Report on Overseas Placement

Uganda Visit Organised by Romans One Eleven Trust

July/August 2005

Jon Sermon

Introduction

Romans One Eleven Trust is a charity set up for mutual encouragement between the church in the UK and in developing countries. Paul wrote to the Romans that he longed at to see them, to share some spiritual gift to strengthen them and went on (Romans 1 v. 12) "so that we may be mutually encouraged each by the other's faith, both yours and mine". This is the concept, not that the West is the benefactor and the developing country the recipient (although that is the case in terms of resources) but that we both give and receive.

I had the opportunity, therefore, to go to Uganda, both to give and receive. The result, which I'm convinced will be a lasting impression, is that of having been encouraged by the faith of those I met and worked alongside. Thus, the concept of being "mutually encouraged" has been the reality!

The main input I had was with a group of local pastors in rural areas of Uganda who are studying in a programme to enhance their theological understanding and to equip them better for their calling. They are pictured here, giving one another (and me) support. This photo was taken outside the Spiritual Life Centre, where the training is based. The RPCU church at Kibaale, linked to the project is the building behind

Structure of My Trip

The trip was based around one of the two-week sessions at the Spiritual Life Centre. The nine students attend for intensive two-week sessions six times a year and undertake home study in between. They are all pastors in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Uganda, a young denomination which emerged out of the underground church from the Idi Amin era. They serve churches in the remote rural parts of the country where resources are extremely stretched. As a result, beyond the one-to-one mentoring they received from established pastors, they have had no training for their roles. There is a theological College in Kampala but for these men the prospect of being able to study there would be unrealistic. The current students are all married, have children and have work to provide an income for their families. Their church positions do not result in any stipend.

The situation, therefore, is that these men are crying out for structured theological training. Romans One Eleven is providing, through this programme, far more than they could otherwise have hoped for.

The project is a new venture and the current students are the first class under this programme. They will study for two years and attain a certificate in Biblical Studies and Christian Ministry. I went as a junior member of the teaching team for the two-week session in July/August 2005 which, in fact, was the third session since the course commenced.

The overall programme involved a brief stopover in Kampala, travel to Kibaale in the Rakai district, where the newly built Spiritual Life Centre is situated, brief acclimatisation, two weeks with the students and then returned to Kampala. John and Gwen Hall, with whom I had travelled, were returning home. However, to make my experience more rounded, I stayed for a further week, based with an RPCU pastor in Ndejje, just outside Kampala. This involved a varied programme of preaching and teaching engagements in a number of different settings.

Culture Shock?

There were numerous aspects of life as I observed it in Uganda which were very different from our situation. Some were quite shocking. I knew, of course, a lot of the theory but, never having previously travelled further than Belgium, I had seen nothing like it before. I was aware that Alan Evans, who had gone as part of the teaching team on the previous session, had spoken of being dramatically affected by one particular incident. In the village of Kibaale there are several small shops, including a butcher. The grassy area immediately outside the window of the teaching room at the Spiritual Life Centre is the spot where the butcher kills his pigs. Alan had seen it and been dramatically affected. In fact, the time to kill another pig came around on our first morning at the centre. I chose not to look. The following day, I heard the same sound of a squealing pig but this time the butcher was simply unloading another pig he had presumably purchased. It was objecting to being manhandled. It was fully grown (probably the one he killed the following week) and he had clearly collected it from his supplier by strapping it to long sticks he had used to extend the luggage rack on his bicycle.

Large and cumbersome loads carried on bicycles was one of the culturally dramatic differences. Whereas this pig may well have been one of the heaviest loads I saw on a bicycle, it was certainly not the largest. Street traders would carry their entire stock, for example of clothing, on huge racks mounted on the backs of their bicycles.

The poverty of the ordinary people is shocking. Most of the housing is very basic and people live a "hand to mouth" existence. Unemployment is almost 80% so most people rely on some kind of self-employment. Families who have a little land grow food for their own use and to sell the surplus. Many homes are also small-scale shops or other businesses. This picture of Kibaale village is an indication of the typical housing etc.

Other rather shocking cultural differences included the predominance of armed men. There is rebel activity in the north of the country but the areas I visited are regarded as peaceful. Nevertheless, security results in men with rifles being a common sight, especially in Kampala. There is huge wealth amongst a few and wealthy households employ armed guards. These will be men who do not wear any kind of uniform and they can be seen cycling to or from their place of work with rifles slung over their shoulders. The banks employ armed guards who do wear uniforms and some delivery lorries, for example delivering beer to the pubs have armed guards on board. It is not, primarily, the risk of theft of the produce that makes this necessary. All transactions are undertaken in cash so the guards are needed to protect the substantial sums of money carried.

There were many cultural differences that are much more positive. In the rural areas at least, the welcome is astonishing. I soon came to realise that it is quite normal to walk through the village and greet everyone I see. There is a definite cultural attitude of appreciating visitors. In one of the churches where I preached, the children's choir sang a song, specifically addressed to our group, with a theme: "You are welcome, dear visitors, in the name of Jesus". I also found, in the midst of quite severe material poverty, a spiritual wealth that was most encouraging.

Worship with the Ugandans

The worship experience was very different from the norm in our churches. Whether in a church service (I spoke at 7 during my time there) or with the group of students, the worship experience was always lively. Singing is largely unaccompanied although drums are sometimes used and a few churches have more Western-style instruments. Whether or not there are drums available, clapping is used to maintain the rhythm. There are no hymnbooks (and, of course, no PowerPoint or overhead projector) so the songs tend to be from a small repertoire, easy to pick up and repetitive.

This shot was taken at one of our worship sessions with the students, when they let me try the drums. A leader introduces a song and everyone follows. One song seems to flow naturally into the next one until the leader feels the time is right to stop singing. As the final song dies down and is not replaced by another, everyone in the building bursts out in prayers of praise, aloud! Typically, I would hear some praying in English, some in Luganda or other local languages and some were clearly praying in tongues. The atmosphere was astonishingly and, even though I came to expect this to happen, it seemed no less dramatic each time. The sheer enthusiasm and sincerity with which everyone prayed was overwhelming!

Preaching through interpreters was a novel experience. The Ugandan congregations react to what they hear. Whereas we might normally expect a few "sage nods" if the people think we have made a good point in a sermon, in Uganda they might clap, cheer, shout "Hallelujah" or "Amen". Because of the widespread use of English, there will always be some in the congregation who speak English competently. They would respond as I spoke and I would then get a second response when the interpreter translated what I had said. It was both exciting and humbling.

As well as the work with the students and various preaching commitments, I was invited to lead a youth group session in one of the Ndejje churches. I also spoke at assemblies at two church schools. This was the scene at one of them:

At this point, the boy in the navy jumper is leading the song "I will sing hosanna" and has reached the stage where the lyric changes to "I will wave hosanna".

High Points of the Trip

In a sense there are too many things I could pick out as high points of the trip! Being involved with the group of students over a two-week period was very special. We shared in prayer and worship as a group twice a day, I worked with five of them on a tutorial basis at various times throughout the teaching, I took a large share of responsibility for leading the morning Bible studies but also enjoyed participating when others led. During the worship times, one of the students would preach the word. The camaraderie that built up between us was fantastic. Getting to know something of their situations, their circumstances and the real issues they face was valuable to me.

Another of my responsibilities was to act as "foreman" for the physical work on the site which the students undertook most afternoons. In terms of getting alongside them, this aspect added significantly to the building of relationships. Having students come to me to discuss issues and to pray together was extremely touching.

My own input to the teaching was to share responsibility with John Hall during the 2nd week, when we covered The Dunamis Project II material on empowerment with spiritual gifts. The students could see an obvious benefit in a having sound, structured biblical basis for the real experience they encounter in their regular ministry and, therefore, were particularly keen to have this teaching. The way they were so attentive was refreshing. There were, of course, some difficulties in terms of language and the challenge of helping those with limited English to understand the subject as it progressed put me under some pressure. I found it, nevertheless, very worthwhile.

The worship experience in Ugandan churches was unforgettable! Morning worship would usually last from about 10am to 12.30 or 1.00pm. Not everyone attends throughout: Typically, the children start with or without adult supervision and the adults join in as they arrive. In the rural parts, at least, it is hardly surprising that many do not arrive for the start time. Some will have walked for up to two hours to get there. They may not own a clock or watch but simply get up when they wake, do their essential chores for that morning and then set off for church.

The time is filled with lively worship, personal testimony, prayer, Bible teaching and preaching and never seemed to me to drag, despite being so much longer than the services we conduct. The contrast between some of the responses we receive when we are perceived to have gone on too long and the attitude of the Ugandans was remarkable.

The work in the urban setting of my final week provided a clear contrast. In some senses it was more intensive, with travel by public means, preaching at a lunchtime worship in the city centre, youth work and a health workshop as well as church services. The pastor I was working with, Martin Sendagi, is a bachelor who invited me to stay at his house. Another young man from the church, who is exploring a call to ministry lodges with him. Despite the facilities (concrete floors, no running water, "pit latrine" outside toilet - all perfectly normal for their situation) staying with Martin was a special experience. Reading the Bible and praying together each evening before we settled to sleep was indicative of a wider growing rapport between us.

A Divine Appointment?

There was one "chance" encounter, not part of the programme itself which is particularly special as a memory and significant moment.

On the middle Saturday of the two weeks at the Spiritual Life Centre, I decided to go to the major town in the area, Kyotera. I asked one of the students, Bernard, to go as my guide. Martin was within earshot and asked to come as well. The story of our journeys there and back was a cultural insight itself and rather amusing (including nine adults crammed into a small car). However, it is what happened there that was special.

Bernard had some business to conduct. He had handwritten letters he wished to distribute to potential supporters about some of the financial needs of his churches. This includes the urgent need for Bibles. New Christians, and indeed those more established, can rarely afford their own Bible. It costs 15,000 Ugandan shillings (about £4.50) which is literally beyond the means of many in the low value economic structure in which they operate. He was having these letters typed and photocopied in a shop which offers such services.

I chose to wait outside, observing passers-by and falling into conversation with some. By then (just over a week since I arrived) I had realised the relaxed way in which people welcome one another. The British reserve about speaking to strangers was already fading.

I fell into conversation with a young man who, having assumed that I was British, wanted to talk about the Premier League. His knowledge far exceeded my own and, since his English was not all that good, we began to struggle to maintain conversation. He took me over to introduce me to his brother who was sat on a bicycle with a friend outside the shop they jointly run. During the time I was with them (about an hour) Isaac and Tom sat there throughout. Presumably, Isaac would have moved if he got a customer but he did not. This was yet another indication of the "hand to mouth" nature of the local economy.

Isaac and Joseph, the two brothers, jointly run the shop which is next-door but one to where Bernard was conducting his business. They are primarily glass cutters for glazing and also sell paint and other equipment, sharpen tools etc.

The elder brother, Isaac, has a very good command of English and we were able to converse over a wide range of subjects. After a while he asked me why I had come to Uganda. I told him about the work with the pastors and he replied "So, you have come to preach the word of God?" He went on to say that this is needed in Uganda and for him personally. He told me that he knew very little of the Bible and did not understand what he knew.

Having so often missed those opportunities God gives, I try to be on the lookout to fulfil what Peter wrote "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). That was precisely what Isaac was doing. Whether from inner prompting of the Holy Spirit or because of the way the Ugandan people had welcomed me, their openness and their evident spirituality, on that occasion I found I was ready. By his explicit invitation, I preached the gospel to Isaac there and then, on the street. Isaac was most interested in what I had to say about God's love and forgiveness but asked how he could know he would be forgiven. I told them that God promises this in the Bible but, more importantly, the only way to know is to trust God and give him a try. I offered to pray with him and he jumped at the opportunity. Right there, in the dusty street of Kyotera, Isaac gave his life to Christ.

He told me that the prayer involved Joseph and Tom, as well. Since Tom had not spoken (he seemed not to speak English at all) and Joseph had simply listened but not really engaged in the conversation, I was sceptical about this. Nevertheless, it was clear that Isaac hand made a genuine response to Jesus Christ. To have such an encounter, with such an outcome, 4000 miles from home (particularly when it is so unlikely that someone I don't know would be prepared to talk at such depth on the street in England) was amazing!

This is Isaac with Tom and Joseph, in front of their shop.

The following Wednesday, I went into Kyotera with JohnBosco (another of the students) and called at the shop. Isaac was away but Joseph was there. He and JohnBosco spoke in Luganda and he confirmed that he too had made a commitment to Christ. I subsequently gave them a Bible and I also put the local pastor in touch. Just before I left Uganda, I received a phone call from Isaac. He confirmed that he and Joseph are reading the Bible together every day, have been to the church and are excited about their growing new faith. Praise God! I still don’t know what involvement, if any Tom has but, of course, God knows and it is in his hands.

Conclusion

From the start of my training programme I have been aware that we are urged, if possible, to undertake some kind of overseas placement. There seems to be an understanding that it must be in a very different culture. Throughout, I have been drawn to the idea of doing this and definitely wanted to. Of course, family and other reasons make it difficult for many students to contemplate such an enterprise, including myself. Nevertheless, I have been surprised and disappointed by the negative approach some of my colleagues have to the idea of undertaking an overseas placement. This was before I went. If I was keen, in theory and recognised the potential value then, I am far more convinced of it now! I would strongly urge all my colleagues, if at all possible, to do this.

The work with Romans One Eleven, built around the programme at the Spiritual Life Centre is a model for such placements that could be used again. I went as the first student minister to be involved in what, after all, is a new endeavour. It was understood between the college and Romans One Eleven throughout that I was trying something not only as a valuable experience for me, but also as a possible model to be made available to future students. I would wholeheartedly support the suggestion of others following this path.

There are, from a practical point of view, limitations to this. Firstly, the cultural setting is one in which lady pastors are only just beginning to be recognised as a possibility. This would make it hard for a female student to feel fully welcomed and appreciated. I'm certain this could be overcome but any lady colleagues contemplating going would need to be aware of this and be prepared for some surprise at their role. I am certain that Romans One Eleven, for their part, will be fully supportive. Secondly, this placement may not suit anyone of a particularly liberal theological stance. They would find themselves so out of keeping with the ethos of the churches, the understanding and experience of the pastors on the course and the approach of the Romans One Eleven leadership that it would be very difficult. Nevertheless, should such a person wish to approach this with openness to the possibility of aspects of Christian experience that would be new to them, it may well still be appropriate.

I would like to thank the URC for making this experience possible.

Jon Sermon