Rooted in Jesus has been in use across the Diocese of Mityana in Uganda since 2015, and over the months coordinators John Musaasizi and Jethro Ssebulime have sent an inspiring series of reports as they have visited groups and talked with group members. We were therefore delighted to accept an invitation from Bishop Stephen Kaziimba to go back to the diocese, and in October a UK-Ugandan team led by Revd Tim Carter returned to provide further support and training.

The team facilitated two conferences, attended by a total of 150 people – existing leaders, new leaders in training, theological college students, lay readers and ordinands. Tim reports: “The coordinator John (and his assistant Jethro) are very encouraging and obviously deeply loved by the people that they work with.  They have a good understanding of the spiritual principles that are foundational in Rooted in Jesus. The Bishop visited the conference and with some energy encouraged the delegates to engage fully with Rooted in Jesus. Following his visit it was announced by the Diocesan Secretary that new Bibles would be given to all delegates. This news was received with much rejoicing! At the end of both conferences parish and archdeaconary coordinators were appointed by their peers to lead the organisation of RinJ in their areas. These will provide a good local backup for John and Jethro.”

Testimonies

Every Rooted in Jesus conference includes time for prayer for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of participants. The ministry sessions in the evenings were powerful, and many people were prayed for; two people made professions of faith for the first time. These are some of the testimonies that were given:

• A gentleman described being disturbed by feeling lonely and unloved. Nick and Ian laid hands on him and prayed – he reported afterwards that he felt restored.

• Rev E sought out Ian to tell him that Ian had prayed for healing for him and his family at the last conference in 2015. He was eager to report that he and his children were healed and continue to enjoy good health.

• A lady described how she came to the conference with a heart full of sadness. However after the teaching sessions and being prayed for her heart is happy. When she prayed she cried as she remembered everything that she had gone through, but now she gives thanks to God that she is happy.

• A lady explained how when she came on the conference she was feeling sick with malaria and oppressed in her spirit. But the teaching and prayer had started to make her feel better. Then she went on to relate how the previous night she had regained her strength and woke normally giving thanks to God (previously she had woken unrested).

• A lady told us that although she was saved she had never prayed for the Holy Spirit to come, but the previous night she did so and he came.

• E, who had been at the last conference in 2015, shared how the advice to pray short prayers had transformed the way he prayed, making it more effective.

As so often, the conferences were as rewarding for the team as for the delegates. Team member Nick James writes:

“The visit was exhilarating in many ways. Such appreciative people, such vibrant worship and such a wholesome, challenging course (I felt personally challenged by some of the material…). I think it more than lived up to my expectations on account of the people we met who were on fire for the Lord, despite little material resource. The chief impact on my ministry is a refreshing of my own call to make disciples (very helpfully challenging), and a firm understanding that Ugandan Christians face exactly the same fundamental issues as I do: am I willing to trust God and follow him wholeheartedly? And the things I need to trust him for are exactly the same: material provision and spiritual strength. The main circumstantial difference is that I am anaesthetised to my need of God by all the provision I have made for myself in fear of not having enough while my Ugandan brothers and sisters are to some extent handicapped and diverted by fear or frustration of not seeing how God will provide for them tomorrow. And both of us are spiritually poorer for it.”

Words from the Lord

Often it seems that God will speak directly to a Diocese through a Rooted in Jesus conference. At each of the two conferences a prophecy was received and embraced, similar in content though different in wording:

“I know you feel week and despised in the eyes of the world
Many of you feel poor
However, I assure you that what I have sown into you and am sowing into you will yield a great harvest
It will be more than can be achieved by big money, big machines or big schemes!
The seed I have sown into your hearts is precious
Nurture it, tend it, guard your hearts!
I promise, you will see a great harvest, beyond your wildest expectations, more than the world could ever give you
Indeed, the world will come to you, wanting desperately to receive some of your joy!”

These words bear a striking similarity to a prophecy received many years ago in Engusero, a town in the Diocese of Kiteto, Tanzania, where it was fully embraced, and great spiritual and numerical growth occurred across the diocese in the years which followed. We are confident that the Lord will fulfil his promises here as he did there.

Coordinator John Musaasizi concludes: “Jethro and I have started post conference follow up ministry. We are indeed thrilled to be part of this great event which is the very core of the Church which our Lord Jesus left on Earth.”

The team: Revd Tim Carter, Dawn and Nick James, Revd Capt William Musisi, Ruth Williams.

We are grateful to Bishop Stephen Kaziimba, Canon John Musaasizi and their colleagues for the warm welcome and generous hospitality which they gave to the team.

To find out more visit the Rooted in Jesus Uganda page, where you can also download Tim’s report.

Posted 4th December by Revd Dr Alison Morgan