Floods in South Rwenzori

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Chris

Please pray for the Diocese of South Rwenzori

Press release: Bishop of South Rwenzori Diocese Appeals for Support after Devastating Floods

The Diocese of South Rwenzori was ravaged by flooding on 1^st May 2013 after a long, heavy downpour of rain. Every river in the Diocese burst its banks and wrought destruction on roads, gardens, and homes.

Five people have been confirmed dead and 3,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

The hardest hit areas were Kilembe, Kasese Municipality, Maliba, Kyarumba, and Kisinga. Fifty buildings in Kilembe Valley and twenty buildings in Nyamwamba Zone of Kasese Town have been destroyed; five bridges in the Diocese have been washed away.

Bishop Jackson Nzerebende, Bishop of the Diocese of South Rwenzori, is appealing for support. “There is an immediate need for food, tents, bedding, household items, water tanks, drugs, and three standby ambulances,” he said.

Bishop Nzerebende further emphasized their long-term needs in three areas: (1) rebuilding infrastructure, (2) rebuilding homes, and (3) intensive rehabilitation of those affected by the floods. “Our long-term needs,” he said, “are building materials, road construction materials, electrical poles and wires, rebuilding of five bridges, counselors, prayer, and an intensive rehabilitation programme.”

Donations

If anyone would like to donate something towards the reconstruction after the flooding can do so through the Anglican Relief and Development Fund>>

New Agricultural Project in Northern Uganda

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Chris

Bristol Diocese has links with three diocese in North West Uganda through the Bristol West Deanery. Over the years since the decimation of the local infrastructure by the war with the LRA the deanery has supported the children of clergy through school so that their parents could be freed to minister in remote parishes. Now as security returns Ugandan clergy have said they want to be able to provide for their own children and so the balance of the funds is being invested in what we hope will result in sustainable sources of income through agriculture.

Holly Brennan who has been the driving force behind the initiative writes:

Since 2005, the Clergy Children’s Education Fund (CCEF). has provided over 80 Clergy children from the Dioceses of Kitgum & Northern Uganda with scholarships towards secondary education, thanks to the generosity of some congregations in Bristol West Deanery, and individual donors.

Several of our students have graduated to University, while others now work as teachers, midwife, agricultural officer, police officer, builder, photographer, restaurant worker etc. One student, Solomon Lubangakene had outstanding ‘A’ level results and is studying law.

Our exciting news is that over the next three years, the CCEF Committee in Northern Uganda are running a pilot project to help 6 clergy families develop sustainable agriculture, by supplying oxen, better farming equipment & seeds, and training. Easier farming methods will enable poorly paid clergy to feed their families, & give more time to the Lord’s work in parish communities.

CCEF’s vision is to give ALL clergy families the dignity to generate income through agriculture to pay for their children’s education, then scholarships will be gradually be phased out. A significant injection of funds is needed for this vision to be met.

If you would like more information about CCEF or the Agricultural Project please contact Holly Brennan (holly.brennan@blueyonder.co.uk), or Alison Rowe (amrowe@hotmail.co.uk).

New book from the Archbishop of Uganda

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Chris

More than one wife: Polygamy and Grace by Rev. Stanley Ntagali and Eileen Enwright Hodgetts was published on the 27th April, 2013 and is available from Amazon publishing>>, either as a book or kindle version.

Book description from Amazon:

What does the Bible say about polygamy? What did Jesus say? How should the church approach the subject of polygamy in the 21st Century? Should polygamists be admitted to the church membership? More than One Wife is an exploration of the Biblical and cultural roots of polygamy and its place in modern African society. Although the authors are firmly in favor of monogamy as the ideal for Christian marriage they urge us to have compassion for the men, women and children trapped in polygamous cultures. Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, Primate of the Church of Uganda, recalls the pain created by the first missionaries in their attempt to impose Western standards on African society which resulted in refusing church membership to polygamists and their wives and children. This book asks and answers challenging questions for indigenous African pastors and for visitors from other cultures, and reminds us that we are all sinners and that Christ Jesus came to save sinners.

New Link Finance Coordinator needed

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Chris

Simon Awdry has retired from the post of Finance Coordinator for the Bristol Uganda Link Committee after many years of faithful service, in which he was ably assisted by his wife Angela. We are immensely grateful for his care and eye for detail throughout his tenure.

We are therefore looking to recruit a new Finance Coordinator for the link. It is a role that is not arduous, but is greatly valued. It also carries with it opportunities to learn more about the people and country of Uganda, and perhaps even a chance to visit this beautiful land.

>>To download the role description and contact details click here: Link Finance Coordinator role description

10 things to pray, act, do and share in Fair Trade Fortnight

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Chris

Pray

1. Enough Food for Everyone If…campaign – Pray for campaigners as they meet with MPs in the coming weeks ahead of the budget, that they will have wisdom, and that our leaders will be inspired to act against the injustice of hunger. Pray that this campaign will be effective in reducing the causes of hunger so that millions more may have access to food and livelihoods. Cafod, Christian Aid and Tearfund are working together to produce weekly prayers on the theme of ‘Our Daily Bread’ that can be used by individuals and churches http://www.cafod.org.uk/Pray/Theological-reflection, http://www.tearfund.org/en/get_involved/campaign/if/pray/

2. International Women’s Day, Friday 8th March – Take some time during this day to pray for equality and for improved conditions for women around the world. Give thanks for the strength of recent women who have used their terrible experiences to try to improve conditions for other women – Malala Yousufzai in Pakistan, friends of the gang rape victim in India, Manal al Sharif in Saudi Arabia and others. For more inspiration visit http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Act

3. Sign up to the IF campaign – for those of you at the Global Aware Conference, you will know the IF campaign is a multi agency food campaign, working with 100 NGOs and charities to end extreme hunger. The Churches IF action pack is attached – please do all you can to highlight this campaign to friends and churches as well as continuing to take action yourselves. We have already seen our Chancellor take action on tax dodging which robs countries of billions in tax, and we hope there will be more political change as a result of the strength of the campaign’s voice. For more details www.enoughfoodif.org/

4. Fairtrade Fortnight – runs until 10th March. Show your support for smallholder farmers by Going Further for Fairtrade http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/ By buying more Fairtrade products you immediately impact on the lives of farmers in some of the poorest countries in the world, guaranteeing them a good income and supporting communities. For local events and news see www.bristolfairtrade.org.uk

5. Palestine - take action to try to prevent the latest section of the Wall from being built in Cremisan. After the construction of the Israeli separation wall the community will be cut off from the valley. More than 50 families – mainly Christians – and two Salesian convents will lose their lands. Further, the Salesian Sisters Convent and School, which is giving education to more than 400 children from the surrounding villages, will be surrounded by military presence and separated from each other.

For more information and to sign the petition visit http://www.change.org/petitions/save-the-valley-in-cremisan-support-bridges-not-walls

6. Syria – Please continue to pray and to take action, and ask your churches to act, for the people of Syria. Tearfund have launched an emergency appeal, for those thousands fleeing the country and for those who remain, often in desperate circumstances http://www.tearfund.org/en/news/syria/

Attend

7. The Eye of Poverty – Christian Aid sculpture and photo exhibition, Bristol Cathedral 1^st – 23^rd March. Feel free to drop by anytime and find out more about the work of Christian Aid, or take some time out to reflect and pray using the materials and space provided.

8. Women, Honey and Chocolate! M Shed Bristol, Friday 8th March 6-9pm

Celebration for International Women’s Day, with entry to the M Shed Chocolate exhibition, speaker and tastings from Divine chocolate, Fairtrade honey producer from Nicaragua, live music and refreshments. A Fairtrade Fortnight event. Tickets £8 / £6 conc from M Shed 0117 352 6600

http://mshed.org/whats-on/events/women,-honey-and-chocolate!-fri-8-mar-2013/

9. Bread of Life – Enough for all, Manvers Street Baptist Church Bath,Tues 26th March 10am-5pm or 7.15-9.15pm

Keynote speaker, Loretta Minghella, Director of Christian Aid. Inspiration on the Enough Food for Everyone If campaign, ideas for Christian Aid week and more.

Free to attend but you must book: http://breadoflife.eventbrite.co.uk or by calling 01454-415923.

10. Take photographs of all the events you attend, put them on Facebook, and please send copies to: chris.dobson@bristoldiocese.org and bglobalaware@gmail.com

Article courtesy of Jenny Foster, Bristol Fair Trade Co-ordinator

Over 120 clergy and lay leaders attend Leadership Conferences in Uganda

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Chris

A team from Bristol Diocese visited Uganda in January 2013 to lead two conferences reflecting on Christian leadership. Topics ranged from the ‘character of the leader’, through ‘dealing with difficult people’ to ‘20 essential tips for leadership’. After an early body blow when the main speaker, Mike Hill, was unable to travel out with the main party due to illness the rest of the team pulled together to deliver the teaching programme.

“The team did such a great job that I wasn’t missed at all!” commented Mike Hill.

The first conference was hosted at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, the second in the northern Ugandan town of Gulu and participants came from 7 of our link dioceses and from the faculty of UCU. The conferences were made possible by a generous gift and so we were able to cover the costs for delegates of all their food, accommodation and attendance.

An unexpected side benefit from the conference was the drawing together of clergy from across the country who had perhaps not met together since they were at college, enabling the sharing of ideas and experience from across the country. A highlight for the Bristol team was an evening spent as the guest of Bishop Jonathan Ssebaggala which provided an opportunity for prayer and to share openly and honestly some of the challenges facing the Anglican Communion.

Friendships were formed over meals and through lively discussion around the theme of leadership. Particularly notable was the absence of a culture of volunteering within those Dioceses who had sent representatives making delegation very difficult for clergy and bishops. A number of interesting conversations ensued over different ways of sharing the responsibility and work of mission in the life of the church.

The team from Bristol was humbled by the extraordinary welcome from our Ugandan hosts, not least from Uganda Christian University who made sacrifices beyond any expectation in order to enable our conference to go ahead. We were hugely blessed by their work on our behalf.

The new Archbishop of Uganda, His Grace, Stanley Ntagali was generous in coming in his first few weeks to join us for the conclusion of our conference in Mukono.

We have been heartened to hear from Uganda that some of the lessons we have shared with our partners are being worked out in practice now that they have returned home:

“I was indeed blessed. I have already started using the material. On Friday last week I addressed the student body and all the alumni at the Uganda Bible Institute and I used 20 leadership lessons. Last week Mrs. Ketty Mushabe quoted about five lessons of leadership when she was addressing women during the Mothers Union meeting at the Cathedral.” Amos Magezi.

>>View a video interview with conference delegates

>> See photographs on the Diocese of Bristol Facebook page

New Arms Trade Treaty planned for March 2013

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Chris

Bishop Mike Hill and the Diocese of Bristol in partnership with the Diocese of Northern Uganda played a part early in 2012 in encouraging our Government to work for greater legislation to govern the international arms trade. The last international talks broke down without agreement and there is a new call to continue the campaign. Christian Aid’s Anna MacDonald writes:

Earlier this month, world governments agreed to a new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) conference planned for early 2013.

157 governments at the UN General Assembly in New York voted in favour (there were 18 abstentions and no votes against). This new conference means leaders plan to build on the strong progress made in July.

The new ATT conference will take place 18–28 March 2013. It’s vital that the UK government continues its support for a treaty that will help reduce the devastating effects of armed violence.

Take action: Ask your MP to write to Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt to support a stronger Arms Trade Treaty

Countries didn’t agree to a “non-veto” rule, which is disappointing as it means any one country could block the treaty being agreed in March.

But there’s good news: the Control Arms campaign fought hard and won agreement that if the treaty gets blocked it can go to the UN General Assembly for a majority vote – which means there’s a strong chance we’ll get a treaty agreed in 2013.

We still have a long way to go, and the current Treaty text needs to be strengthened if it’s going to be a truly effective control of the international arms trade. But with a second conference confirmed for early 2013, and agreement on how to counter countries who may still want to block progress, there’s much to be positive about.

Oxfam will continue the campaign leading up to March, and we’ll be in touch with you in in early 2013 for the next phase.

Thank you for your continued support in the fight to agree a strong treaty. We look forward to campaigning with you again in the new year.

Anna MacDonald
Oxfam Head of Arms Control

Join us on Facebook

>>link to article by Rev Willy Akena on the effects of easy access to arms on the lives of young people

Working together

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Chris

The Bristol-Uganda link is committed to working where possible with other partners to maximize the effectiveness of our links. Tear Fund are partnering with a number of our deanery links in innovative projects.

However our small efforts at fund raising are tiny in comparison with what can be raised through international and government initiatives. As Bristol Diocese we can play our part alongside Tear Fund in encouraging the UK government to take the lead in pushing for a carbon levy on international shipping to be used for the alleviation of the effects of Climate Change. Watch this short animation and then why not email your MP?

Visit the Tearfund website >>Tearfund

If you would like to follow Tearfund in Uganda on Facebook please email chris.dobson@bristoldiocese.org

Church of Uganda welcomes new Archbishop

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Chris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8th November 2012

Rev. Canon George Bagamuhunda, the Provincial Secretary for the Church of Uganda, has issued the following statement in response to the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Justin Welby as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

“The Church of Uganda welcomes the news of the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Justin Welby as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. We are pleased to hear that he is an evangelical and will pray for him to lift up Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life,” and to set the Word of God written as the authority for our common faith and morality. It is a challenging season not only in the Church of England, but also in the global Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion remains fractured due to the inability of the Instruments of Communion to restore the Communion to Biblical faith and morality. We pledge our cooperation and prayers for him as he takes on the mantle of leadership.”

Contact: Rev. Canon George Bagamuhunda
Provincial Secretary, Church of Uganda
+256 772 450 019

Museveni’s Prayer

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Chris

I wonder how people in the UK would react if David Cameron were to pray a public prayer like this one that President Yoweri Museveni prayed in Namboole as part of the celebrations for 50 years of independence?:

“Father God in heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda. We are proud that we are Ugandans and Africans. We thank you for all your goodness to us.

I stand here today to close the evil past and especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history and at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your forgiveness.

We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic transformation.

We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal.

Forgive us of sins of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict.

These sins and many others have characterised our past leadership, especially the last 50 years of our history. Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love you, to fear you and to seek you. Take away from us all the above sins.

We pray for national unity. Unite us as Ugandans and eliminate all forms of conflict, sectarianism and tribalism. Help us to see that we are all your children, children of the same Father. Help us to love and respect one another and to appreciate unity in diversity.

We pray for prosperity and transformation. Deliver us from ignorance, poverty and disease. As leaders, give us wisdom to help lead our people into political, social and economic transformation.

We want to dedicate this nation to you so that you will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfil what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own.

I renounce all the evil foundations and covenants that were laid in idolatry and witchcraft. I renounce all the satanic influence on this nation. And I hereby covenant Uganda to you, to walk in your ways and experience all your blessings forever.

I pray for all these in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.”