PipesLine #9-09Greetings
It has been one week since arriving back from Uganda. I still seem to be lost in the fog of jetlag. For some reason this return trip has had a harder effect on me than in past years. Some say it is age, but I am not so quick to except that reason, I still want to think “forever young.”
First off I want to let you know that your prayer support was very evident. The American team unity alongside the many nationals we were serving with, was extraordinary. There was absolute no conflict between the staff-team and the national staff. It really serves the ministry well when we are able to keep the focus off ourselves and on others.
High School Outreaches:
The outreaches in the high schools served a number of purposes. Mainly we were able to share the Gospel with an age group that for the most part is ready to listen. Secondly it opened up many relationship doors for our staff missionaries and interns. I do not recall the exact number of schools we visited, but I would guess that we shared with at least a thousand high school students. And many of them now know about our ministry and the missionaries living among them. The students were informed of a number of youth group type programs that are available to them.
It took a few days, but we were able to get about 40 students to join us in the afternoons for a concert/bible study. There was some apprehension on the part of the national staff. They had some questions if this type of program would be accepted since it had never been approached this way before. But after a few days of staying consistent and inviting the students to come, they finally showed up. Most outreaches in Uganda focus on the crusade approach and although that may have positive affect on certain age groups, for the most part it does not reach the high school students. We are so thankful that the Lord opened the doors for us to minister to this critical age group.
Prosperity Gospel:
The pastor’s conference on the prosperity gospel was received well. One conclusion that many of the church leaders came to is the importance of preaching the true gospel and making sure we are not adding a concept of material and financial prosperity to our messages. This is something that we often hear coming from the pulpits in Uganda. We also examined the Biblical concept of prosperity, and came to the realization that Biblical prosperity has little to do with material and financial gain. Another important point that we unpacked from scripture is the enormous love God has for all people, no matter what your financial, material situation might be. And that just because someone has acquired something of worldly value does not mean that person is more “blessed” by God. We realized how quick we are to respond with a comment like,” God has surely blessed you,” when we see churchgoers acquire some material gain. Not realizing that others who love the Lord that have not gained worldly possessions might feel “less blessed” by such comments, especially when the comments come from leaders. I have been asked by other pastors in Uganda to bring this message to their churches and leaders. God used this message in my own life to help me realize my perspective on prosperity and how it needs to change. And how vitally important this message is to the to the true church of Jesus Christ.
Crusades:
In most situations and in all cultures it seems that we are more effective in ministry to put the majority of our time and resources into relational outreach. However, In spite of my reticence towards open-air crusades, this aspect of the ministry went well. Pastor Joel (IM national staff) shared with me an insight that I had not considered before. He brought up a point that many that come to the crusades are in some way connected to a church. But the problem is that many of these churches are teaching all sorts of views of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Joel said that he would never be able to go into the churches and teach the truth of these fundamental doctrines. But at the open-air crusades we can and do teach as well as evangelize. Joel has been accused of “stealing church members” through the crusade programs. All I can say to that is, let’s keep teaching the truth and let God handle the outcome.
Rural Uganda – Busanna District:
Our time in rural Uganda brought great joy to the believers at the Busanna/Kasana Church. Kasana church was a church plant from the mother church, Busanna, that I was part of 5 years ago with Pastor James Last year the pastor of Kasana succumbed to a serious sin issue that took the church from 50 active members down to 5-10 on any given Sunday. A new pastor stepped forward and really appears to have God’s blessing over his leadership. Pastor Titus has worked very hard to restore the name of the church. While we were ministering there, the team went door-to-door meeting with former church attendees and with others in the village. In one meeting, the team prayed with the entire family to receive Christ. In addition I taught two days on the prosperity gospel. After our time there, I would guess that upwards of 70+ were at the church.
I will be returning to Uganda in June, with an outreach team. I am praying for a pastor or elder/teacher to join me on this trip. I need someone to come alongside the pastors and IM staff and teach on Biblical leadership. If this is something for you let me know.
We have a new web site. The address is www.ugandamissions.com
Again thank you for the awesome support. Because of God’s grace in conjunction with your finances and prayer support we are making a difference in the lives of many in Uganda and East Africa.
Blessings,
John and Alina
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