Eglise Presbyterienne au Rwanda

Category: Events

  • The 51st International conference on dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims in Rwanda (JCM)

    The 51st International conference on dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims in Rwanda (JCM)

    Monday 5th February 2024, at Isano Center, the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda hosted the 51st International conference on dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims in Rwanda (JCM) . This conference organized by UEM and the participants came from   RDC, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda. German and Asian attended online streaming.  The Theme ʺwhat is home? ʺ

    In Opening remarks, the President and Legal Representative of Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, Dr Pascal Bataringaya he said : ʺ I appreciate very much the efforts made for this initiative of holding the conference that comes at the right time, because this year 2024 marks the 30 years of the commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, one of the extreme violence of the 20th century in Africa and in the world.

    I thank all of you for having offered your time to be here in our country, in order to reflect on this interesting theme.Rwanda has gone through a tragic history of political violence that culminated in 1994 into the genocide against the Tutsi. It is estimated that more than 1 million people were killed in a period of 100 days. Besides the loss of human lives, the genocide caused considerably damage to socio-economic structures, properties, family and community cohesion.

    Social relations were destroyed; the sense of humanity and community was not taken into consideration. Home was without meaning in the context of the genocide against the Tutsi.

    Today, when we try to have a look at what is happening in the world, 30 years after this tragic situation, many people in the world are currently refugees, some abroad in foreign countries, others in their own countries.

    In Rwanda thousands of people from the neigbour countries are also in the refugees camps. We have welcome them and the doors are still open to those who don’t have home. How can we talk about home while people are forced to leave their countries?

    As we all know, the situation of refugees is related to the wars, conflicts, persecution for political, religious or cultural causes.

    This is also connected to the contexts of injustice, discrimination, domination, exclusion and violence.

                  

    In addition to the wars that cause the refugees contexts, we always face the situations of natural disasters which also force people to leave their homes and become refugees.

    That is why, to talk about home and the meaning of home in the current situation is a necessity for the Christians, Jews and Mulims as we are all the believers of the three Abrahamic religions but also the descendants of Abraham.

    God of Abraham, our God in whom we all believe and trust is One, and we all are His children, the same family, the same nation. He has always wanted his people to truly belong to him.

    As we are all together in this International Conference, here in Isano Guest House, we are supposed to take our time, to explore together from an interreligious and intercultural perspective addressing the issue of “What Home means” and to see together which responses the jewish, christian and muslim traditions and cultures have to bring to the loss of home, the loss of his or her own land; as it is a big challenge today.

    The meaning of “Isano” where we are now gathered is “ the relationship” or very simply “the link”. It means the relation or the link between us, between humans but also between us and God. This can be extended to the meaning of the word/concept “ Religion”: We are all connected to God and therefore to each other.

    That is why to talk about “Home” is to want to realize God’s dream for humanity – as we know that we are indeed members of one family, the human beings Family, bound together in a delicate network of interdependence of life.”

    African tradition agrees with the Bible and I think with the Koran in asserting that, Land belongs to the high God. So to exclude others from their land, from their home is considered as a sign of unfaithfulness to God.

    Excluding or isolating others from their home is sin! To isolate and demonstrate hatred towards others is sin and a rejection of God’s love and Himself!

    That is why all Churches and Faith based organizations have to build the capacity of their members and the society at large to prevent violent conflicts and sustain peaceful interactions among their believers in order to promote the sense of home and abundant life for all.”

  • The delegates came from DM to the EPR

    The delegates came from DM to the EPR

    From October 10 to 27, 2023, it was with pleasure that the church welcomed the three school directors from Switzerland. Normally the church collaborates with ‘’ Departement Missionnaire  suisse (DM)’’ , it is in this context that the three directors came to visit the Church schools that have a partnership with DM. First, in October last year 2022, the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda sent the 3 directors of Schools to Switzerland, for study trip purposes, this time the DM directors came for an exchange of ideas.

               

    During their stays in Rwanda  they done some activities include visit and participation to the conference between EPR –DM where they discussed together, sharing of video on contextualization of the EPR/DM exchange project, feedback on the exchange in Switzerland and there was the opportunity to celebrate DM’s 60th anniversary. The Church Leaders appreciated this good partnership.

           

     

     

     

  • Inauguration of the Gisozi Parish

    Inauguration of the Gisozi Parish

     

    The church continues to celebrate the results achieved during 4 years from 2020 to 2023.

    Sunday, on 3rd September 2023, there was the inauguration ceremony of  Gisozi Parish temple in Kigali presbytery.  The President and Vice-President of Presbyterian in Rwanda, the pastors, the church members, and guests from inside and outside the country came to praise the Lord for the good work. It was a wonderful Sunday.

    This building also contains the headquarters of the presbytery of Kigali.

     

     

  • The Youth  Camp Gisenyi  2023

    The Youth  Camp Gisenyi  2023

    The youth Camp is took place on August 6-25, 2023 at Gisenyi Presbytery, located in the Western    province of Rwanda. The theme of this camp was «Together at Gisenyi : The Power of Unity». It has been organize by Gisenyi Presbytery in collaboration with Church District of Hattingen-Witten in Germany. It involved the youth from both churches: On the side of Germany delegation, Mrs Bettina Claudia Schulte genant Gelderman and Mr Sebastian Hermann Schmidt chaired the Germany youth while Pastor Eugenie Manirankunda and  Pastor Rukera Eraste led  the youth from Rwanda. During the camp, some activities were done such as:Visit to the diaconal and social projects implemented in different parishes. Gahondogo,  Ruhengeri, Kigarama, Rugarama and Bigogwe parishes were visited. They have seen schools, projects sponsored by Compassion International and the project that take care of teenage mothers implemented at Bigogwe parish. They joined the church members in worship God during of inauguration ceremony of the realizations of EPR at Remera Rukoma presbytery on August 13, 2023.

    The Germany group, on the journey of turning back home, they met The President and Legal Representative of Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, Rev Dr. Bataringaya Pascal, He thanked their time in Rwanda for all activities done. As the initiator of this partnership, He appreciated its growth and the good relationship.

    The President of Presbyterian Church asked them to transmet his warm greetings to their families and parishes, and gave them a gift.
  • EPR Remera Presbytery :Inauguration ceremony

    EPR Remera Presbytery :Inauguration ceremony

    The Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, on August 13th, 2023, had the inauguration ceremony of the infrastructures already built between 2020 and 2023. This event took place in the Presbytery Remera in kamonyi District, South Province. The distinguished guests came to celebrate with the church: Alice Kayitesi; Governor of the Southern Province, was the guest of honor there were also friends of the church from outside the country, pastors and members of the Church.

  • The 4th World Conference of The International Association for Reconciliation Studies

    The 4th World Conference of The International Association for Reconciliation Studies

    On Tuesday, August 1-5, 2023, Presbyterian Church in Rwanda hosted the 4th World Conference of the International Association for Reconciliation Studies at Karongi in Bethany Hotel, located in the Southern province of Rwanda , and EPR is one of the members. This conference involved the following partners: Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS), JENA Center for Reconciliation Studies, RUHR Universität BOCHUM (RUB)and  attended by 80 participants from Africa, Europe, America and Asia.

Africa : Participants from Rwanda, From Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC, Zimbabwe
Europe : Participants from Germany, Switzerland, Norway, England, France
Asia   : Participants from Japan, south Korea, Nepal
America : Participants from USA ( United States of America), Colombia who will participate on line.

The 4th IARS Conference was officially opened by Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, the President and Legal Representative of the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda (EPR), who in his welcoming remarks , said that :’’ Gospel is peace and Christ himself is peace, Christians are also called to be peacemakers. Jesus came to bring about peace between humans and God and this kind of Peace extends to peace among humans and between humans and nature’’  About the reconciliation in Rwanda after  Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. EPR President presented the process of reconciliation and showed the role of the church in process of reconciliation especially the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda is very involved and very committed for reconciliation work and Peace.  Together the church and the Rwanda Government  worked for reconstructing the Rwandan Identity “Ndi Umunyarwanda” (I am a Rwandan). Other opening remarks and key notes were given by Martin Leiner, Karina Korostelina, Tayomi Asano, Laura and Villanueva.

    The Guest Honor was  Kayirangwa Anita, serves as the Executive Director for National Unity, Itorero and Citizenship Education in the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE). She talked about preserving the nation’s unity and preventing division that allows us for maintaining peace. She also appreciated the great collaboration of the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda in promoting unity and reconciliation in Rwanda and worldwide, especially by organizing such conferences which raise the awareness of Rwanda and people from other continents

    with Executive Director for National Unity, Itorero and Citizenship Education in the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE)
    During the conference, Theologians from worldwide and researchers from different domains presented their reflections on the topic of reconciliation in different contexts focusing on some themes such as : 

1>  Theologies and Church practices of Reconciliation in Rwanda:
   - The role of Presbyterian Church in Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, 
2>  Reconciliation in Africa: How conflict Resolution Processes influence in conflict repetitions circles? The case of
    Mozambique, 
3>  Decoloniality  in healing centred peace building. A zimbabwean made, community based, survivor-led trauma healing
    program, 
4>  Exploring the impact and legacy German and Belgian colonization and reconciliation and reconciliation in Rwanda,
5>  Reparation for violation of economic, social and cultural Human Rights:A condition for Effective Reconciliation in
    Eastern DR Congo,
6>  Opposing the official law for saving lives, similarities between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and’’ Umurinzi w’igihango in
    Rwanda’’
7>  Identity reconstruction in post –genocide Rwanda,
8>  The Relation between Forgiveness and Justice, 
9>  The Civil Society Organizations contribute to the reconciliation process? The role of Korean NGOs in Ethiopian
    ethnic conflict,
10> Many paths of territorization of reconciliation in Colombia, towards a strategic relational approach to
    reconciliations.