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Naigobya Gathering Place Dedication |
| Sunday, November 30, 2008 |
Several from our board had the pleasure of attending the dedication of the gathering place in Naigobya. Here's a transscript of the words of Maganda Peter - the evenaglist/worship leader from Naigobya:
23rd November 2008.
I greet you all brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
First and foremost let me take this opportunity to welcome:
Our friends from USA, led by the president of Abuloganda Mu Kristo Mike,
The president of the Lutheran Church mission In Uganda Mr. Noah Isanga,
The manager Lutheran Media Ministry Uganda, Rev. Charles I.Bameka,
The women representative on the LCMU Board Mrs. Suzan Isanga
My fellow Ugandan students studying in South Africa
The chairman local council one Naigoobya,
The community members,
Our fellow brothers and sisters from other Lutheran churches in Uganda, Friends and all the invited guests in your dignitaries, your presence is very important and this is Naigobya Lutheran church, you are all welcome.
I would like also to extend our great appreciation to all of you who have come to cerebrate with us the dedication function of the new house of God.
Let me also have a chance to share with you the back ground of this church since it was established.
Back Ground:
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Naigobya Lutheran church was established in 1994 by EV’T. Sossy Peter Balise from Bugono after the first president of LCMU late Joshua K. Lusalalira had earlier carried out the Area survey for the church and when our great late Mzee Jonathan Gangu donated part of his land to put a temporally building as church. It started with 60 members including young children.
Naigobya Lutheran church is one of the first three old churches first established in Uganda. The following families were the first to join the Lutheran church:
1. Jonathan Gangu’s family.
2. Ronald Mutebi’s family.
3. Sossy maganda’s family.
4. Patrick Nabangi’s family.
5. James Kafuko’s family.
6. Mr.Batwawula’s family.
7. Sunday Mwokiri’s family, and
8. Sunday Mugogo’s family
These families were so devoted in the church despite the various difficulties, they became vigorous in all the challenges that prevailed that time, they were so encouraging to one another in terms of evangelism and spreading the name of the Lutheran church in all corners. And these families were the first to be confirmed into the Lutheran confession.
Since then many people have joined the Lutheran church of Naigobya, many have been confirmed as Lutherans. The church has so far been led by two evangelists and three lay leaders and these are Sossy Balise, Peter M.Maganda, and Mutebi Ronald, Richard Wambuzi, and Geoffrey Waidha. Geoffrey currently is the worship leader of Naigobya and Kabuli Lutheran churches with 200 members from Naigobya and 45 from Kabuli. Though some of the mentioned servants left the church we still thank them for the wonderful services God rendered through them. We ask God that they might one time come back and find us safe and sounding and continue working together.
I can not also forget to thank God in especial way for the first evangelist Sossy Balise who laid a firm foundation of this church may God bless him where ever he is. I credit him because he nurtured and groomed me in the true and proper understanding of the church and its leadership locally before I even joined the leadership training.
However, as he left the church in 2004 and joined another church body, I became the full time evangelist of the congregation till 2007 when I joined the seminary training in South Africa.
The church became strong to the extent that it could establish other Lutheran churches in different communities like Kyabazala in Kamuli, Kabuli in Iganga and Busuyi Lutheran preaching station in Mayuge district. These preaching stations were established by Peter with the support of the Lutheran church in Naigobya.
For the past fourteen years, the members of Naigobya Lutheran church have been showing responsibility and love for the church not only during happy times like this, but also in difficulties. I should ask you all members of this church to flash back at the time we started worshiping from a grass roofed church, you managed to endure the ill words that people used to say as a way of mocking you and you did not give up bearing in mind that nothing is impossible for God and that “Rome was not built in a day.” I remember some times this church was called a church for weaver birds, referring to people who worship from a grassed church, at times people who did not welcome Lutheranism in this community became a threat to us, early morning they would come and throw out the church desks. During the night they would go and take a way the sign post for the church, in fact I should thank the hunters who used to bring it back from where it was thrown in the bush and all the members who stood to defend our church.
In especial way, let us thank God because through all these difficulties we have remained in the church, and I would ask you the Christians of Naigobya, not to regret but to thank God for the challenges you have encountered, for they prepared and still they are preparing you, to be strong Christians in faith who would further spread the kingdom of God. for the gospel of St.John says in chapter 15:2, “Every branch that bears fruit, God prunes it, that it may bear more fruit,” therefore God through these difficulties, he was pruning you that you may yield more fruits for the community members, and bring glory to God.
For the people who were fighting the church, in your mind should not be a surprise, because since time immemorial, this has happened where the truth is revealed, and it will continue happening. But as Christians we need to be strong in faith, for God will never leave His people alone in the time of trouble, for He is with us all the time.
I understand all people who laughed at us, they are now the “ashamed critics”, because it is through the church they persecuted, that the children of the community get mattresses, scholastic materials and other kind of help.
It is through the church they did not want in the community, that brought clean water, constructed a healthy centre, children are getting education, women are getting skills in tailoring, carpentry project is developing, goats and pigs are in people’s homes, and through this very church they did not embrace, we have got a big building which is to help the whole community.
In general, the church has ignited tremendous development in the community and for your information urbanization starts in this way, you never know but to your surprise this place in a few years to come might be a trading centre.
Now that we have seen the kind of development in this place through the church, I call upon you to join us in uplifting this village, and not only that, but also to join us in the church that we become one body in Christ as Lutherans, we invite you all to come and we share the word of God with you, such that we enjoy both social and spiritual life in our church through Jesus Christ.
For those who come from far places, you can invite us and we put a church in your own community or town, we shall respond immediately.
PROJECTS IN THE CHURCH.
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The church became blessed when Rev.Charles I. Bameka, launched a project called AIDS Care and Support Project in 2004 in which two Home Basic care givers were trained from Naigobya (Peter and Sossy) to sensitize the church and the community members about HIV/AIDS, through music, dance and drama, Radio program, and visiting of the affected families. This AIDS care project helped many vulnerable people like orphans, widows and widowers, and a number of those affected and infected by HIV by supplying mattresses, bed sheets, blankets, scholastic material and so on. These blessings to the people created opportunities to the church in terms of evangelism work. We reached many unchurched and the de churched people and many referrals were made to the church.
As if that was not good enough, but Rev. Charles continued and brought in projects which have been supported by our friends from America under the organization known as “Friends serving Uganda” These friends have supported the church in Naigobya and the community atlarge. The first project they supported was to bring clean water by drilling a bore hall a few meters from the church in 2005, and if I am not mistaken, this bore hall serves all the community and the passengers, it greatly helped during the construction of the health clinic like wise the church. Our friends still put a ban on the diseases like bilharzias, diarrhoea, hook worms, and some other diseases caused by stagnant waters.
The second project was to construct a healthy center to help the community access treatment at low expenses and to prevent traveling long distances looking for treatment.
The third project has been construction of the church for the Christians of Naigobya, and to be used by the community members’ atlarge. This project of construction has been a collaboration work, of the church members together with the community in providing bricks and manual labor, well as our friends donated funds to buy materials of the church and all that the project required.
The church has been longing for the permanent church building, now it is the time to thank God, praise and adore Him for the great work He has done through these generous friends.
In fact I would ask you to clap heavily for the brothers.
VOTE OF THANKS
For this very reason, to you Mike and the team, we extend our sincere thanks for what you have done to see that this church is built, and making this occasion meaningful. Friends I think I should repeat what I said during the dedication of the bore hall, that “you live by the promises you make to your people, and that you are not the kind of people who make promises with strings attached, and some times ‘build the castles in the air’.” This kind of work and other existing activities in Naigobya, manifest the kind of faith you have. I am not exaggerating this, but this is evident because a tree is known by its fruits. So your faith is known through the works you all do in this upcountry of Naigobya.
To Rev. Charles,
We all know that this has been a difficult task to do, so we need also to extend our thanks to Rev. Charles I. Bameka, who connected our church to these friends. He has done a lot for the church of Naigobya, he is a trust worthy person, he is devoted in serving the churches, He sacrifices his time for the good of our churches, and sincerely speaking without him Naigobya would yarn for a permanent building for more years. For this reason pastor we thank you very much, for the effort you have tirelessly put in to see that this house of God is raised up. May the almighty God who gives you the strength, power and knowledge, continuously bless you all the more.
I also thank all the church members who sacrificed their time, energy and all they gave out as their input to see that the work went on well.
For the community members, I thank you very much too for all your support you have showed until the completion of this building.
As am about to wide up, I call upon all the Lutheran members and the community at large, to take care of this gathering place, because it is to serve us all, it does not belong to the Lutherans only, so we are all responsible to protect it. In fact if we don’t take care of this building and it gets destroyed we shall be ashamed of our selves, look irresponsible and careless.
If you are to remember after the completion and the dedication of the Jerusalem temple, it became a multipurpose house for the whole of Israel, meetings were held with in it. So this church building is to do the same as longer as what is done in it, is not contrary to God and to what we expect. Therefore we recommend community meetings to be held in this church if need a rises, but all this calls you to be among the caretakers.
To the Christians of this church, I will ask you that as you cerebrate today for what God has done in this
Place, please don’t forget to pray for our friends who have not yet built because this is the problem and the daily cry for most of our churches in Uganda since Lutheranism is still new in the country.
Still to the Christians of this church, my plea to you is that be supportive to one another more especially to the worship leader Geoffrey, pray that God may give him courage and strength to serve the church.
May God bless all the hands that have given support towards this project. I pray and wish you all the best throughout this day and as you depart May God be with you, go in peace and serve the lord. Amen.
Prepared and presented by:
Vicar Peter M. Maganda
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