SUMC members collect cans & bottles to build 2 wells in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Shirley Disch collecting bottles and cans on Logan Road to raise money for SUMC well project. Photo courtesy of Dave Disch.
Manchester resident Shirley Disch, walks with a group every Monday and Friday. One Friday, the walk took them down Logan Road. When she got home, she enlisted the help of her husband, Dave Disch as a driver and headed back to Logan where she picked up over 100 bottles and cans. Dave sent us a photo of her efforts and stated that she gave the cans and bottles to a woman from their church who is raising money for a charity.
When we asked what charity, Shirley first explained that she did not mean for efforts to become so public and that she considers herself blessed that her husband is her biggest fan. Then stated that she is grateful to have the opportunity to share a really great story of two churches, half a world away from each other, and the work God is doing in both.
The story is also about two pastors. One pastor, whom most residents of Manchester probably know, is Pastor Pete Harris of Sharon United Methodist Church (UMC). The other is Pastor Mujinga Mwamba Kora of the Lueji United Methodist Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Pastor Pete (left) and Pastor Kora (right). From Sharon UMC power point presentation.
In 2006 Pastor Pete traveled to Zimbabwe on a short-term mission trip to teach English to pre-theology students at Africa University. He befriended one of the students, Mujinga Mwanba Kora, and over the years they have kept in contact. Pastor Kora finished his education, returned to the North Katanga Conference of the United Methodist Church, and assumed his responsibilities as a pastor, evangelist, and educator.
Early in 2019 Pastor Pete, seeking to expand the mission outreach of Sharon UMC, asked his friend if there were any projects needing support. The response came quickly. His village needed a fresh water well dug. The villagers had to trek a mile or more to a river to collect water for their daily activities. This river was the only source of water for both the people and their animals and waterborne illnesses were common in the village. It created suffering in many ways.
Shirley explained that hearing this, Sharon UMC eagerly set out to provide a fresh water well for Lueji and by the end of 2019 they were elated to send word to Pastor Kora that they’d gathered all the funds needed for a well. Digging occurs during the dry season (July and August) to ensure they will have water all year round. She stated, “Water began to flow in July 2020! Woo hoo! This is a huge blessing! However; with a population more than twice the size of Manchester (approximately 6000) there were still two challenges: the village is large enough that people were still walking a mile or more to the well and they had to stand in a long line waiting their turn. One well is not sufficient so we are raising funds for two more wells and we have a very short time to do it in. Dry season is just a few months away. It's a big goal but we have a big God and we are charging ahead with our efforts.”
Dave wonders if maybe as a community we could get a roadside bottle and can collecting movement in the village now that the weather is nice.
Shirley continued, “It seems silly to think that a 10-cent bottle return will do much good when we have to raise $16,500 but, of course, this is not our only effort. We are doing some "in house" fundraising; will likely do a drive-up meal in April or May, a community-wide can and bottle drive (not only raising funds but helping clean the streets and roads in and around Manchester) and we are seeking private and corporate donations to get us to our goal. We have been blessed with a matching "grant" of $2000 for donations made during the month of March so every donation will be doubled until we reach that 2K mark.”
If you are interested in donating, you can donate on the church’s website at sharonumchurch.org or mail a donation to Sharon UMC P.O. Box 543 Manchester, MI 48158. For more information visit the church’s website.
Pastor Kora getting the first fresh water from the first well. From Sharon UMC power point presentation.
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