Uganda

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The latest news from APF partners in Uganda including Pastors’ Discipleship Network, Bishop Lee Rayfield Leadership College and Bibles in Bushenyi.

The Pastors Discipleship Network (PDN) in Uganda received an APF grant to help them host a youth leaders training conference later this year. This exciting development coincides with PDN’s construction of a new university campus, Cornerstone University, in partnership with American funders. Cornerstone University will offer a comprehensive curriculum ranging from certificate programs to master’s degrees, with a unique focus on integrating Digital Theology into all courses. Dave is actively supporting the PDN/Cornerstone team by contributing to curriculum development and will participate in some teaching.

Reverend Charles Okidi leads Bishop Lee Rayfield Leadership College (BLRLC), a Church of Uganda institution in rural northern Uganda. Despite the college’s basic infrastructure, Charles has a visionary plan to use technology to enhanced training of clergy and lay leaders. Recognising this potential, APF recently awarded BLRLC a digital tools grant to kickstart the design and development of a college website.

Pastor Rukundo Abel, who leads the YWAM training center in Jinja, spearheads the “End Bible Poverty Now” initiative. Recognising the need for access to scripture, APF approved a grant in January to distribute 100 local language Bibles to churches in Bushenyi district.

During Dave’s visit to Uganda in December, he met with Philip Onen and Lt Paul Koyoa in Kampala. Philip runs the Community First Project which reaches some of the 40,000 Somalis living in the city with the gospel, vocational and IT training courses. Paul is an officer in the Ugandan army medical corp. as well as being an army chaplain and Regional Director for the International Evangelical Association of Chaplains. Together with APF and others within Somalia, we are working together to reach Somalis for Christ. One important aspect of this ministry comes through Christian leadership training for Ugandan civilian and military personnel serving in UNSOM (the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Somalia).

Walubo Jude Tadeo is a force of nature in Bulogo. Since 2018, he has been tirelessly planting trees for a greener future, exceeding a remarkable 50,000 trees planted. From eucalyptus and mahogany to mango and avocado, he’s diversifying the landscape for a flourishing ecosystem. Jude’s dedication extends beyond environmental efforts. He’s also planning pastor training conferences, providing management and support to the Bulogo Women’s Cooperative, and launching vocational training courses – all thanks to an APF annual African Training Partner grant.

APF supporters have donated both new and used Bible commentaries to APF. These have been sent to Uganda using our preferred shipping agent, Salabed. Our good friend Peter Mugabi will sift though the books, making use of some for personal study and donate others to rural bible schools and the networks of pastors he serves through Cephas Leadership Foundation.