Tracing its roots
back to the early 60's, the Wings of Caring aviation department has helped
to meet the transportation and communication needs of the Central Congo
United Methodist Church across the vast untamed reaches of Central Congo.
Flights can range from the steamy sprawl of the nation�s capital of Kinshasa
in the west to the 13,000 foot mountains bordering Bukavu in the east;
from the copper rich fields surrounding Lubumbashi in the south to
the vast equatorial jungles of Kisangani in the north. However, most
flights stay within 90 minutes flying time of the centrally located base
in Kananga. Those 90 minutes, few as they seem, save countless days of
bone-wrenching travel by dangerous road for the staff and friends of the
United Methodist church.
As is true with its sister
church in the U.S., the Congo United Methodist Church is involved in a
wide variety of ministries to the people it serves. Evangelism, youth
work, medical treatment, nutrition programs, agricultural projects, and
educational training are just some of its many outreaches. In a land
where the road structure has all but disappeared, Wings of Caring
provides the
vital means of getting people and supplies to where they need to go. So,
whether it�s transporting a student to school, flying a critically ill
patient to medical care, helping professors reach the seminary where they
are to teach, helping the bishop visit far-flung villages, or enabling
delegates to get to annual conference, Wings of Caring is there to help.
Sometimes the Bishop shares the same flight with a load of goats,
professors are accompanied by sacks of rice, or the pilot might fly with a
cabin full of drums of high-octane fuel. One just never knows what might
show up to go on the next flight!
Wings of Caring is under
the capable direction of Jacques Umembudi, a veteran Congolese
United Methodist pilot. The aviation program is overcoming the lingering effects of
the civil war that is estimated to have killed more than 5 million
people. They have an operational 6 seat
Cessna U206F workhorse (outfitted with a Horton STOL kit, Flint long-range
fuel tanks, an underbelly cargo pod, and HF radio), and a 4 seat Cessna
R172K which is awaiting repairs after being vandalized during the war.
Tracing its roots
back to the early 60's, the Wings of Caring aviation department has helped
to meet the transportation and communication needs of the Central Congo
United Methodist Church across the vast untamed reaches of Central Congo.
Flights can range from the steamy sprawl of the nation�s capital of Kinshasa
in the west to the 13,000 foot mountains bordering Bukavu in the east;
from the copper rich fields surrounding Lubumbashi in the south to
the vast equatorial jungles of Kisangani in the north. However, most
flights stay within 90 minutes flying time of the centrally located base
in Kananga. Those 90 minutes, few as they seem, save countless days of
bone-wrenching travel by dangerous road for the staff and friends of the
United Methodist church.
As is true with its sister
church in the U.S., the Congo United Methodist Church is involved in a
wide variety of ministries to the people it serves. Evangelism, youth
work, medical treatment, nutrition programs, agricultural projects, and
educational training are just some of its many outreaches. In a land
where the road structure has all but disappeared, Wings of Caring
provides the
vital means of getting people and supplies to where they need to go. So,
whether it�s transporting a student to school, flying a critically ill
patient to medical care, helping professors reach the seminary where they
are to teach, helping the bishop visit far-flung villages, or enabling
delegates to get to annual conference, Wings of Caring is there to help.
Sometimes the Bishop shares the same flight with a load of goats,
professors are accompanied by sacks of rice, or the pilot might fly with a
cabin full of drums of high-octane fuel. One just never knows what might
show up to go on the next flight!
