Opinion: Perspectives from readers

We want to thank Charlie Malembe and Nancy Myers for their excellent article “1,000 Gather in Kinshasa for Ordinations” (November).

They communicate well the excitement and the sense of kairos—God’s timing—that we were privileged to share as part of the delegation from Mennonite Church USA and its agencies.

We are still in awe of the patience, suffering and faith of our Congolese sisters as they waited for this day. We are also amazed at the humility and willingness to share leadership on the part of the male church leaders. Some of them resisted women’s ordinations in the beginning but have now embraced women in leadership and given them their blessing.

We met many male pastors who have become convinced that recognizing the pastoral gifts of women is biblical and essential to the church’s vitality.

Male pastors leading the Kinshasa ordination service acknowledged this milestone several times and invited all women to consider the door open to church leadership. Sounds of appreciation and celebration could be heard from women and men alike in response to the pastors’ words.

A collaborative spirit and solidarity among women have already started blurring the boundaries between denominations. Ordained women from the other two Congolese Mennonite denominations were present at the ordinations, as well as Methodist and Presbyterian women.

We are fully convinced that God’s work in Congo will be strengthened now that the spiritual gifts of women are added to those of men. The giftedness of both women and men are needed to realize God’s desire for the way we were created to live on this earth.

One of the most moving moments in our three-week visit to Congo occurred in Tshikapa when the ordained women in our delegation, the two of us and Amanda Rempel, who represented Western District Conference, were invited to join the circle of male pastors in blessing the newly invested pastors.

For Sandy, Revelation 7 came to life, with people from diverse tribes and nations gathered around God’s throne in worship. For Paula, it was a realization of Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

We were also privileged to have conversations with the female students at Kalonda Bible Institute. Marie-Louise Chermba Yama from Kabuatu entered seminary last year at age 60.

Inspired by the visit of Addie Banks, a pastor from New York who was part of a Mennonite Church USA delegation several years ago, Marie-Louise said that Pastor Banks was a woman like her, with skin the color of hers.

“I had been told that I could not be a pastor alongside my husband because I am a woman, but I had hope after I met Addie,” Marie-Louise said.

Another student, Thérese Tudiakuile, married and in her 40s, said, “When I saw that the road had opened for women after the vote last year, I came here to study.” Her husband and her children were willing to make adjustments to free her for study.

Another Kalonda student, Charly Kasha from Nyanga, 22, a single woman, told us, “Before, there was no place for me in leadership, but now the door has opened, and I said, ‘Why not me?’ ”

With greater access to theological education come new challenges. There is no additional housing for women students at Kalonda—and four more women students have enrolled in this fall term.

Although the school tries to provide housing for each student, and their family if they are married, all four of the current second-year students live in the one house available to women. Kalonda Bible Institute is working to raise funds to cover this desperate housing shortage.

At the end of our visit with these first-year seminary students, we gathered under a tree to pray. God filled this space. We ended our time together by standing and holding hands as we sang, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord” (in French and English) as our benediction to each other.

When we opened our eyes, we were surrounded by about 400 kids quietly watching us, as if they had a sense of the holy power of the moment.

These children will grow up addressing both women and men as “Reverend Pastor” and knowing that God blesses both women and men with the gifts of wisdom and leadership.

Sandy Miller is ordained for churchwide ministry as Mennonite Mission Network director of church relations. Paula Killough is ordained for ministry as Mennonite Mission Network senior executive for advancement.