2008/2009 Cyper-Cafe' Project  The International Partnership Committee (IPC) & the Presbyterian Church of Kinshasa (CPK) have devised a plan to establish a Cyber-Café in Kinshasa.  As there is no mail service inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese have few ways to communicate and correspond other than costly cell phone connections, or personal contacts.  Our Presbyterian community of believers is about prayer, communication, and fellowship, which can be made possible only through regular e-mail exchange. 

 

Once the Cyber-Café is functioning you will be able to participate with your CPK-sister on a daily basis.  Our friends in the Congo need to hear from us and receive our encouragement.  Personal communication is appreciated foremost even above monetary assistance for their many obvious needs.  A message from us sends hope, inspiration and love through which they acquire emotional nourishment.

 

Computers, equipment, satellite dish and a wireless Internet connection will be needed in order to make this project possible.  CPK will charge churches, members and the community for email and other services.  These fees will generate income to make the Cyber-Cafe financially self-sustaining.  Our Williamsburg Presbyterian Church has given $1,100 towards the required amount of$8,000 for this project, and is initiating a challenge for our PEVA sister churches to walk and work together toward our goal.

 

Unite with us to empower our brothers and sisters in the Congo through this significant change in their daily lives.  Please prayerfully consider joining your presbytery by giving a donation towards this worthwhile mission. 

The Presbytery of Eastern Virginia’s (PEVA) Portsmouth, VA International Partnership Ministry  can earn a donation every time you search the Internet and shop online!!!  GoodSearch is a search engine that works like any other but will give 1 cent for each search.  Learn more about GoodSearch, and how your internet searching and shopping can help raise money for the International Partnership Committee.

 

Medical Sub-Committee Exciting News!  Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Matson conducted a mid-year review of the malaria treatment evaluation. Over 1090 mothers have been enrolled into the treatment regimen and over 400 deliveries have occurred. Dr. Wilkinson reviewed blinded sets of smears at the two sites that read them and concluded that the technicians are skilled and accurate in performance of this assay. To date, 31% of the mothers have been positive for malaria parasite in the blood at the first prenatal visit, 13% of the mothers have been positive at delivery, and 2.2% of the newborns have been positive. A striking seasonal difference in blood smear positivity has been observed, namely, more than 60% of the mothers have been positive at the first prenatal visit at the end of the dry season (September), whereas only 7% were positive well into the wet season (first two weeks of February). With results like these, the evaluation will need to be conducted for at least one calendar year, through the end of July2008.

 

CONGOLESE ART!

Currently on display are 12 beautifully rendered  paintings by a young artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Mr. Mukendi Ishaku.  These are a series of Nativity paintings that will be available for display in our churches.  There are also plans  to reproduce these images in a series of Christmas cards!  Stop by the PEVA office  and see the originals between 9 AM and 5 PM from Monday—Friday