Jesus said “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”. That is true in every area of the world, and is clearly seen in Teso. The churches are reaching out in mission and evangelism. As a result many people are coming to faith in Christ and new churches are being started. The plentiful harvest is being gathered! However, trained workers are still very few. Both the Church of Uganda and the Pentecostal Church have numerous congregations that are being led by lay-readers or pastors who have no basic training. These leaders are working hard to support new Christians and develop their churches, sometimes with very limited bible knowledge and leadership skills. But the good news is that this is being addressed, with church leadership training now operating in all areas of Teso. TDT is currently working with church leader training schools in Amuria, Soroti, Kumi and Ngora.
The Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) are continuing to grow their ‘In-Service Bible School’ in Kumi District by running classes in 12 different locations, up from 8 last year. This has greatly increased the number of pastors accessing training. PAG in Amuria are also seeing an increased number of leaders being trained.
The Church of Uganda Lay-Reader Training Centre in Soroti is also continuing to do well. In 2015 the numbers were so great that there was not enough room to accommodate them on the main site. The ladies moved the nearby ‘Girls Hostel’, which was built with TDT finances a few years ago. The men fill the main accommodation block, and have also set up a temporary dormitory in a classroom.
Video of Evening Worship at the COU Lay Reader Training Centre
Lay Readers Refresher Training 2018