Daniel Muwanguzi Mukiibi reports. “Luweero Diocese in the Province of the Church of Uganda was at the epicentre of the liberation war in Uganda. It has many areas that are hard to reach. That is why the Rt. Rev. Eridard Nsubuga, the third bishop of Luweero diocese said this in his charge at his consecration on 17 June 2015:
“I will work to partner with the BUILD programme at the Provincial Secretariat, to train our grassroots Church ministers in order to develop Christ centred ministers in our thirsty local congregations”.
“By way of implementing his charge, the Bishop has formally invited the BUILD ministry to consider training leaders in the diocese for the next three years. Uniquely, beneficiaries will specifically come from those areas that are hard to reach. For example, that will mean including leaders from Kisaalizi in the north of Nakasongola Archdeaconry, bordering Lake Kyoga. Others are expected to come from the pastoral nomadic lands of Ngoma, north-east of Kiwoko Archdeaconry. Please pray that these BUILD workshops bear fruit for the Kingdom, remembering that most of the participants will not have had any formal theological education.
“By the grace of God, these folk are now in charge of large rural congregations. They often trek miles through savannah woodlands to their ministry stations. Their stories of pastoral ministry are dotted with encounters with wild animals; the crossing of cold, wet, soggy swamps; as well as having to share one Bible among many congregants. It is said that lions have occasionally met preachers and killed them. And in some areas buffalo, antelope, monkeys and other animals make life difficult for evangelists and other grassroots Church leaders as they try to settle and grow crops. Sadly, from time to time, crops are destroyed by these creatures. As a result it is difficult to get people from outside the area, hence the need for locally based Biblical training.
“BUILD has been always viewed as the first answer to this need. This training in Luweero diocese may seem like a Macedonian call to BUILD: a call to ground these precious and passionate grassroots leaders biblically. They will be trained in teams of 20 to 25 periodically during the course of the year. The BUILD ministry has over the past seven years empowered a number of leaders in Luweero diocese, who have gone on to impact others. Those who have benefited include Canon James Serugo, Rev. Musajja Tasula as well as the current bishop.
“On the formal side of things, the Ndejje University Council in Luweero Diocese has passed a resolution to start a faculty of Theology and Management. Enthusiastically, the faculty has approached BUILD, seeking permission to use the curriculum. BUILD will particularly encourage those people from the hard to reach areas of northern Luweero diocese to consider enrolling in this formal program. Kindly pray for these local BUILD programmes and other BUILD teams across Uganda to continue witnessing for Christ in their local communities, to the glory of God.”
