Rev. Magloire K. Kaneng

May the grace, peace, and love of our Lord Jesus be with you all. It’s a privilege, joy, and blessing to serve God together with you!

Originally, I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa and have traveled to many countries, and can speak 12 languages. Right after graduating from high school and serving children and youth in my local UMC, my call to ministry became clear through the mentorship of my church community and my parents. This prompted me to travel to Zimbabwe for my Bachelor of Divinity. After graduating, I worked for one year in the UMC in Zimbabwe before returning to Congo for my ordination. I was first ordained as a Deacon, and after serving local UMCs in Congo for two years, I was subsequently ordained as a Full Elder. I continued to serve in various churches within the local UMCs. In addition to my regular pastoral duties, which included caring, counseling, visiting, praying, teaching, officiating, and leading, I was involved in church planting, evangelism, prison ministry, assisting orphanages, and teaching English and theology for free to women and children who couldn’t afford schooling.

Later, by God’s grace, I traveled to North America for higher education at Eden Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri. There, I graduated with a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) and wrote my thesis on: “Restoring men and women’s minds amid Patriarchy in Lubumbashi, Congo,” aiming to alleviate hunger, improve education among children, and influence policy changes to favor women amid patriarchy across Africa, while seeking to foster interdependency between men and women rather than simply pursuing gender equality in a patriarchal context.

After graduating from Eden Theological Seminary, my passion for children led me to work for one year at LifeWise STL (Kingdom House), where my spirit was nourished as I helped young ones navigate their challenges. While still in Saint Louis, I preached, sang, and ministered to various UMCs, deepening my faith and skills to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

I then traveled back home to continue my pastoral ministry and married my fiancé, now husband, John Mwamb. In His own timing and mighty acts, God enabled me to graduate recently from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity, along with one year of internship at The First UMC at the Chicago Temple, in Chicago, where its diverse intergenerational congregation with varied worship experiences enriched my ability to work in any church setting.

To sum it up, in my faith journey, God is love, and this love calls us all to love God and our neighbors, as found in Mark 12:30-31: (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”) The great news is that we are not to do it alone; the Holy Spirit helps us in this.