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- Crusades -

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Kasese and Bushenyi, Uganda  9th - 17th March 2016

00. INTRODUCTION

In response to the call of God upon His life, Pastor Ernest Howie, the leader of Abundant Life International Ministries (ALIM) and his team held a leaders and Pastor’s conference intended to equip the participants with skills that will enable them to unleash the potential locked up within them. The unleashed potential shall in turn lead to the transformation of the leader’s lives, the church and the communities that they live in.

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Pastor Ernest Howie and some of the Pastors and leaders after the Conference in Kasese.

 

ALIM in partnership with the church of Christ in the Western districts of Kasese and Bushenyi under their umbrella organization the “Rwenzori Pastors in Kasese and the Bushenyi Christian Unity in Action a subsidiary of the National Fellowship of Born again coalition (NAFOBAC)” held a Pastors and leaders conference. The conferences were held from the 9th to 12th March in Kasese and 13th to 17th March 2016 in Bushenyi with 630 Pastors and leaders in the former and 430 in the latter. The teachers of the word were Pastor Ernest Howie and .
The teachings pointed to the main theme as recorded in Hosea 4:6—“My People are destroyed for lack of knowledge”; Mal.2:7—“For the lips of a Priest should keep knowledge, and People should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts”; Ps. 25:4-5—“Show Me your ways, O Lord; teach me your Paths, lead me in your truth and teach me”; Ps. 43:3—Oh send out your light and your Truth! Let them lead me: let them bring me to your holy hill and to your tabernacle. Pastor Ernest maintained that a word knowledgeable Church is an overcoming one, and it is knowledge that is going to cause a difference in the church.
The intended objective of these conferences was to re-focus the Pastors and leaders to the word of God and to the Biblical principles that underpin these teachings as the ultimate foundation of the church. Hence “Walking in the fear of the Lord, walking in integrity, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, potential, How to get answers to prayers, Prayer, working and trusting, the power of Christianity, Community service, the whole armor of God, healing and communion.”

1.00 VENUE
The conference in Kasese was held at ELIM church hall and at the Mother’s Union Complex at Katungu in Bushenyi. The conferences started at 9.00am and ended at 5.30pm with a lunch break at 1.00pm.

1.3 ACCOMMODATION

The conferences were both residential for participants from far towns and communities, and those who live nearby came from their homes. Two hundred thirty delegates were residents in Kasese and 180 in Bushenyi. All the three main meals ie breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were provided to the participants. The conference officials hired the catering services that prepared the meals and served them. The meals provision arrangements were simple and well managed at all times.

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Conference participants were served with three meals a day, ie breakfast, Lunch and supper

 

4.0 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TEACHINGS
The teachings generated a lot of interest from the participants and this was exhibited in their response to the word. As a result of the teachings, many participants yielded to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, responded to carrying out community work by delivering food parcels to communities and hospital and shared in the Holy Communion
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Bishop Don, his wife and all the participants listening attentively to the teaching of the word in Bushenyi

 

4.2 Church and community
The teaching on ministry and community challenged the participants to find a need in the community and meet it and in this way, they will be demonstrating the bible faith in more practical ways. In this way, the church will be relevant as it yields to people’s needs and looks out to encourage them. A healthy church serves the community through the week and a Sunday is a day of fellowship and celebration. The teaching was based on the parable of a Good Samaritan as narrated by Jesus in the gospels. The participants were challenged by the word and on the last day of the conference they went to the hospital and prisons within the communities.
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The conference team gave the expectant mothers gifts of salt, soap and sugar during community service

4.3 Marriage as God Intended
After the teaching on marriage as God intended, 4 couples responded to the marriage alter call to be wedded in the sight of God in both Kasese and Bushenyi. The teaching expounded on the importance of Christian marriage and being wedded in the sight of God as this brings peace in the family.  The teachers exposed the danger of living and practicing traditions that discourage marriages to be carried out and lived contrary to the word of God.   Many marriages in the country demand for expensive weddings and payment of dowry and because many people cannot afford they end up living together without being wedded before God.

 

A couple in Bushenyi exchanging their marriage vows in the sight of God being  officiated by Pastor Ernest Howie

 

4.4 Holy Communion
Communion, the fourth pillar of the early church (Acts 2:42) besides prayer, the word and fellowship was taught and carried. This sacrament signified the importance of the church as one with a single mission and purpose to bring glory to God by remembrance of the price Jesus paid to take away the sin nature of man in exchange for his divine nature. After the communion, the pastors and leaders were commissioned to go and serve the Lord with zeal, Knowledge and understanding.

 

Jesus said “do this in remembrance of me” Pastors and leaders taking Holy Communion

5.0 OTHER ENGAGEMENTS
After the conference in Kasese and Bushenyi Pastor Ernest traveled to My Father’s House in Mbale. While in Mbale, he attended the meeting of Board of Governors of My Father’s House school. He also ministered in the local Anglican Church along with My Father’s House Children.

Pastor Ernest, together with MFH children and staff pose for a photo after ministry in Nakaloke Anglican Church of Uganda

 

6.0 APPRECIATION
Thanks to the Almighty God who enabled the ALIM team to be true to the calling to equip the church of Christ with the truth of the Word of God. All gratitude is ascribed to the Lord God almighty for enabling Pastor Ernest Howie and , who obeyed the call and stood up to the challenge. We appreciate the efforts of Pastor Samuel Sombi and John Faith for coordinating and making arrangements with the local team of Pastors on ground. Thanks to all the participants for turning up, you are the reasons for the conference.

Blessings to you all

ALIM-UGANDA

 

 

 

 

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