Our recent seminar in Kampala, Uganda drew a wide variety of influential leaders, including television personalities, mega-church pastors, students and clergy.
Frank Tweheyo and Empower Minister Donell Peck recently led a New Man, New Woman, New Life seminar at the Kampala Evangelical School of Theology (KEST). We not only trained students, staff, leaders and pastors from the area, we made a number of new friends who are interested in having Empower return to provide additional seminars.
“My colleagues at KEST were excited and impressed with how the Empower program dovetails with some of our programs, especially the Christian Worldview,” Emmanuel Akatukunda, teacher of theology and long-time friend of Empower, said. He noted that KEST Principal Dr. Phillip Wandawa was very positive about the possibility of teaching our materials as a course in one of KEST’s formal programs.
Here is Frank’s report:
In addition to the staff, students and pastors, the seminar also hosted a number of special participants. These included: counselors, clergy from All Saints Church Kampala, TV personality Pastor James Nangoli and his wife Rose from Mercies of Grace Ministries, Pastor Joshua Mugabi and his wife who co-pastor the world-famous Watoto Church (over 25,000 member church with five campuses in Kampala ) and a team from the same church, among many.
KEST Principal, Dr Philip Wandawa opened each morning’s training with a devotion. He gave a brilliant examination of Psalm 1, tying it with a concise outline of Christian World View( which he built on for the next three mornings ). His talk was itself an overview for the program. He made our work easier as participants kept referring to his talk.
On the first day, after a brief introduction and questions report-out, we put people in groups and delved into the Genesis material. At the start of the seminar, only two people in the whole class believed that the man was in the garden with the woman when Eve was being tempted. (See Genesis 3:6, and note that Adam was with his wife.) Nearly everyone believed that humanity was cursed by God in Genesis 3. So we had a lot to talk about. As most of you know (and as we teach in New Man, New Woman), Genesis 3 is very clear: God curses the ground, and the serpent, but not the people.
Women participants shouted “Hallelujah!” when they found out they were never cursed. Pastor Rose stood up with a huge smile and said “from today I am liberated, I am not cursed!”
They had been told for most of their lives that all misfortunes which come to them are a result of the curse. What liberating truth that even in time of darkness, God still had mercy and love for His image!
Day 2 took us into the Jesus material in the workbook. And the discussions even went better. We fought for time. All people wanted to participate, ask questions, express gratitude to Jesus and to the message of redemption. The freedom that Christ gives women, and Jesus’ message to the world that women are not sex objects, plus the study on what it means to be “Lord,” brought the highest excitement.
Liberation from sorrowful toil back to tending the ground as well as liberation from patriarchy and the “big man” mentality (which is prevalent in ecclesiastical and civic leadership in Uganda) brought excited discussions.
Dr. Philip came in many times to give a scholarly and theological background of many issues we were talking about, and though more time was spent on this, was appreciated as he clarified and gave relevant applications.
Because the class was diverse and cross-cultural (almost all the country represented as well as Bill Peck and another man, Ted, from the west), the discussions were diverse, rich and unbiased.
Day 3
The morning devotion on Day 3 brought a lot of excitement and discussions. due to the lack of time, we (Donell and Frank) taught through the Pauline studies, rather than let the participants explore them for themselves. Even with the shortness of time, however, we gave them enough background of Paul for them to build on.
Participants were happy to find out that submission does not mean oppression, subordination, and subjugation but that it is actually an empowering word as Paul brings it, not to oppress the weak but to lift them up, empower them and make them better.
We also found out that “headship” does not make the head an oppressor, but the one who makes his wife more glorious, without wrinkle or spot, empowered and fulfilled.
All are excited to participate in the Master class.