ROMANS PROJECT 2020 REPORT

Uganda Romans Project Report for December 2020

Statistics

Recruits: 7 church leaders were recruited to the Abide Challenge in Lira City; 34 brethren signed up for the Abide Challenge in Gulu. 4 recruited to RP in Gulu by 2 completers.

Follow –Ups: 24 church leaders were followed up in Soroti in preparation for graduation or award of certificates; 22 brethren are still working on completing the Abide challenge in my home neighborhood at Eternal Life Worship Church of Christ; 26 church leaders in Gulu still hand copying after completion of reading 20 times.

Completers: In Lira city, 14 completed the RP but only 7 were able to turn up to receive their certificates and MP3s; 3 others completed the Colossian Challenge; in Gulu city, 5 church leaders graduated from the RP, 2 in Ephesians, and 7 in the Colossian challenge.

Stories

1. 1. A youth Pastor called Geoffrey from Gulu formed a whatsapp group for the Northern Uganda Region Abide Challenge participants and our Northern Region Coordinator, Pr. Alex Okello is on board too to give guidance and encouragement. One church leader, Rev. Alfred, our Lira city volunteer noted that there was more emphasis on reading the passages in the Abide challenge than the writing but Pr. Alex and others will follow-up on that.

Pastor Okullu Alex Patrick of Greater Love Gospel Church, Gulu was appreciative of God’s grace upon his life and our ministry’s impartation of the Scriptures and says that participating in the RP led to: “Increase of inner man, that is, my spiritual life in Christ; Gave more encouragement to both me and my friends in the Lord; Souls got saved during preaching in Romans; I have memorized Romans 10:1, 3:23, 6:23. I also read another Bible book in the same way, that is, Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians.

Pastor Kilama Johnson of the Assemblies of God from Elegu, a northern border town with South Sudan did the RP in Luo language and took 2 months to hand copy the same; memorized Rom. 10:9-10 & 3:19 -23. And he also preached to 20 people from Romans 1:16-17 and 5 people got saved. He also encouraged his friends to read Romans as he had done and 2 began. He is going on to read Ephesians.

Pastor Bongomin Charles, a Bible Teacher from Attiak Assemblies of God also did the RP using the Luo language and it took him 21 days to hand copy the book of Romans. He memorized Romans 3:23, and 15:5. As he read through Romans 20 times, he preached 5 sermons and of the 15 people he preached to, 3 of them got saved. He also encouraged some friends to read Romans and 2 of them begun. At some point whilst he did the RP, when he found the first two rounds of reading difficult to complete reading the entire book of Romans, he had to employ prayer and fasting in order to be empowered to read more. He now encourages us to endeavor to roll out the RP more to other Assemblies of God in the villages of Attiak.

So, the above mentioned church leaders all received their certificates and MP3s on the 5^th of December in Gulu and 4^th December, 2020. We thank God for the Northern team’s efforts led by Pr. Alex D.J. Okello!

Personal Experiences

Personally, December was a low month for me as I was limited by the lack of finances and other resources. I really hoped to go to Eastern Uganda and participate in graduating 20 church leaders in Soroti town and more than 30 church leaders in Mbale city and motivate other RP participating leaders in Busia town but it just couldn’t work out and we don’t yet have a substantial Eastern Region representative to coordinate our work although we do hope to consolidate the efforts of our current volunteers in those areas and step up their responsibilities to enable more progress regarding those waiting to be awarded certificates and mp3s. God willing, by his grace, we will be in the Eastern region towards the end of January, 2021.

However, I was able to encourage 6 participating church leaders by telephone and 25 others by sms and whatsapp. I appreciate that about 3 or 4 church leaders sent beautiful Christmas messages and others called. I appreciate the relationship we’ve built with the pastor of Eternal Life Worship Church of Christ in Makandwa-Kitende even as we look forward to the 22 remaining participating congregation members in the Abide challenge completing on the 15^th and being awarded certificates and challenged to continue further in In-depth Bible Study.

The RP has helped the ministry of Proclaim – Africa diligently entrench in –depth Bible Study amongst Uganda’s church leaders and we appreciate the partnership. One church leader in Mid-west Uganda so enjoyed the RP that he read it about 100 times he took notes continually as he read and when he was being awarded his certificate and mp3, a certain organization heard about him and offered to publish and print his commentary on Romans! Praise the Lord indeed!

As a Family, we are committed to reading a passage of Scripture daily, discussing it and praying in relation to it and we appreciate RPI and PA for further inculcating this in me even as I pass it on in my family.

We thank God for 2020 and trust him to take us higher in 2021 by his amazing grace!