Travis Johnson, lead pastor of Pathway Church in Mobile, Alabama, who also serves on the National Faith Advisory Board (NFAB), has shed light on the need for the church to pray for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Earlier this year, the U.S. issued a travel advisory for the DRC. “Do not travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo due to Armed Conflict, Crime, Civil Unrest, Kidnapping, and Terrorism,” it said.
The warning continued:
Violent crime, such as armed robbery, armed home invasion, kidnapping, murder, rape, and assault, is common and local police lack resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Assailants may pose as police or security agents. Armed groups, individuals, and military forces routinely clash with each other. Civilians are frequently targeted in attacks in Eastern DRC. Terrorists and other armed groups have attacked military and civilian targets and represent an ongoing threat to humanitarian aid workers and other NGO personnel operating in DRC. Demonstrations are common in many cities and some have turned violent. Police have at times responded with heavy-handed tactics that resulted in civilian casualties and arrests. The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency consular services to U.S. citizens outside of Kinshasa due to poor infrastructure and security conditions.
“We just came back from the People’s Palace, which is the seat of the National Assembly and the Senate for the Democratic Republic of Congo. And it’s also the residence for President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi,” Johnson told ChurchLeaders via video while sitting inside a DRC hotel room.
Joined by NAFB’s Bishop Kelvin Cobaris and Dr. Malachi O’Brien, Johnson shared that he was given the opportunity to preach to over 20,000 Congolese people at the People’s Palace.
“It was just an incredible, incredible night,” he said.
Johnson explained how it came to be that he was invited to the event titled “USA DRC for Peace in Jesus Christ” and given the honor of speaking with and praying for President Tshisekedi.
“It’s only God because there’s no other way to explain it,” Johnson emphasized.
During the pandemic, Justin Muhubao, pastor of a Congolese church in Mobile that had lost its building, started coming to Pathway Church. Muhubao reached out to Johnson and told him he wanted Johnson to be his pastor.
Johnson described Muhubao as a “very dedicated Congolese pastor” who is a first-generation American and “very strong convictional Christian.” Johnson shared that one of the first things that he noticed about his new pastor friend was his “dedicated and convictional prayer life.”
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