Jelesco is a study partner at Université Evangélique de la Mission en Afrique (UEMA) in Butembo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Jelesco has believed in God from a young age but didn’t understand the gospel fully until he was an adult. Jelesco joined a church in Kitsombiro (eastern DRC) and has been serving there as youth leader since 2019 – initially alongside a job teaching in a primary school. Jelesco has been recommended to train for ministry, to help meet the great need for more pastors in his region.

Over 90% of people in the DRC profess to be Christian but the majority are only nominally so. Prosperity theology and syncretism are taught in many churches, partly because most pastors haven’t received any biblical or ministry training.

Training
Jelesco is studying the three-year Bachelor of Theology course at UEMA from February 2021. He needs £880 in 2021, £1,065 in 2022 and £940 in 2023.