this position for several years before becoming a local pastor in Mbandaka, near Bolenge.

Bonanga has served as General Secretary and Legal Representative of the CCDC since 2003.  He is an ordained pastor in the Disciples of Christ church.

From www.disciples.org

Fair Trade Coffee House

This Friday, June 5 from 7-9pm
Open Mic Night !!

(performers must be approved in advance: hope@vinestreet.org)

Farm Fresh  Produce is Coming Back

You don't want to miss the homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and squash and you don't want to miss the fellowship. We have heard many wonderful stories of victory over hardship from the various farmers who bring their produce to Vine Street. Joann Evans will be here, no doubt wearing a smile, after surviving cancer and many other trials. She'll be the first to tell you, "it's all a matter of faith." We're hoping the "Peach Lady" will be back, but we have not heard anything definite yet.

Wednesday - June 10th - Come meet the farmers, buy the produce and get to know them for yourselves. It's a tradition well worth keeping. (TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS!)

Notes from the Choir Room