Dear Beloved,
Greetings in the mighty name or Jesus; I pray that all is fine.
As we progress through this year, the good Lord has been gracious to us and enabled us tothrive in a number of ministry activities in different communities and institutions including schools, churches, prisons, Juvenile homes just to mention a few. These programs have also been extended to new districts and Amuria district is the most recent to having joined the fleet of new districts this month after an invitation from the sending church of one of the Church planters in the district.
I am therefore privileged to bring to you this report through which I would like to share with you the great and awesome things the Lord has done this Month of March through the different ministry activities.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
The Amuria Church Planters Vision Casting Training
We had an opportunity to engage up to 23 potential church planters in a vision casting training in Amuria, located approximately 325kms from the Kampala city center in the Eastern Uganda. The training involved Reverends from the Anglican Church, lay readers, and mission’s pastors. These trainings are aimed at reaching and empowering the unreached people groups in rural, underdeveloped regions in Ugandan. Hundreds of and thousands of new living churches need to be planted in rural and small towns if there is to be transformation and community problems like poverty, witchcraft, drunkenness and many others are to be solved.
Through the Archdeaconry of Acowa County, during the training, we challenged the leaders to rise up and take the initiative to adopt from the different ideas shared and find a way of incorporating them into the programs.
“We have seen the light. It’s now our responsibility to rise up, adopt but also think about how to implement what we have just learnt” emphasized the Archdeaconry as he challenged the leaders and pointed out how timely the outreach has been in relation to the spiritual, social and economic needs in the communities. In relation to this, Archdeaconry Peter on behalf of the leaders requested us to return to start the training programs in the different dioceses in shortest time possible something we promised to work on.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Prison Outreach
In our prison outreach program this month, we engaged five prisons in the Central, western and southern districts of Uganda. These include Soroti prison, Amuria prison, Kampiringisa Juvenile home, Kigo prison and Masindi Prison. A total of 2,166 inmates were reached through these outreaches with 821 inmates committing their lives to Christ. 50 bibles were distributed and 2,500 tracts and booklets distributed to inmates and prison staff through these outreaches. Besides the distribution of the literature, we also gave out a consignment of humanitarian items including sugar, soap, among others. We are grateful for this great initiative that has seen the inmates benefiting from these ministry activities marking a beginning of transformation and rehabilitation in their lives.
The Jesus Film Outreach.
We had an opportunity to show two Jesus films this month in two communities in Achowa county in Amuria District. A total of 673 people attended the two Jesus film shows with 321 people giving their lives to Christ. We also distributed 320 children booklets and 380 tracts during the show.
The movie had the community on the grips with many of the viewers seeing a Jesus film for the very first time. The community was so emotional with the scenes that involved the crucifixion and death of Jesus. As the movie concluded, an opportunity was granted for the masses to commit their lives to Christ, through which the commitments were made.
CHILDRENS MINISTRY
School Outreaches
In our school outreach this month, we reached out to Makonge primary school in Kiyindi Eastern Buyikwe district along the shores of Lake Victoria approximately 57 kilometers from the city centre. A total of 823 pupils were reached through the outreach with 367 children gave their lives to Christ. 900 children booklets were distributed to the children and youths and 50 tracts to the teaching staff.
With a Christian background and over half of the teaching staff being professing Christians, we found the school to be ideal for our discipleship programs. For this reason, we introduced and shared the idea of starting the discipleship programs with the children in the schools fellowship groups and assembly which idea was greatly welcomed by the teaching staff and looked forwards to its implementation come next school semester. At least 650 pupils will directly engage in this program once started.
Children’s Ministry Workers Training
In the children and youth workers training this month, we engaged a total of 21 leaders in a vision casting training through which we shared about a number of our ministry programs and possible implementation of these programs in the different ministries, schools and communities in Amuria district. The training a attracted school teachers, children ministry leaders and a few evangelists from the different denominational churches in the different community churches in the district.
Like many churches in the rural communities, many of the churches in Amuria are largely comprised of children and young people with many more of these youngsters not attending church at all. In spite of this, many of these churches have no programs let alone a budget for the children and youth. This therefore puts the children at the risk of being lured into different groups and practices that may put their lives in danger. It’s therefore the responsibility of the church to ensure that this risk is minimized. For this reason, we are taking the initiative to empower the churches in this district and other rural communities to adopt children related programs and save the children from this danger.
PRAISE REPORT
New Openings in Eastern and Western Uganda
We are grateful for the new doors that are opening in new communities across Uganda. This month alone, we had four openings in the districts of Amuria and Soroti in the East and then Ibanda and Kamwenge in the Western. These openings have created a great need to reach and impact the communities and prisons like it has never been before.
This month we therefore engaged the district of Amuria and next month we are set for the districts of Ibanda and Kamwenge districts. Through these outreaches, we will engage in evangelistic outreaches to communities, schools, a refugee camp, show Jesus films, minister to widows in a refugee camp among many other place to women, children, men and refugees. These openings have created a greater opportunity for us to engage communities at a greater scope.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please continue to pray with us for the following;
· For our upcoming outreach programs in western Uganda
· For new openings in the communities
We thank God for all that He has enabled us to do and believe that greater things are yet to happen in the midst of these devastated communities and peoples. We particularly thank God for your support towards this cause and enabling the gospel reach to the people in the communities.
May the Good Lord Bless you
Yours faithfully
Robert Sebunya – Team Leader