How do you recover from inter-tribal violence and turmoil when friends and family are injured or killed, homes burned, cattle stolen, and you have had to flee to a refugee camp? Many East Congolese refugees touched by such trauma have arrived in the communities here in Bellevue, WA and across the nation. They are an integral part of the diverse Christian worshipping community and offer an amazing testimony to the power of God’s love.

In response to the enduring crisis in their homeland, Pastor Alexis Ruhumuriza has a vision for the future for this area – one of reconciliation, forgiveness, peace, and a sustainable future. The New Hope Revival worshipping community of Bellevue was formed in Bellevue Presbyterian Church (BelPres) in 2016. From these humble beginnings, along with the ongoing support of many dedicated and passionate volunteers, Congo Peace was born. In 2022 we became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are a grant-making organization partnering with New Hope Reconciliation Center (NHRC) in South Kivu – a separate non-governmental organization in the DRC. NHRC is a multi-tribal team focusing on reconciling warring tribes.

Congo Peace is dedicated to addressing the decades-long devastation inflicted by conflict in the Minembwe region of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We are focused on healing the wounds caused by intertribal conflict and working with all peoples of that area to bring reconciliation between tribes. 

While we have provided and stand ready to provide relief in emergency situations, we are not a relief ministry. We are a transformation ministry, dedicated to fundamentally transforming the Minembwe region and, ultimately, South Kivu and the DRC through the love of Jesus Christ. This transformation will include reconciliation, vocational and entrepreneurial training of young people of the disputing tribes at New Hope Academy - a residential school we are building outside of Bukavu, DRC. There, young people will live, learn and work together, becoming the future leaders of a peaceful, prosperous area.

For those who have witnessed their loved ones being massacred and have barely survived with their own lives, forgiveness and reconciliation are hard. But in the words of Pastor Alexis, nothing is impossible with God. Where others see roadblocks, he sees possibilities. “God’s way is to bring people together, creating a new way, transforming a traumatized community into a new community of love, forgiveness, healing and hope,” says Pastor Alexis. He reminds us – it is God’s plan, not his.

We partner with a team of committed Congolese leaders on the ground, led by Pastor Joseph Harera, to bring the hostile tribes together to heal and reconcile so that they can live, learn, work, worship, and thrive in Christian community. Their team is made up of individuals from each of the tribes. They reach out to local chiefs, pastors, and other community leaders to bring people together to hear God’s message of love and healing through forgiveness and reconciliation. Pastor Harera reports that “people are excited, as this is the first time anyone has approached them with a vision that treats all tribes the same and promotes acceptance and forgiveness between tribes.”

The approach is unique in that where other non-governmental organizations have focused exclusively on individual tribes, we focus on all affected tribes.  When support is not delivered equitably among the tribes, whether from a lack of resources, inadequate local connections or inability to drive a consistent program, the result has led to increased competition for help and a distrust of neighboring tribes and of those providing relief.