Lutheran missionaries came from Ghana in 1994:  John and  Solomon. They started the church in E. Uganda, the Busoga kingdom in Jinja near the source of the Nile.  Missionary John invited Lutheran Hour Ministries to open media  ministries in the capital city Kampala. Missionary Solomon left to work in the Ankole kingdom in W. Uganda called Mbarara. Here Pastor Barahuka Benson joined him before continuing his studies at the  Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane [Pretoria, South Africa].

To help with the growth of the church the missionaries sent three promising men to the LTS in Accra, Ghana under the guidance of President Dr. Paul Fynn to study theology: Bameka Charles, Waako Samuel and Daniel Namayo.  After completing their three year course they returned home to work in Lutheran Hour ministries, the Church office and with World Relief and Human care respectively.

Bishop Waako Samuel was the first Ugandan church leader to contact Bishop David Tswaedi to help them with the further training of future Lutheran pastors. The first student from Uganda came to the LTS in 1994: Angus Lukeeta, but soon others followed: Wamaala Jerome, Samuel Ogwang and Waako Moses.  They did very well in Southern Africa and left very good impressions there. These students returned to be ordained and then worked in the LC of Uganda.  Others followed in their footsteps: Benson Barahuka, Daniel Nkoyooyo,  Aaron Bamumwanye, Bwire Nicholas and Robert Wakiso. Obura  Johnson, Waako York, Peter Maganda, Odoo Okello James, and Johnson Balihikya did too, but are still busy in vicarage. Enoch Macben and myself are the only ones left at LTS studying in the 4th year.

I thank God for His mercy for  the  church growth in Uganda,  and for everyone supporting God’s mission of by preaching His word  and administering His sacraments  faithfully.  I also thank him for protecting me and  my 2 sisters in 1986, when our parents were  killed during  the civil  war.

In 2009 I was posted to W. Uganda to learn preaching, teaching, visiting congregants  and evangelization. We worked in Kiruhura, Mbarara, Ibanda, Kyenjojo and Kamwengye: 4O Christians were confirmed, 5 babies baptized, 500 people came to Holy Communion.

During my last Christmas holidays I served in Kampala under pastor Wamaala Jerome., another graduate of LTS in Tshwane SA. There I  continued with my training until my papers were ready to return to my alma mater in Pretoria. May God continue to bless the Lutheran Church in Africa

Happy student

+  Kainerugaba OGF: Student