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Monthly Archives

June 2025

From Kampala to Kamuli: Joining hands in Uganda

By Uganda

Dave’s recent trip to Uganda demonstrated the power of partnership, environmental education and economic development, highlighting the significant change that can be achieved through collaboration with other charities, organisations and businesses.

On World Environment Day, Dave (APF CEO), along with representatives from School Connect, Diamond Trust Bank and other partners, launched a pilot campaign in two Kampala primary schools. The campaign provided children and parents with exciting and creative educational workshops focused on reducing and recycling plastic waste and highlighted the crucial economic and environmental benefits of tree-planting.

Tree planting in Kamuli

Dave, representing APF, was invited to plant seedlings within the school grounds. It’s hoped that the initiative can be expanded to churches and Bible schools across Uganda and form part of Diamond Trust Bank’s citizenship and corporate social responsibility programme.

In addition to the Kampala school environment programme, Dave also conducted a monitoring visit to the Bulogo Women’s Empowerment Project in Kamuli district, acting on behalf of a donor who’d generously funded entrepreneurship training and a start-up loan scheme for small businesses.

The training, which covered essential skills like bookkeeping, budgeting, customer care, and emphasised how to add value to resources already available to the community, is directly benefiting over 150 women. The range of enterprises jump-started by the project is diverse, ranging from catering to quarrying and farming to firewood production. It has led to a remarkable 100% increase in average household income, from £1 to £2 per day.

Beyond Numbers: A Personal Testimony from the CEO

By Uganda

Dave Stedman shares a deeply personal story of faith, perseverance, and the unexpected blessing of a new life in Uganda after twelve years of prayer.

I first met Pastor Tom Patrick in 2019. He was an enthusiastic early adopter of eVitabu and generated lots of interest in the app through his connections in House of Transformation churches around Entebbe.

Since then, we have met several times at training workshops Pastor Tom has helped to coordinate and we met most recently at a conference where we were both participants in 2023. Chatting over lunch, Tom confided that despite having been married several years, he and his wife, Stellah, had not been able to have children.

Pastor Tom, Stellah and baby Jared

In any culture, childlessness can be hard but, perhaps, especially so in Uganda. Tom explained how he was being encouraged by some of his wider family to try to have a family with another woman, but he was not prepared to do this. I’m often challenged by the human needs I encounter in Africa.

Sometimes solutions are tangible: compost and mulch for crops, local language Bibles, solar power, a bike or a mobile phone. Other times the only option is to pray.

A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected WhatsApp message from Pastor Tom. His message read:

“I write to testify that after 12 years the Lord has blessed us with a bouncing baby boy. Thank you for praying for us.”

When writing these pieces for Impetus, I am often keen to emphasise numbers, the bigger the better, to indicate the impact and reach of APF. This time, however, it struck me that the most important number is one. What could be more valuable or precious than to have shared, and prayed, a small part in the arrival of this one child, Baby Jared, to faithful, loving parents – the blessing of a son to Tom and Stellah after many years.

I was so happy to receive Tom’s brief message. It did my heart good and I pray it encourages you also.

Beyond the Headlines: Faith and Conflict in South Sudan

By eVitabu, South Sudan

Daniel Deng Bol lives in Aweil, an isolated South Sudanese market town sitting astride the potholed dirt highway that connects Wau with the Sudan border. It takes Daniel several days of uncomfortable and dangerous travel south by bus to get to Juba, South Sudan’s capital city. But despite his remote location and the country’s desperately poor infrastructure, Daniel, and Saints Revival Committee, the para-church organisation he leads, are fast becoming one of APF’s most dynamic and enthusiastic partners. Daniel’s latest update paints a vivid picture of mission and ministry in the world’s youngest country, marked equally by encouraging achievements and formidable challenges.

Daniel Deng Bol

Lately, we have held eVitabu conferences in many places: Bhar el Ghazal state, Aweil, Warrap, Wau, Rumbek and even some parts of the Equatoria region. At these events many Christian leaders, government members, NGO workers and teachers learnt about eVitabu.

Now, pastors and bishops are using the app as their main library, reading theological books, evangelism commentaries and leadership materials. Because of this, other NGOs, schools, groups, and individuals have asked to have their organisations included in the eVitabu app.

This training has really inspired many leaders and given new hope to pastors who have been serving, some for many years, without any formal training.

Another exciting outcome from the eVitabu conferences is that the Christian Theological Bible School based in Juba has decided to use books on the eVitabu app to help teach their leadership and theology courses. This decision came after one of their lecturers saw the resources available on the app and appreciated the work, committing the school to teach from eVitabu.

The spread of eVitabu in South Sudan is good news but I need to also report to APF supporters that at this time the general situation in my country is very tense. Many parts are experiencing rising conflict. This has badly affected many ministry activities, with churches burned by rebels and government bombardments happening. Because of this, gospel missions and conferences cannot always go smoothly.

Young South Sudanese soldier
Attribution: CC BY-NC 2.0 Steve Evans

Meanwhile, I see several other new registrations being automatically approved on the eVitabu management system, but these new app users are from Christians living in Cameroon. As Victor is training on-campus in Kigali, Rossa Wanjiru, in Nairobi, Kenya, is delivering an online eVitabu induction for Baptist pastors in Cameroon.

Warrap state is one area that has seen many deaths due to fighting in the community. In the Upper Nile region, civilians faced a deadly attack by rebel groups allied with the Vice President. Children have been killed, and others died from diseases. There are even reports of chemical weapons being used against civilians.

Churches are being burned by rebels, and many pastors and evangelists are even now held as hostages in the bush. I am ashamed to report that many rapes are also being carried out by rebel groups.

Outbreaks of diseases like cholera and illnesses linked to malnutrition are big challenges for displaced people and host communities alike, especially affecting children, women and the elderly.

In recent weeks, this conflict has stopped our plans for two eVitabu conferences in Warrap state. We turned back on the road because it was too dangerous to continue.

We are asking all APF supporters to pray with us that God would bring lasting peace in South Sudan. We also ask for prayers for those who lost family members in this terrible situation. Some Christian members and their churches are being threatened, killed, tortured or held in the bush by rebel groups. We need to pray together for them so they are freed and reunited with their families.

South Sudanese women
Attribution: CC BY-NC 2.0 Steve Evans

We would love to start a peace project, bringing Christian youth from all ten states for peace training and teaching about how peace helps communities meet their needs without fear. Strong missions are needed, especially in Upper Nile and Warrap, so people can hear that God’s way is one of peace not war.

Congregations with burnt-out churches especially need our support in these two regions. If village chiefs, youths, pastors and local authorities are trained together on peace, they can become peace ambassadors in their areas.

In South Sudan, we are asking partners and donors to keep supporting APF. Both the eVitabu app and APF Bible grants have truly changed many lives, especially now that Bibles are hard to find and very expensive – one copy can cost 60,000 South Sudanese pound (about £10).

Also, the APF bicycle grants are so helpful for pastors here. They use the bicycles to reach ministries far away and to help their families. Since 82% of people don’t have good transport or roads, bicycles are vital for pastors to do evangelism, get to farms and take people who are sick to the hospital. We really pray for continued partnership so we can keep sharing eVitabu and providing bicycles and Bibles.

July 2025 newsletter

By Impetus

July 2025 Impetus.

Welcome to the Summer edition of Impetus.

As the summer season unfolds, we’re excited to share our latest news and updates with you all. Don’t miss the powerful article from our partner, Daniel Deng Bol, detailing the opportunities and challenges of ministry in South Sudan.

Enjoy, and thank you, as ever, for your generous and prayerful support for APF.


Revd Dave Stedman
CEO