Congo has for decades faced sustained neglect of all its institutions and now suffers a protracted conflict. Most Congolese attempt to survive hunger, sickness, and war. In this context the preservation of historical information is fraught with difficulties. Nevertheless, the oral history and archive project detailed in this paper set out to collect historical sources from one Christian denomination in Congo. It is but a small part of a huge depository of historical data held by churches in the country.

Mission and Church bodies have significantly contributed to nation-building and the establishment of social structures throughout the twentieth century. In Congo the churches continue to run many of the schools, hospitals, and community development programs in the country and provide a conduit for relief aid. They are involved in the daily negotiations for survival on which life depends. While there is significant overlapping of religious adherence between ‘traditional’ beliefs, Christianity, and Islam, over 90% of the population acknowledge allegiance to a Christian denomination. For this reason church bodies provide invaluable resources to the historian. This project sought not only to protect the bureaucratic documents produced by one particular denomination, but to gather oral testimonies from a wide range of individuals connected with that church in order to begin a process of historical reflection. When finally collated and cataloged, it will be of use to Africanists and social anthropologists interested in the eastern half of Congo, as well as those with a particular interest in church history in Africa.