09.03.08 Bishop Yemba re-elected in the Congo (By United Methodist News Service)

United
Methodist Bishop David Kekumba Yemba is now a bishop for life following
his Aug. 26 re-election to oversee the church's Central Congo Area. A
UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.

With his re-election, he is now a bishop for life.

Yemba won Aug. 26 on the third ballot by the Congo Central Conference, meeting in Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The
election had begun with three candidates, but one was dropped with too
few votes. The final ballot gave 119 votes to Yemba and 35 to the Rev.
Richard Okoko, a pastor in the church's East Congo Annual Conference.

"It
was a great expression of joy to know the people have confidence in
what we have been doing and want to continue as far as the Lord is
helping," he said.

Yemba said the 2008 United Methodist General
Conference held in Fort Worth, Texas, last April set clear priorities
for The United Methodist Church to focus on leadership, strengthening
congregations, global health and fighting poverty.

"The people
are expecting leadership from the church in terms of how The United
Methodist Church and our connectional system can help us exchange
experiences, ideas and to share resources."

Yemba is the third
United Methodist bishop elected or re-elected in Africa this year. In
July, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa was re-elected to lead the denomination's
Zimbabwe Area, and the Rev. Joaquina Filipe Nhanala was elected to
oversee the Mozambique Area. On Sept. 1, Nhanala will become the first
female United Methodist bishop in Africa.

One more United
Methodist bishop is expected to be elected in Africa this year. In
December, balloting is scheduled to replace retiring Bishop Joseph
Humper of Sierra Leone.

The Central Congo Area, where Yemba
leads the church, is one of the church's largest episcopal areas, with
four annual conferences and two provisional annual conferences.
Together, they cover 10 out of 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic
of Congo.

Yemba said it is a challenge to serve such a large area.

"The
Congo has just gotten out of repeated wars and we need people trained
to deliver what is needed," he said. "We need district superintendents,
lay people … all pledging to work together with the bishop."

When
he was first elected in 2005, Yemba was a professor and founding dean
of the faculty of theology at United Methodist-related Africa
University in Zimbabwe. He replaced Bishop Fama Onema, who had served
the area for more than 30 years.

Since his election, Yemba has
been an outspoken proponent of changing the denomination's structure in
an effort to make The United Methodist Church less U.S.-centric and
more global.

In an interview last fall with United Methodist Communications, he said the change should come
"in
terms of services, in terms of meetings, in terms of use of human
resources, personnel from different corners of the globe. I think this
is a kind of a church we are dreaming of."

Yemba was on the
staff of Africa University from 1990 until his election. Prior to that,
he was a senior lecturer and associate professor at Zaire Protestant
Seminary.

He has a bachelor of divinity degree from the
Protestant School of Theology of the Congo Free University at Kisangani
and a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of
Strasbourg, France. He was ordained an elder in the church's Central
Congo Annual Conference in 1970.

Yemba and his wife, Henriette, have five children.