The Nebbi Town Church

The Nebbi Town Church has been built in large part due to the contributions of Central Community Church. While we were there, the final portions of the roof were being put into place.

This is an excerpt from a letter written by the Pastor of the church to the team and to the entire church at Central.

Facts of the church:

Starting date: 17 April, 1996.
Church population: around 200
Vision: To embrace the Christ-like attitude and concentrate on the spiritual, social, moral, and economic transformation of the community.
Mission: Lift up Christ and let Him shine everywhere.
Pastor’s salary: He has no formal salary but is a teacher by trade and therefore receives his income from teaching in another local school. He also receives a small portion of the offering amounting to roughly $5 per month.

Facts of the School:

Starting date: 6 February, 2010
Opening enrollment: 396
Current enrollment: 205
Number of teachers: 7
Monthly school fee per child: $5
Challenges they face:

• Poor funding or lack of funding. Parents cannot afford the fees and this is the primary reason for the drop in enrollment over the last months.
• Classroom buildings are made of reeds and tarpaulin which suffer under poor weather conditions and are subject to destruction by termites which are always a threat.
• Lack of trained teachers.
• Insufficient scholastic materials.
• Classroom furniture. There are few benches for the children to sit upon and many sit on reed mats.
• Other challenges: lack of parental support, sickness, lack of awareness of the importance of early childhood education, and of course, poverty.

From: Pastor Joshua AwekoniMungu, Pastor of Nebbi Town Church of God
To: The Delegation Leader, the team, and Central Community Church

On behalf of the Christians of Nebbi Town Church of God and on my own behalf, I wish to convey our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Central Community Church members for the tremendous offer they have accorded us. Traveling over a very long distance overseas to come to Uganda particularly [the] Nebbi District, spotting us to be the second church after Nyarambe to benefit from the church construction programme like this, such a wonderful and unexpected offer. Indeed brothers, it is as if we are day dreaming when we look at what you have done. Tangibly looking at our [resources and background] we could do nothing like this, because [the] majority of our population, especially the Northern part are living in what the developed world calls extreme poverty; actually below the poverty line, where many are surviving on less than one dollar a day. Whatever the case may be, the Christians [church members] cheerfully contributed manually to raise other materials like sand, bricks, though not [all are able to.]

With all these [challenges] therefore, we remain thankful, thankful and really thankful, to the Lord and all of you for the glorious and remarkable support you have given. We shall always have unfading remembrance for you, your family members in America and wherever they may be, our missionary and all those who contributed in our church construction struggle. May the Lord richly bless you.

In Jesus, Amen.

Thank you Very Much,

Yours in the Lord’s Vineyard

Pastor Joshua AwekoniMungo