Jesus is the Lord Church is located in Kayango, Bugiri District; Eastern Uganda. Bugiri District has an estimated population of 600,000 people. The church is located around 20 km away from the main road off Jinja-Busia/Tororo Highway to Kenya. The only means of transport from Bugiri to Kayango is hiring a motorcycle as there is no public transport. It took me 5 hours to arrive at the site, the same time one can use to fly from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda to Dubai; UAE.
Kayango is a small village, located some 20kms to the east from Bugiri Town, 50km north-west of the Kenya border. The capital city Kampala is 190 km to the south-west. The estimated population of Kayango is about 300 people. Agriculture forms the backbone of the district, as it does in the majority of districts in Uganda, although most people in Kayango still live in abject poverty.
The church is 4 years old. It neither has land of its own nor a building. They use a temporary structure with a tarpaulin for shade that is worn out and leaking. The church has slightly over 40 members who attend Sunday worship service. Pastor James Okoche is the Founder and Overseer of the ministry.
God is Doing Amazing Things in Kayango
I found Jesus Is The Lord Church to be a healthy, organic church. I found myself struck by their enthusiasm, vibrancy, teamwork, resilience, and the hospitality shown to their visitors.
The Church started in November 2017 with only 2 members, Pastor James Okoche and his wife, Joyce. In 2018 it grew to 15 members, in 2019 it was 20. They were worshipping on the veranda of the Pastor’s house, which eventually grew too small for the growing numbers.
Uganda experienced the longest lockdown of 2 years with churches and other public places closed down. Ultimately, many members ran to neighboring churches that had the capacity to help vulnerable people in the community with food, scholarships/bursaries and other basic items. Some of these members never came back. The church restarted to gather in 2022 after the Government of Uganda waived the total lockdown. Despite facing various challenges, Pastor James Okoche is a man of great faith. He has put up a 7 member committed Leadership Team that not only encourages him but also supports and prays for the ministry.
Our First Meeting
After arranging the meeting with Pastor James, I travelled from Kampala to Kayango on Tuesday, February 27th 2024. On my first day, I went directly to the church venue to get first-hand information about the church. Pastor James, his wife and some church members welcomed me. I discovered that the church didn’t own land and had no permanent structure to call a home. They only had an open space that the Pastor’s brother, Sobio Okwakol, let them use.
In the evening, the pastor and his wife hosted me at their home where they offered me dinner. It was awesome! We discussed a range of mutual issues from personal, family, ministry to their church history and how it’s progressing now. I had to travel back on a motorcycle at around 8:00 pm to Bugiri where I had booked a hotel.
Our Second Meeting
The Pastor was able to gather 6 leaders on Wednesday for the assessment. We met at the Hotel in Bugiri Town since there was no convenient venue in Kayango. This spoke volumes to his ability to build ownership and leadership among his people.
We began the Assessment Interview Meeting with Prayer and introductions, each person sharing what they love most about their church, the Church Vision and history.
I was told the Vision of the church is “Reaching out to those who don’t know Christ, winning souls, and making disciples.”
I explained to them that as a Cyclical Full Circle Guide, my role wasn’t to decide the future of their church but to partner with church leaders in guiding them toward a healthy growth and transformation. When given an opportunity, I would help them to clarify their Church’s Vision, Mission, Values, and priorities. I would also assess gaps between Vision and reality, and assist in effective resource allocation. Together, we could identify and address issues affecting the health, effectiveness, and the direction of their church.
The Leaders and the congregation are so amazing and united. You can easily tell that this is a church that loves God. The love and fellowship is true. The people are so friendly, hospitable, and committed to the Gospel. I also love the heart Pastor James and his wife have for the Lord and each person under their ministry.
I found myself profoundly excited and exceedingly humbled about the leaders having a volunteering and generous heart. No leader/elder is a paid staff including the Pastor. Church volunteer work is (or should be) a natural outgrowth of a believer’s love for God and a desire to help the church be ready to embrace those who come through the doors or to help those in need.
Every Sunday morning before worship, the leaders host a Bible study. The team decided that opening the Bible studies to the entire congregation is best. We also agreed that they shouldn’t be conducted only on Sundays at the church premises but also in homes/households and any other place where people are gathered.
After the lunch break, we looked at How Healthy Is Your Church. The exercise took us 9 hours from morning to evening. The team conceived discipleship pathways for mentoring new people into leadership. They stressed the need to move beyond the four walls of buildings in order to make new disciples which is the Mission of the Church. The team brainstormed and came up with many great ideas on how to join God at work in the neighbourhood by shifting from self-service to serving neighbours, sharing Jesus in Word and action, caring for one another, community, neighbours, where a culture of hospitality and generosity are cultivated.
One thing we discussed is how to better help others. I counselled them that helping someone doesn’t necessarily mean using money in every circumstance. We agreed that they can start helping old women in their village like fetching water for them from the borehole/nearby river, slashing their compounds, helping in the garden, sharing meals together with both the old and needy, giving out old clothes they are no longer using, visiting each other, just greeting someone and finding out how they are doing, etc.,
We are working on a comprehensive Assessment report with detailed practical recommendations that we will send to the Leadership Team in a week’s time. This will include notes from the meeting, assessment results, insights, goals, timelines, and milestones.
Jesus Is the Lord Church is a clear testimony to the whole world that financial challenges shouldn’t be a barrier to ministry. This church is determined to use their gifts, talents, professions, experiences and whatever they can lay their hands on to ensure that they join the Mission of God and fulfil the Great Commission.
We shared Acts 2:40-47 and how we can emulate the early church which was healthy and effective in all areas despite having limited resources.
Taking the Next Steps
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