Aaron R. Kayayan is the minister of French Broadcasting of the Back-to–God Hour at Palos Heights, Illinois. The following account is reprinted by permission from the January, 1985, newsletter of the broadcast, Perspectives Reformees.

We would like you to join us in sharing the good news and in giving thanks to the Lord for the work He is accomplishing through His Spirit and His saving Word by means of PERSPECTIVES REFORMEES , the French Radio ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.

I have just come back from a three-week trip to Africa (Zaire). On Friday, November 30, at 3:00 P.M. in the office of Kishimba Nyombo Kasantika, in the presence of ten official representatives and many members of other reformed groups, and with the fraternal assistance of the Reformed Church of the USA (Eureka Class is) Rev. Paul Treickrepresenting—the official constitution of the Eglise Reformee Confessante au Zaire (Reformed Confessing Church of Zaire) was declared.

This was one of the most moving moments of my whole ministry. After years of proclaiming the Gospel, of prayer and perseverance God has once again shown His goodness and we are seeing results. It is now time for the “harvest.” Listeners of Perspectives Reformees and readers of our publications converted several years ago had decided to form a Church that would be faithful to the Word and to live their lives worthy of the Gospel. They were truly convinced of the rightness of Reformed doctrine and perspectives.

On Sunday December 2, at 2:00P.M. I joined Rev. Treick in placing hands on the new first minister of the Church, Kishimba Nyombo Kasantika as well as on three elders representing three different regions of Zaire. Soon others will follow. Kishimba is one of our converts whom we sent to France to complete his theologi cal studies. After three years of brilliant results he returned home to Zaire and accepted the call to serve the Reformed Confessing Church. Other students will follow.

On Sunday, December 9, at 9:00A.M. (Rev. Treick had returned home two days earlier) I celebrated the first service of Baptism and Holy Communion. I had the immense joy and privilege of baptizing 73 children and teen-agers all of them members of Reformed confessing families, as well as baptizing some 12 adults. Almost all of them, except the new-born infants had been waiting for more than five years to receive this Holy Sacrament and become full members of the Reformed Church. The testimonies rendered at this ceremony by young men· and women were most eloquent and moving. By listening to the radio broadcast of Perspectives Reformees they had come out of their crass paganism and pernicious cults. Others of them had decided to rededicate themselves to the Lord. There were young mothers baptized with their children in spite of the indifference or even hostility of their pagan husbands. With glowing eyes and shining faces they bowed down their heads in order to receive the Holy Sacrament. Pronouncing “In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” 85 times—what an extraordinary experience for a minister, indeed!!!

The year 1984 saw the twenty-fifth anniversary of my effective ministry. I was so happy to “celebrate” it in such a dramatic way, right on the field. My African friends were happy and were praising the Lord. I also know that in our midst there was ANOTHER ONE who was happy for this event under that humble roof of an African mud chapel. It was God our Lord who rejoices in the conversion of even one sinner and who takes pleasure in any good event. Soon other groups from many centers in Zaire and even from other Francophone countries will join this church. (The French Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism and a Church Order – Discipline have been supplied to these Christians.)

The official constitution of the Eglise Reformee Confessante au Zaire is the result of the Grace ofGod . Our first attempts at starting a Reformed Church in French-speaking Africa met with little success. The advice was to forget about it and send all the converts back to their old chapels (Islam , Roman Catholic, pagan cults, or liberal and dead churches.) However, the Head of the Church decided otherwise.

For us to send anybody back would not merely be a failure in ecclesiastical strategy but also the giving up of our deepest Reformed-Calvinistic convictions. We would perhaps be leaving the sheep to the wolves . We are persuaded that all who sincerely share our Reformed conviction will rejoice with us at this exceptional event.

The establishment of a truly Reformed Church on the African continent is in our eyes not a mere church-planting policy. It represents a real promise of discovering the Way, the Truth and the Life amid the turmoil of the Black continent as well as providing some urgent and necessary remedies in the face of unspeakable evils.

Instead of the Africanization of Christianity we propose the BIBLICIZA TJON OF AFRICA .

Let me then conclude by stating my old conviction for my own ministry and for the mission of the church: “THE MESSAGE IS THE MISSION.”

THE MESSAGE—not talks about missions–not international conferences about professional missionarism—not juggling statistical figures based on hypothetical demographic explosions . . . in the year 2023!! A mere missionaristic professionalism of the Christian church reminds me of the Great Sahara Desert which, as everyone knows, expands more and more every year but never flourishes.

“THE MESSAGE IS THE MISSION” means simply that today whatever the demography of the world population, we have to preach the Gospel with the utmost urgency. The Spirit and the Word arouse this conviction in our hearts. The faithful proclamation of the Gospel will hasten the coming of the Kingdom of Peace, Justice and Holiness.

To the King of Creation and the Lord of the Mission we give thanks and glory.