We have exciting news, for those of you who have been following us for some time!
One of the key values for Empower as an organization is, as our name declares, empowerment. We want not only to empower families to live with mutual respect and equality, we also want to empower local churches to teach and share the message of Biblical truth themselves.
When we go and present seminars, we go with the long-term goal of “working ourselves out of a job.” We do an initial training, and then, if invited, come back to do a “Master Class” in which people who have graduated from the first training learn to lead and teach it to others. Those Master Class graduates then go on to put on seminars themselves. We provide some support but local pastors and leaders carry the message forward and arrange all of the logistics.
This year, we’ve watched proudly from the sidelines as local groups have done it themselves, putting on a New Man, New Woman, New Life seminar. Last month, our team in Eastern Uganda brought the Empower seminar there for the first time.
Joyce Ouko, who is president of Empower/Uganda, wrote to us about this two-day training, held in late February at the Bukedea Pentecostal Evangelist Fellowship Church.
Here is her report, edited for space and clarity:
Dear Dr. Carrie,
Thanks for your working prayers and support.
The training was so successful, being the first one of its kind in Eastern Uganda.
Forty-one pastors attended, most of them came with their spouses. Among them were two Bishops. (One of them had to miss the second day because his wife had given birth that night!)
We had four facilitators:
Rev. Julius Ouko, Main Facilitator
Pr. Mike Kinyera, Facilitator
Pr. Vicky Aseru, Facilitator
Pr. Joyce Ouko, President & Facilitator
We were blessed by Rev. Robert Erone hosting us for one night. He and his wife were very happy to see Empower in their region. They send their greetings.
The attending pastors learned and discovered a lot. This workshop did not leave the Pastor’s families and Ministries the same as when they’d come. We are still receiving calls of testimonies from the pastors and their spouses. Below are some of the truths they discovered as a result of the study:
- Man present while his wife was talking with the serpent.
- Human being was not cursed
- Woman is not weak. A true helper, in order to help, must be strong, not weak.
- Woman help is always the nearest, after God being the first.
- Woman is a helper who understands the one to be helped, because she is part of him.
- Woman was originally there inside (Invisible) the human God created, then God saw it was not good for in that way so He performed a surgery on Adam to make a separation.
Pr. Vicky added her testimony at the end, telling how the Empower Training has delivered her from cultural bondage. Now the way she preaches has changed and improved, and as a result her church in Kampala is thriving, and marriages of couples in her congregation have changed for the better.
Many Blessings,
Joyce