A Church Amazed - Part 4

Previous articles in this series:

A Church Envisioned - Part 1

A Church is Born - Part 2

A Church in Search – Part 3

Children lined up outside the first service

June 30, 2013 – What a celebration!  Just one week earlier, 100 people stood outside in the hot sun to worship and to pray, asking God where we should gather next time.  Just one week earlier, a one-acre maize field was in desperate need of water and new life.  Just one week earlier, Light of the World Church had nothing, yet God had it all waiting.

News travels fast around here.  More than 170 people eagerly gathered for worship that Sunday morning and we have had almost that many people every week since.   Following that wonderful June Sunday, more of the land has been cleared.  A separate shade has been built for the children to meet under.  Latrines have been dug.  The roof and walls have been completed with more papyrus.  Decorations have been hung.  A stage has been constructed using extra dirt, a few painted boards and some cow dung to finish the flooring (it works!).  Exceeding, abundant, answers… to prayer.

New decorations and stage brighten LOTW Church

LOTW Church hosted its first “Overnight” on a Friday night recently in the new facility.  An overnight is a common tradition among Ugandan churches where believers assemble for worship and praise, preaching and prayers for the whole night.  People start gathering at 6 or 7 pm and they keep on coming.  Then they stay until 6 or 7 in the morning drumming, dancing and praising the Lord all night long.  Invitations were sent to 17 other rural churches. 

Around 11 p.m. I attempted to count heads and figured there must be around 300 people inside the church.  But there were many people outside, more churches were on their way and some people were sent to carrybenches from GSF to accommodate the crowds.  It was an electric atmosphere!  Some Ugandans said they had been to so many overnights in their lives, but never one like this!  Pastor Sam had asked me to speak specifically to the pastors and it was around 11:30 p.m. when I began, ending shortly after midnight with a charge to all of these pastors to be true to the Word of God.

Children's Shade at LOTW Church

Sunday morning, Pastor Sam announced that he had askedsomeone a little after midnight to count the people – inside and out.  The person reported back that they had lost track and had to stop counting at 650! Some even suggested that Light of the World Church should host a NewYear’s Overnight service instead of everyone travelling to Kampala for the annual New Year’s Prayer celebration, which takes place in the 50,000-seat National Stadium.  Who knows what God has in store?

How does an unfulfilled church at a rural orphanage plant a local church?  In prayer.  How does a simple Bible study group grow to more than 50 people?  By teaching the true Word of God.  How does a new church of 50 increase to 150 in just 3 months?  In prayer.  How are marriages and families reconciled?  By the Word of God.  How does an evicted rural church with little resources acquire land and structures and attract masses of people?  In prayer.  How does a church, not even one year old, influence so many other congregations near and far?  Bykeeping true to the Word of God. 

How do eucalyptus poles and papyrus reeds display the greatness of God?  Let me tell you!

(This is the final article in this series.  But the story is most certainly “To be Continued!”)