A miracle of Faith

The following extract first appeared in the Winter 2003 issue of Think Again News, and is reproduced by kind permission of the Think Again team.  For more details on Think Again and the Diocese of Down and Dromore, please check our Think Again page.

A MIRACLE OF FAITH BROUGHT JEROME MUNYANGAJU FROM RWANDA TO KILLYLEAGH - here's just a taste of his story...

Jerome brings to the Church of Ireland the insights of coming here first as a missionary, having trained in Tanzania, India and the UK.  And he knows at first hand the pain of living through the Rwandan genocide that killed his sister and other friends and relatives.

Through all this Jerome is able to speak with conviction and authority about the need for forgiveness, reconciliation and the healing love of Jesus, and he has been asked to be the keynote speaker at the Think Again Reconciliation conference in November 2003.

How long ago did you come to live in Northern Ireland and why ?

I came to Northern Ireland in 1995 under the auspices of all Church of Ireland mission agencies. At the same time the General Synod wanted to invite someone from the Southern hemisphere where the Church is growing very fast to come to Ireland to enthuse churches here towards mission.

Where did you come from ?

My country of birth is Rwanda, I grew up and was educated in the neighbouring Tanzania because of the war which broke out in the late 1950's and in the 1970's targeting students in schools.  Then in the 1990's came the catastrophe of the 1994 genocide.  It's only a miracle of faith that these problems have not overwhelmed the church in Rwanda.  The situation there is unique, the wounds need healing and only the message of the cross is relevant.

How has God used your early experiences to mould your life ?

My conversion from nominal Christianity at the age of 17 meant a new life altogether.  I believe that prayers of Christian friends have sustained me through my life.  I was fortunate to study for the ministry in Institutions where not only were there gifted teachers but men and women who pointed the way forward.  That preparation helped me to play a key role in ministry and leadership in the Church of Tanzania.  I was appointed rector of St. Paul's as the last chance before the church was to be closed.  The past conflicts, open hatred and squabbles in the church were intimidating.  I believed there was a need to demonstrate the love of God, and there was forgiveness in some cases, we moved forward.  After 4 and a half years it became one of the fastest growing churches, and this confirmed to me the truth that love is the greatest gift.  In that situation we saw how the Holy Spirit worked to resolve conflicts.

Why are you involved in the Reconciliation strand of Think Again ?

When I first came here I thought reconciliation was to be part of what I was to encourage and get involved with, because by all considerations in our understanding of the Bible and Christian faith - in short it is biblical, it is a Christian mandate and is so relevant to our society.  The only thing that is unusual is how on earth we can fail to see this huge elephant of sectarianism  in our living room and almost everywhere.  As a church we have a distinctive contribution to make, even beyond the peace that may be achieved by political means.  Who else can bring the healing between people ?

What have you done in Killyleagh to bring Reconciliation ?

We had an Alpha course for all;  Presbyterians, Catholics and Church of Ireland.  We advertised through the papers for all to come and come they did - on average 95 men, women and a few youngsters.  We listened, discussed and barbequed on the last day.  The friendships and some small groups continue across the divide.  During the course we were simply one community listening to God (Yes God speaking to us all).

You are going to be involved in the Reconciliation conference next November - what do you hope that the conference will achieve ?

We now need to recognise that reconciling people to people is an essential part of our commitment to the Lordship of Christ.  I do hope the conference will help us to listen to what God has to say to us from his word, gain insights from one another and rethink our ministry in the light of the fact that our churches and communities need healing.

What do you have to say to those who say Reconciliation is too difficult in a country like ours ?

Reconciliation is not "safe" but we have no choice except to follow Christ's example, trusting only in God.  Our mandate is to model Christ's reconciling love.  We need to learn how to be reconcilers.  Reconciliation is the greatest need of the time.  This is true in Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo, Cambodia, Bosnia and also Northern Ireland.  God's peace is much broader than personal peace and containing conflict; it's helping others to resolve conflict too.