Kaberamaido TLT - Overcoming Family Violence

By Anthony:

This last Timothy Leadership Training in Kaberamaido was special in that my good friend, a missionary from Soroti, Steve Tiesenga, came along with me because he wanted to complete all the manuals himself before he begins to facilitate TLT in Soroti in the future.  It was fun having him there, as he also helped the pastors write their action plans, and he was able to get a lot of great pictures for me.  I hope you enjoy them!

I told the group that I tell our friends back in the US about how God is using them and TLT, and they were very happy and glad that you are standing with them in prayer.  The bishop of PAG Kaberamaido said to send to you all their greetings and love!

The most encouraging part of every TLT session is when we have the privilege of hearing the pastors report on what God has done, how he has used them in the implementation of their action plans.  These plans were based on the Stewardship manual we studied in December.  Here is just a small sample of what I heard:

 

Reports

1.  A pastor taught his church about stewarding the time that God has given to us.   The church listened to what he taught and they began to keep proper time management in their worship services.  Before, people came at all different times, so they would start late, and that meant they would get home late.  Some women had stopped coming to church in the past years but when the church began keeping time well, these women returned.  The reason is that they are married to non-Christian husbands, and when they would be gone from home for so long, the husbands would get annoyed or suspicious and yell and beat these women.  But when the church began to keep time, the women could more easily come to church again!  Even better, some of their non-Christian husbands have begun to come with them in the last months, and some of these husbands got saved!  What a strange but beautiful example of how being good stewards of time has resulted in the salvation of these men!

 

2.  Many people had planned to plant trees.  However, their plans have not been accomplished yet because it is so dry and the rains have delayed.  But they have prepared the ground and the seedlings and will be ready to plant as soon as the rains come.

 

3.  The manager of KMDP (PAG Kaberamaido's development organization), the pastorate secretary, and the pastorate accountant teamed up together for an epic action plan.  They succeeded in training 54 church treasurers and secretaries from all over the district in two days.  They were trained in budgeting, record keeping, reporting, financial transparency, and accountability.  Since the training, they report that giving by Christians is increasing in all of the 22 assemblies (assembly is a group of 5-10 PAG churches) now that people can trust how the money is collected and used.
 

Video of worship time in the morning

4.  Similar trainings to #3 happened all over in smaller ways in the local churches.  Some churches have made sure that it is not one person alone who is counting the money each week.  Other churches began to give accountability and reports to the congregation each week about the offerings.  Many of the TLT pastors gave reports that the average offering amounts are now higher, so many that I could not write them all down.  In some churches, they are higher by 30,000 shillings a week, in other churches they are higher by 100,000 a week.  One pastor reported that in previous fundraisers they would get around 80,000 shillings but after teaching about stewardship, they raised 1.4 million in fundraising.  Another pastor noted an increase in fundraising from 100,000 shillings, to 800,000 collected. 

 

For those of you that might feel uncomfortable with this, realize that this is not a case of pastors manipulating Christians to give more using the false prosperity gospel.  This is actually the proper stewardship and generosity Christians are finally starting to show after being taught about giving, and seeing that they can trust that their leaders are handling money well without corruption.  I cannot understate how important this change is.  Pastors in PAG usually make about 3,000-6,000 shillings ($1-2) from their churches in a month (they have to garden to support themselves).  And it's very tough to do ministry or do maintenance on church buildings when so little money is given.  Many people cry that they are desperately poor, but that is not the case for most Ugandans.  People have money, they just weren't giving it to the churches.  I am so encouraged by these changes.

 

5.  My former student at Pentecostal Theological College in Mbale, Emmanuel, went out and undertook one of the most difficult action plans.  He trained 9 committee members in the entire stewardship TLT manual.  This is quite a feat in time and energy.  It spreads the good transformation that TLT brings.  He also plans again to teach these same people all of TLT manual 3 in the next three months.

 

6.  Many TLT participants went home to form committees to regularly clean their church compounds of trash.

 

7.  After hearing teaching about stewardship and giving, Christians in the congregation of Otuboi PAG formed a committee to look after the welfare of their pastors, to make sure they are properly cared for and financially supported.

A picture of me praying a prayer of thanksgiving for how God has used them in their action plans.

In this TLT week, I was again joined by Betty and Anges who have come with me each time to Kaberamaido TLT.  But Pastor Moses was not able to come as he moved to pursue further education. So Pastor Joseph (who happens to be our former student from five years ago, and now our local pastor), came and helped facilitate with us.  All three of them are master trainers like me.  Their service and sacrifice is amazing and I don't know what I would do without them.  Their pictures are below.  Betty is on the right here:

And then Agnes and Joseph:

This manual was Overcoming Violence in the Family.  I have many interesting things to say about our discussions in this manual, but I don't want to be too repetitive as I already blogged about this manual in a previous post - Amuria TLT - Violence in the Family.  So please read that post if you haven't to see the main topics we addressed.

As usual in Kaberamaido, we had many participants, so we divided into two groups.  The weather during this week made things difficult.  It was very dry, dusty, and windy.  We continually had to shield our faces from huge dust clouds.  It's hard to describe if you've never been in Africa in the dry season.  We couldn't discuss in the church because then we would have all been baked as if we were in an oven, so we had to endure the dust continually getting into our eyes.

Breakfast Break!

Pastor Joseph helping another pastor with his action plan:

Pastors and leaders working on their action plans:

I spend 75% of the last day correcting, advising, and finally approving action plans.  With between 50 and 65 participants each time in Kaberamaido this is a lot of action plan analyzing (some people's plans I have to look at multiple times).  By the end of that day my mind is fried.  Sara is already making fun of me because TLT has so strongly shaped my life.  I'm always talking to Sara about making action plans at home.  Below is the line of leaders waiting for me to approve their action plans.  First they get initial approval and correction from Joseph, Betty, or Agnes, and then they come see me with what they hope is their final draft.  They think I'm pretty tough but they appreciate it!  They are learning how to make good plans, with properly articulated goals and detailed activities.



Putting final drafts of action plans on the church walls so others can read them before we pray over them:

Here are a few action plans I am excited to see them carry out over the next three months:

1.  Most of the plans involved counseling families who are experiencing conflict or abuse or marriage difficulties, and they want to see an end to the conflicts and reconciliation.

2.  During the week, we had a discussion about the problem of alcohol addiction and how it contributes to violence, and it must have touched them because at least 8 people had a plan that involved alcohol.  In their different villages, they want to reach out to the drunkards in their town drinking joints, and counsel them.  Each plan involves a certain number of people they want to see quit drinking and come to know Christ.

3.  The bishop has a bold plan that takes the alcohol issue one level deeper.  He wants to talk to the owners of the drinking joints in Kaberamaido town and he hopes to see at least two of the breweries willingly choose to give up their businesses.  It's a difficult goal, but attainable by God's power.  I imagine it would be difficult to continue what they are doing when the bishop lovingly confronts them about the destruction they are contributing to in families and in the larger community.

4.  Another pastor was touched when we talked about how the church does not always care well for widows.  His goal involves building new houses for the widows in his church.

5.  A pastor plans to teach teenagers a biblical view of sex and marriage and afterwards give them an exam to make sure they've really understood.  As in the US, too often the message the church gives about sexuality is only, "Don't have sex before marriage!"  This pastor wants to make sure they have a biblical, positive view of marriage and sex.

Pray that God empowers these leaders through his Holy Spirit to carry out these plans in an effective way.  Thank you to my churches and supporters in the US for sending me to do this very enjoyable work here in Uganda!