The children on the island campus have been using a temporary building as their chapel for a few years now. This building made of banana leaves and bamboo was built in 2004 but is long past its prime. It was originally built as a temporary chapel and assembly hall, however time and a violent wind storm with heavy rain caused a large amount of damage to the building.

At present the building is barely even standing. In the photo below, if you look at the left side of the building you can even see support poles that have been planted into the ground and braced against the building to prevent total collapse.

Beyond even being functional, the chapel stands like a skeleton on campus

What Does My Church Look Like?

When it rains the children get wet from rain entering through the holes in the roof and the walls. As the strong winds gust from the lake sand and dust are blown through the building.

The campus chapel is more than simply a place where the children gather for church services. The chapel is the only building on campus that was large enough to hold all of the children and staff from the campus. It has been used for group meetings, music programs, church services, holiday celebrations and many other gatherings.

It is our hope that in the near future the children will once again have a building that will serve their needs. If you would like to be a part of this project, please contact us.

Updates of Progress:

November 2007: Plans have been drafted by a local architect in DRCongo

January 2008: This building has become so unstable that the children are no longer allowed into the building. Church services and all other meetings are now being held on the campus of the University of Idjwi which is a 1 km away from the Patmos Children’s Village.