Psalm 9:9 "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

Isaiah 61:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations."

Isaiah 58:12 "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured centuries of exploitation and suffering—from Arab slave raids in the 19th century to the brutal colonial rule of King Leopold II, whose regime led to the death of an estimated 10 million people. Post-independence, corrupt regimes backed by Western powers continued to oppress the nation. Today, the DRC is considered a failed state—lacking centralized governance, cohesive infrastructure, or national unity. Over five million lives have been lost due to war, starvation, and the collapse of essential systems. Despite this, the Christian Church has remained a beacon of hope. It is the most reliable national institution, sustaining education, healthcare, and moral leadership where the government has failed. However, many leaders within the Church were compromised during past regimes. There is a vital need for spiritually mature and morally grounded leaders to rise up and lead both the Church and society toward lasting healing and transformation. Pray for

• Peace, justice, and restoration in the DRC, that God would expose and uproot the systems of exploitation, conflict, and foreign greed, and replace them with righteousness and equity.

• Ask God to raise up spiritually mature and morally upright Christian leaders who will guide both the Church and the nation with courage, compassion, and integrity.

• Pray for the strengthening of the Church in the DRC, that it may continue to be a powerful agent of healing, education, and social transformation amid national collapse.

• For the healing and unity of the Congolese people, across tribal, linguistic, and regional divides—praying for hope, reconciliation, and a renewed national identity rooted in Christ.

Christian help ministries will be essential for the foreseeable future due to the destruction of recent years. The government nationalization of hospitals and schools in the 1970s was a disaster. Churches and missions work hard to maintain and restore them, but the demands in funding and personnel are staggering. Pray specifically for:

i. Health Services. A large number of major and smaller hospitals - too many to list - are run by networks such as Interchurch Medical Assistance (an association of 12 Protestant agencies) and agencies or churches such as Baptists, Adventists, Community of Disciples of Christ, WEC and others. Intercommunity/mission hospitals, such as Centre Médical Evangélique at Nyankunde in the northeast, are both a good testimony and an essential ministry. Expatriate personnel are in constant demand.

ii. The school system suffers, with plummeting enrollment, negligible financing, lack of educational resources and a shortage of good teachers. Poverty and lack of opportunity constrain many families from sending their children to school. It is a minor miracle that the education system continues to function at all. Thank God for the educational ministries of the Catholic Church and increasingly Protestant churches, without which an entire generation may have gone without education. Around five million children still go without schooling today. Pray that churches and missions may use the immense opportunities for the gospel in the desperately needy education system.

iii. Transportation. The breakdown in surface transportation adds to the strategic importance of the seven agencies with aviation programmes (the largest of which is MAF, with eight aircraft in the DRC). Pray for safety in flying over trackless forests and swamps, provision of fuel, finance and personnel.