The essence and real meaning of the Mission as a command and will of God is founded and included in the Lord’s words to His disciples after His Resurrection; “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John, 20:21) and “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Mission means:
• Reaching out to our fellowmen in order to meet them, talk to them, help them, sympathize with them and show compassion to them, motivated by love according to the model of God coming down into this world. A model missionary is God Himself when descending from Heaven for the salvation of the human race. Christ did not wait for the return of man to Him but went out Himself and found the lost man, and as a Good Samaritan and shepherd, He drove him into the fold, into God’s arms, the “inn” of His Church.
• The command of God. The previous words of the Lord do not mean “exhortation” but “command”. The Mission is a command of Christ. As a command, the Mission was fulfilled by the Apostles, who dispersed all over the world and preached the Gospel, without considering effort, sacrifices, dangers, even their own life.
• Obligation and duty: the Apostle Paul regarded the command of the Mission as a spiritual obligation and duty. He said that he was under obligation to Jesus Christ, if he did not evangelize.
His conscience, his whole being, his existence was identified with the duty of the Mission, to proclaim Christ to all nations. “For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel” (I Corinthians, 9:16) and “I am under obligation both to the Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Romans, 1:14).
The Mission is the duty of all Orthodox Church, clergy and laity.
In the area of the missionary and pastoral jurisdiction and ministry of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria all over Africa within the last few years, under the inspired spiritual guidance of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore II, the tree of Mission has flourished, has grown wider and has borne rich spiritual fruit. The Holy Metropolises and Bishoprics have doubled. Capable clerics who spare no pains have been chosen and appointed as bishops and missionaries and have been sent to different African countries in order to propagate Orthodoxy, which the African continent awaits and thirsts to get to know.
The Orthodox flock is on a constant increase. Daily thousands of Africans are catechized and baptized into the Orthodox faith, are united with Christ and become members of His One, Holy, Catholic (Orthodox) Church. Beyond, over and behind the people’s eyes, the drums of war, the economic crises, the fuss and (loud) publicity of the powerful on earth, Christ does His job quietly and secretly. He fights against the ruler of darkness of this century, the devil, in order to win the souls of men, having the Orthodox missionaries all over the world as His partners.
At the invitation of His Eminence Metropolitan Nikiphoros of Central Africa, and with the help of God, I went to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the see of the Holy Metropolis is situated, in order to see at first hand the missionary work that is being accomplished there. I went there twice, once in June 2012 for one and a half month and the other in November (2012) for three and a half months (until mid-February 2013).
The missionary work is immense. The prospects and opportunities for the development of Orthodoxy are incredible. Challenges as well as invitations occur on a daily basis. Individuals, groups of natives, villages and whole regions ask for and invite His Eminence the Orthodox Metropolitan Nikiphoros to come himself or send for priests, catechists and missionaries so that they can be catechized and baptized by them. His Eminence is almost all alone from dawn to dusk. He is on the run all day. His duties as well as the problems that occur are numerous. He is particularly engrossed in the operation of the Theological School at a university level. As a dean and head of studies for all departments, as a professor of many courses, as a supplier and in charge of the boarding school that lodges 85 students, as the one responsible for the maintenance of the building installations and machinery, as a spiritual father, guide and shepherd of clerics and catechists in Kinshasa and all over the Congo Republic. He ministers to everything patiently.
With the blessing and spiritual guidance of the Metropolitan, I was engaged in the following missionary activities:
1. Teaching two semester courses at the School of Theology, 30 hours of teaching per course.
2. Catechism. Its fruitful result was 48 natives (young and old) to be baptized Orthodox at the Holy Church of Saint Mark in Kinshasa.
3. Visits to Orthodox schools of the H. Metropolis, at Saint Mark in Kinshasa and in Kasangulu.
4. Pastoral work in churches.
5. Supervision of projects in the hinterland, at Gungu, which is 700 km away from Kinshasa, where the Orthodox Missionary Fraternity has undertaken the construction of two projects: the Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and a primary school.
6. Laying the foundations of the Holy Church of the Archangels and Taxiarchs in Kinshasa, which is funded by the same Fraternity.
7. Preparations for the creation of a new missionary division in a big city of the Congo, Kikwit, with approximately 600,000 inhabitants, which is 520 km away from Kinshasa.
During our visit with His Eminence to the Mayor of the city of Kikwit, the latter told us: “I am well aware of the fact that the Orthodox Church is the oldest Christian Church. I have a question, though: where have you been all this time? Why were you so late in coming over?” We answered him: “Better late than never.” Now God considered it the right time for the Orthodox Church to come here, too…”He promised to help us bring Orthodoxy into their town. In Kikwit there is a group of 300 catechumens who are fervent in spirit and ask His Eminenceto send for an Orthodox priest and make a Holy Church for them.
Such voices are heard from all over Congo and Africa. They reach out and wait for us. God listens to the call of the people who seek Him, and rewards the efforts and sacrifices of the selflessly working missionaries and their partners in His vineyard. Blessed be His Most Holy Name.
Vaios Prantzos
Professor, Civil Engineer, Theologian, Regular member of the Fraternity
