Meet the Congo & Beyond Team
Néhéme Kavutwa Kasereka is married to Neema Kahindo and together they have 3 children (Nathan, Nathalie, and Néhémie Junior). Néhémie Kasereka was born and raised in Africa, most specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He got a call for pastoral ministry at an early age and, in preparation for the harvest, Néhémie studied at the ULPGL (Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs/Goma-DRC) where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in theology. In 2012, he was ordained as a pastor by the Baptist Church in Central Africa (CBCA); then he was appointed as Director of the youth department to oversee and coordinate all youth related programs for over 600 congregations with over 300.000 young people and children.
It was during his time as head of this department that Néhéme discovered the inefficiency of massive discipleship versus the effectiveness of small group mentoring. Therefore, he focused on a group of a few young people with whom he invested time for about a year in 2013. Amazingly, a transformative journey was ignited, and growth was tremendously obvious in the life of the first cohort of his mentees who developed and multiplied in such a short time. Some are now pastors and others are leading in different sectors of life. His 3-year stay in Kenya for his master’s degree at Africa International University (AIU) helped deepen the mentoring approach. From Kenya, God slowly led Nehemie to the way to the U.S where he ended up taking a PhD at Biola University, in California. His doctoral research as well as coming across several good people led to the vision of Congo & Beyond which consists of discipling the next generation of African leaders.
Since traveling to Ghana and Kenya in summer 1991 to teach graduate students a course in Training and Development, Dr. Gary Lindblad has maintained a strong interest in developing African leaders. In 2019 as Dean of the Crowell School of Business at Biola University, Lindblad was introduced Nehemie Kasereka and began to work with him on his entrepreneurial venture, Congo and Beyond.
In 2023, Dr. Lindblad retired as the dean of the Crowell School of Business where he served since 2014. His background includes an earned master’s and doctorate degree from UCLA in higher education, work and organizational change. In addition, Gary has a M.A. in Christian Education from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and a B.A. in English and Education from the SUNY, College at Fredonia.
Lindblad has served as assistant dean at the Paul Merage School of Business at UC, Irvine, and assistant dean and executive director of MBA Programs at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, in Canada. Lindblad has also served in leadership roles at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Dr. Lindblad has traveled internationally to over 40 countries, served on the Board of YUGO Ministries for over a decade, and as Director of Student Ministries at Biola University in the 1980s led the cross-cultural training for many international ministry teams.
Lindblad has been married to his wife, Cindi, since 1978. The couple has two grown children, both professionals in creative fields in SoCal.
In the role of board chair, Lindblad supports the vision of founder Nehemie Kesereka to impact Congo and Beyond through small group discipling, mentoring, and coaching. With discipling programs for young pastors already running in the DRC, we anticipate expanding these programs in 2024 and 2025.
Dr. Stranske’s parents were missionaries to the Sudan so was born in Khartoum, Sudan and went to school in what was Belgium Congo, then Kenya (at the time, a colony of the UK). His parents worked translating two tribal languages but were expelled from the Sudan in 1962 because of the impending civil war. As an adult, Tim has served in various capacities with four African countries: Burundi, Zambia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 1988, after the war in Burundi ended, President Nkurunziza asked Biola University President, Barry Corey, for help to rebuild his country by assisting to rebuild their public schools. Since many of the former teachers were killed in the war and their schools were used to house troops for both sides of the civil war, their teachers needed training and educational materials to assist in teaching. Tim, who worked as the Associate Dean of the School of Education, and other professors from Biola’s School of Education were asked to assist so they prepared teacher training videos and offered training across the country over a period of about 4 years.
Later, Tim worked with TLAfrica in Rwanda in helingp begin a new Christian University, Thousand Hills International University. The initial building is near completion and their Board is working to apply to open the school soon.
He has also worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo sith Congo Impact to provide university scholarships to promising Christian students to increase the effectiveness of young Christians.
Now retired from full-time work, Tim is married to Mary, who is a special education teacher, and together they have three grown children. He brings his experience working on Boards and in the field of education to assist in reaching the goal of Congo and Beyond to disciple the next generation of leaders in Congo to impact their country and the world beyond.
Dr. Tamara Welter was connected to Néhéme not through his attendance at Biola University (where she was faculty) but through his niece who studied design under her during a workshop in Kenya. It was through this connection as well as the divine connection between Néhéme and Dr. Welter’s son, Matthew, that her family and Néhéme began to build a valuable relationship that would prove fruitful to the exploration of Néhéme’s vision and the bringing of his wife and children to be with him in California.
In 2024, Dr. Welter completed her 19 1/2 year tenure at Biola University and joined the research faculty at Baylor University. Her professional background includes serving as media coordinator for a non-profit that trained pastors across Africa and South America and working as marketing director for a company serving military and government organizations with computer and networking needs. Dr. Welter’s education includes an earned master’s degree from Regent University and doctorate degree from the Cook School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University.
Dr. Welter has traveled and taught internationally and served as a member of the board of directors for several non-profit organizations. She also served the military youth community in Keflavik, Iceland, for several years with her family.