Martin Hayter, the newest member of the APF UK team, brings a wealth of experience from his 18 years serving the Karamojong people in Uganda. In the following article, Martin draws on his firsthand experience with church leaders in the region to share about the remarkable growth of the church in Karamoja.
It could perhaps be mistaken for a scene from a biblical blockbuster but is instead a baptism service held in May earlier this year. A church in the Karamoja sub-region of north-eastern Uganda held a baptism service in the local river where they baptised 200 new believers. In addition, through the preaching of the gospel and the testimonies of those being baptised, a further sixty people also gave their lives to Christ on that same day.
Such baptism services are now a common occurrence in Karamoja where the gospel is spreading fast. New churches are regularly being planted, often meeting and praying under large trees that offer some shade from the sun, though less protection in the rainy season. In recent years, climate change has brought heavier rainfall, and last month floods destroyed the crops of many local people.
Whilst most of Uganda became Christianised at the end of the nineteenth century, until recently, the Karamojong, a pastoralist people related to the Turkana in Kenya, continued to follow traditional beliefs. However, following the translation of the Bible into their own language in 2010 and the adoption of culturally appropriate mission practices, things began to change, and the gospel spread rapidly amongst the Karamojong.
Church meeting in Karamoja, Uganda
Everything ground to a halt when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020. The Ugandan government enforced strict lockdown rules and all churches were temporarily closed. Without the option of providing online services, the pandemic was a huge challenge for the pastors of churches that were still full of relatively new believers. However, this was only a hiatus, for when the lockdown came to an end, the gospel began to spread rapidly once more.
Pastor Stephen is the Secretary of the Pastors Fellowship in Namalu, a small town in the south of Karamoja. Pastor Stephen says that the church in Karamoja takes very seriously the need to reach out to the unreached, disciple new believers, and open new churches. According to Pastor Stephen, the pastors themselves face very many challenges, although, before continuing, he quickly interjects that no challenge can stop the move of the gospel.
These challenges include the cost and difficulty of travelling to remote areas, a lack of public address systems to speak to gatherings of thousands, struggling to support their own families, trying to put up basic church buildings, and helping the needy in their churches, especially as there are so many orphans in Karamoja, which is the poorest and most marginalised region of Uganda.
The needs of these pastors, as articulated by Pastor Stephen, are familiar to all who seek to stand with the African church. Having lived and served among the Karamojong, I’ve seen firsthand both the challenges and the incredible faith of the church there. My experience also showed me the vital need for resources like Bibles, which APF has previously provided to churches in Karamoja. It is a real joy to now be part of APF, bringing my background to our shared work in Karamoja and across Africa, as we work to equip African church leaders, pastoring the pastors, as they serve and transform their communities.