MISSION EVANGELISM
"Celebrating Faithful, Fruitful and Bold Discipleship Ministries"

EAST AFRICA PARTNERSHIP
By Denise Walton

In 2001, Bishop B. Michael Watson of The South Georgia Annual Conference and four other bishops traveled with the General Board of Global Ministries to the East Africa Annual Conference as a part of an orientation to the Episcopal office. During this visit, Bishop Watson witnessed the most innocent victims of war, poverty and disease – the orphans of East Africa.

There is a great need in Uganda and the whole of East Africa to provide for children whose families have been affected by poverty, civil war and the staggering AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that 40 million orphans will exist on the continent of Africa within the next ten years.

After this visit, a partnership was birthed between The South Georgia Annual Conference, The East Africa Annual Conference, The Ugandan United Methodist Church, representatives from a local church in the Virginia Annual Conference and The General Board of Global Ministries. The vision of Humble Place School was born.

Humble Place, a ministry of the East Africa Annual Conference, is a model facility where the physical and spiritual needs of children can be met. Humble is an acronym for Helping Ugandan Mwana by Loving Example. Mwana is the Lugandan (official language for East Africa) word for children.

Humble Place is more than an orphanage. It is more than a boarding school. It is a home for children without families; it is a primary school where children can learn and excel; it is a clinic where illnesses are treated and a church where the community finds hope and spiritual growth.

In 2001, The East Africa Annual Conference purchased twenty five acres of land in Mukono, a town between the capital city of Kampala and Uganda 's second largest city, Jinja, at the source of the Nile River . The South Georgia Annual Conference raised a special offering of $140,000.00 which was used to erect the first two buildings on this site. These two buildings contain several classrooms, dormitory space, administrative offices, a medical clinic and library, two latrines and an outdoor kitchen area. The local church partner in the Virginia Annual Conference provided the initial scholarship assistance for the student body.

Today Humble School provides housing and education for 204 children from various areas of Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan and Kenya. Bishop Daniel Wandabula of East Africa states that Humble Place is a place where those who have no hope will find hope.

“This project meets the basic needs of children, such as food, shelter, education, medical care and spiritual growth, while at the same time employing local teachers and other workers in the area,” said Bishop Wandabula.

In August 2007, Bishop Watson, Benjamin Lee Watson (the Bishop's son), Revs. Marshall and Frances Howell, Rev. Jimmy Cason, Rev. Denise Walton, Rev. Larry Rollins and Rev. Jimmy Towson traveled to Uganda for a mission trip. The group was accompanied by Dr. Caroline Njuki, Assistant General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries, and representatives from a church in the Virginia Conference.

Of the trip Bishop Watson said, “It was a God inspired experience of mutual ministry and exchange between us and our brothers and sisters in the East Africa Annual Conference.  We rejoice that members of our team were able to worship and serve in northern Uganda and Burundi, share $45,000.00 in the funding for the new vehicle, meet with conference leaders in the Episcopal Office, participate in the Leaders Conference for Reconciliation, officially open Humble United Methodist School, lay a foundation stone for a new girl's dormitory, meet with countless children, youth, and adults, share clothing, monies and other items, and strengthen the already strong relations between South Georgian and East African United Methodist laity and clergy.”

There were so many wonderful moments on our trip. We made many church visits and attended worship services. We were also blessed to experience the baptism of Baby Joyce Wandabula by Bishop Watson, the first born child of Bishop Daniel and Mrs. Betty Wandabula. It was by far, however, the children of Humble Place who really captured our hearts as we visited the villages and areas where many of them were born. We saw firsthand the impact on their lives through Humble Place School and the Ugandan United Methodist Church.

This recent visit revealed the tremendous progress of this ministry in the last seven years. In addition to the original buildings, there are now staff housing units and a new community medical clinic under construction. Humble Place is now a major stakeholder in its own community.

As we return there is a very strong desire among the persons who visited as well as our brothers and sisters in East Africa to have the Hope for Africa Children's Choir  (children from Humble Place School and the Ugandan United Methodist Church) to join us next year for our Annual Conference. Anyone who is in the presence of these precious children from Uganda, Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya as they sing and dance joyfully to the Lord will feel the presence of the redeeming Christ.  Hearts will be warmed and souls touched by the Holy Spirit.

Since being back from Uganda we have learned more about the efforts of the St. Marys Foundation and its East Africa Initiative and partnership with Church World Service. This is the connection that we have been praying for to help provide the Humble Place program with training and best practice models which have proven to be successful on the continent of Africa. We are currently in the process of gathering information from Church World Service that will be provided to the East Africa Annual Conference, Humble Place Board of Management and The General Board of Global Ministries.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can be part of this incredible project. For more information, please call me at 888-266-7642 or denise@sgaumc.com.