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"The hardships of war bring people out [to church]," she says. "When you are on your knees, the only way is to look up."

Southern Baptist missionaries Rusty and Debbie Pugh also see growth and commitment in the Congolese Christians. They work with a Christian leader whose congregation has started 12 new churches.

"Everyone knows that in the fairly near future the missionaries will be forced out again," Rusty Pugh says. "That's why it is so important for the leaders to be trained in starting their own churches. If this movement is going to continue, it must come from within the Congolese Christian community."

Florent is confident the Christian community will rise to the occasion. "I feel that times are only going to get tougher for us," Florent says. "The church is the center when trouble comes. You find comfort and peace there. The church—it's alive and well, and I feel that it will continue to grow."

Previous Christianity Today coverage of the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes:

Missionaries in Congo Flee (Feb. 8, 1999)

Congo Church Watchful Amid Chaotic Leadership Transition (July 14, 1997)

A Tutsi's Hope | A Zairean bishop wants American Christians to remember the struggles of the church in East Africa. (Apr. 7, 1997)

Other media coverage of the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes:

Torrents of Civil War Pound Ravaged Congo | Nation Of Riches Impoverished By Legacy Of Greed — Chicago Tribune (Dec. 10, 2000)

Rebels advance on DRC supply lines — News24 (Dec. 18, 2000)

Regional clashes in DR Congo — BBC (Dec. 18, 2000)

3,700 Congolese Soldiers Placed Under Heavy Guard in Zambia — Xinhua(Dec. 18, 2000)

Congo rebels advance on key govt supply lines — The Times Of India (Dec. 18, 2000)

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January 8 2001, Vol. 45, No. 1