Ishongororo is a small dusty town resting in the hills of Mbarara in the West of Uganda. It is 8 hours by road from Bweyogerere where Emmanuel and Florence live.
Pastor Azaria Mugizi oversees the main church, as well as twenty-one other small village churches in the surrounding area. He looks on Emmanuel as his spiritual ‘father’. Azaria has five children of his own and also cares for two others belonging to relatives. His wife, Grace, died in childbirth about four years ago, and he has since remarried to Robinah.
Pastor Boss is Azaria’s right hand man, and he is well known and respected in the town. His wife is Alina and they have four children (3 boys and one girl).
Ishongororo church was started by an elderly lady who everyone called Jaja (‘Granny’). Originally, the believers met in her house.
Community Church Sheppey have provided three cows (called Ebony, Ruthie and Big Mac!), which provide milk to the school children for their daily lunch of porridge, and we have also bought sheep for some of the widows to help them earn a living.
26 August 2008
Profile: SONDE
The village of Sonde is about 30 minutes drive from Bweyogerere. When we first visited in 2001 it was small but has since expanded quite a bit. There are more shops appearing and a large Christian School (funded by another group) has been built alongside the church. This has encouraged many of the students and teachers to attend the church at Sonde.
Pastor John and his wife Christine live in a small house opposite the church and they have four children. Pastor John is a carpenter by trade, and a quiet, shy man who cares deeply about the local people. Christine has a wonderful strong singing voice and leads the worship choir in the church.
The original church was constructed of wooden supports interwoven with papyrus and plastic sheeting. The new brick building is the largest of the ones funded by Community Church Sheppey.
Pastor John and his wife Christine live in a small house opposite the church and they have four children. Pastor John is a carpenter by trade, and a quiet, shy man who cares deeply about the local people. Christine has a wonderful strong singing voice and leads the worship choir in the church.
The original church was constructed of wooden supports interwoven with papyrus and plastic sheeting. The new brick building is the largest of the ones funded by Community Church Sheppey.
Profile: DIIKWE
Diikwe is the most remote village where Community Church Sheppey has supplied the building of a brick church. The original wood and grass structure was ‘planted’ by members of the parent church in Bweyogerere.
Hope ministered there alone for many years before she married Herbert. Every week she made the journey there from Bweyogerere on public transport to the junction nearest the village road. Then for the remaining miles, she either took a pushbike taxi or walked down the rough bush road. That part of the journey takes about 30 minutes in a car.
Since Hope and Herbert made their home in the village they have had 3 children (2 boys, Jessie and Mark, and a new baby girl named Favour). They have worked hard to build up the congregation, which in the beginning was made up mostly of children. Now there are over 100 members including many adults.
For the last 3 years, the church has also been used during the week as a school attended by over 100 children. It isn’t easy to teach in one large room when the children are of such a wide age range (4-11 years) and the textbooks and other educational materials are scarce. The teachers are particularly dedicated as they often wait long periods to be paid. Fees are given by parents as and when they can afford them.
Hope ministered there alone for many years before she married Herbert. Every week she made the journey there from Bweyogerere on public transport to the junction nearest the village road. Then for the remaining miles, she either took a pushbike taxi or walked down the rough bush road. That part of the journey takes about 30 minutes in a car.
Since Hope and Herbert made their home in the village they have had 3 children (2 boys, Jessie and Mark, and a new baby girl named Favour). They have worked hard to build up the congregation, which in the beginning was made up mostly of children. Now there are over 100 members including many adults.
For the last 3 years, the church has also been used during the week as a school attended by over 100 children. It isn’t easy to teach in one large room when the children are of such a wide age range (4-11 years) and the textbooks and other educational materials are scarce. The teachers are particularly dedicated as they often wait long periods to be paid. Fees are given by parents as and when they can afford them.
Profile: BWEYOGERERE
Pastor Emmanuel Sunday and his wife Florence live in the town of Bweyogerere, on the outskirts of Kampala.
The main brick built church is within a small compound, together with the school, administration block and some of the accommodation for the orphans. The church and school were already established when Community Church Sheppey became involved.
Funding from Community Church Sheppey has included:
Ø Concrete floor in class 1 and 2
Ø Plastering interior of classrooms
Ø Textbooks
Ø Photocopier
Ø A small brick built kitchen
Ø Guttering and rain water collecting tanks
Ø Piping and a meter for mains water supply in the dry season
Ø Brick perimeter wall
Ø Various medical and water shortage emergencies
Most recently, funds have been sent to help with the upgrading of the boys’ dormitories and tarmac on the playground. The parent church at Bweyogerere has also been responsible for planting many churches in villages, which Pastor Emmanuel oversees.
The main brick built church is within a small compound, together with the school, administration block and some of the accommodation for the orphans. The church and school were already established when Community Church Sheppey became involved.
Funding from Community Church Sheppey has included:
Ø Concrete floor in class 1 and 2
Ø Plastering interior of classrooms
Ø Textbooks
Ø Photocopier
Ø A small brick built kitchen
Ø Guttering and rain water collecting tanks
Ø Piping and a meter for mains water supply in the dry season
Ø Brick perimeter wall
Ø Various medical and water shortage emergencies
Most recently, funds have been sent to help with the upgrading of the boys’ dormitories and tarmac on the playground. The parent church at Bweyogerere has also been responsible for planting many churches in villages, which Pastor Emmanuel oversees.
Village Profile: KIWALE
Kiwale is a village situated about 2 hours drive from Kampala.
Young Pastor Emmanuel originally went to Bweyogerere looking for Pastor Emmanuel Sunday and asked him to help establish a church in his village. The original building was constructed from trees and papyrus with a corrugated iron roof.
Although it was badly in need of repaid, the small congregation were faithful and often used it for all night prayer vigils.
Community Church Sheppey raised money firstly to provide a brick-built latrine, which involved digging a 20ft deep pit for drainage.
A year later, the money we raised was used to start building the new church. The land was given by Peter, a local village man, who always dreamed of one day having a school in the village. Many local people laughed at him, but because of his vision, not only is there a church with an ever-growing congregation, but it is also used during the week as a school for over 100 village children (approx. 5-11 years).
Wooden benches were made by local people and our church also provided them with some Bibles. The school was named by Florence “Kiwale Grace Community School” because she said that it was only by the grace of God that such a thing could happen.
Young Pastor Emmanuel originally went to Bweyogerere looking for Pastor Emmanuel Sunday and asked him to help establish a church in his village. The original building was constructed from trees and papyrus with a corrugated iron roof.
Although it was badly in need of repaid, the small congregation were faithful and often used it for all night prayer vigils.
Community Church Sheppey raised money firstly to provide a brick-built latrine, which involved digging a 20ft deep pit for drainage.
A year later, the money we raised was used to start building the new church. The land was given by Peter, a local village man, who always dreamed of one day having a school in the village. Many local people laughed at him, but because of his vision, not only is there a church with an ever-growing congregation, but it is also used during the week as a school for over 100 village children (approx. 5-11 years).
Wooden benches were made by local people and our church also provided them with some Bibles. The school was named by Florence “Kiwale Grace Community School” because she said that it was only by the grace of God that such a thing could happen.
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