Dozens of Christians are to be baptised at a special Christmas Day service in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Some 60 new believers will be baptised at the service taking place in Kadirisha, Masisi, to the west of Goma in the eastern DRC.

Church Mission Society (CMS), which is supporting Christians in the region, called it a "Christmas miracle" after so many years of armed conflict in Masisi. 

The region has been torn apart by conflict between government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, with roadblocks every few miles, making travel difficult. 

Despite the conflict, church leaders have continued to preach the gospel and the churches are growing, CMS reports.

The Bishop of Goma, Martin Gordon, said, "In 2023 we carried out hundreds of baptisms across the diocese and at least 15 parishes have either completed the building of a church or pastor's house this year or are well on the way to finishing."

Earlier this month, five new clergy were ordained by Bishop Gordon. They include an evangelist, the head of a theological college, and the minister of a church in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Fighting has been intense in the region in the last three years, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee to IDP camps.

People are living in fear, with one local resident telling CMS, "To live in Goma is to understand that at any time you can go to sleep with no hope of waking up in the morning. In the day we live in heaven. At night we are in hell."

The conflict has also taken its toll on children, with over 50 church-run schools remaining closed in the last academic year. 

Even where the schools have remained open, in some places "teachers are starting to leave as they're not receiving a salary", said Bishop Gordon, who preached at BBC One's Christmas Eve communion service at St Mary's Warwick last night. 

"Two of our schools have been hit by bombs and dozens are used as IDP shelters during the nights with desks as firewood, and makeshift classrooms during the day," he said.