A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

gnition as M.B. missionaries as early as 1919, and the Africa Mission Society made its first application to the Board of Foreign Missions in 1936. The conference at Corn, Oklahoma, in 1939 favored the acceptance of a mission in Africa in principle, but formal arrangements for taking over full responsibility were not com- pleted until 1943. The Bololo (Djongo Sanga) field was later given to the Africa Evangelistic Band because of its distance from the main Kwango field. Rapid Expansion The post-war period witnessed a rapid expansion of the missionary staff in the Congo. Between 1944 and 1949 twenty-one workers were commissioned by the M.B. Church to go to Africa — the largest number of missionaries ever to be sent out to one field in so short a time. Kafumba continued to be the center of M.B. missions in the Congo. The area it served included some 300 villages. A number of institutions were established here, including a primary school, a teacher-training school, a Bible school, a hospital, an orphanage and a printing office. The operation of these institutions required a large staff. Although most of the twenty-five instructors in the primary school (which had an enrollment of about 500 pupils by 1950) were Congolese, missionaries were needed to supervise and staff the other institutions. Among the pioneers at Kafumba (in addition to the A. A. Janzens) were Kathryn Willems, the Frank Buschmans, the Irvin L. Friesens, Mathilda Wall, Mary Toews, and Erna Funk. An indigenous church was established which experienced healthy growth. Mission and church were extended rapidly into new ares. Matende, fifty-six miles southeast of Kikwit, was opened in 1946. Its area is roughly thirty miles square, serving 100 villages with- a population of over 50,000. Under the leadership of the A. F. Kroekers, the A. J. Esaus and Margaret Dyck a church came into being here. Institutions included a dispensary and a boys' and girls' boarding school. Kipungu, located some sixty miles southwest of Kikwit, was opened in 1948. It serves an area including 200 villages and 200 company posts with a population (in 1950) of over 40,000. The John B. Kliewers, Anna Enns, and Anna Goertzen were among the first to serve MENNONITE BRETHREN AROUND THE WORLD 413 here. Again, a dispensary and an elementary school played an important auxiliary role in building the national church. When the Unevangelized Tribes Mission was dissolved, the Mennonite Brethren acquired the mission's stations established at Kajiji and Panzi. Because of its elevation and excellent climate, Kajiji became an important center for educational and medical work. Lusemvu was acquired from an independent missionary and added to the M.B. field. A summary report to the Centennial Conference in 1960 provided the following picture of the work in the Congo: Through the efforts of more than seventy missionaries and a number of fine national co-laborers, seven cente