Partnership Overview

The Christian Fellowship Churches (CFC) and Child Care Ministries (CCM) in Busia, Uganda, offer holistic ministry leadership training and care to people in their local communities. In the recent past, these communities have experienced wars, hostile nomadic tribe invasions, HIV/AIDS, disease and poverty. Although matters have been improving some of these issues remain everyday realities for them. They offer the Good News of Jesus while showing and practicing His love.

CFC/CCM provides micro-loans, education support and vocational training for churches and pastors, and other local people in their communities. Vocational training is becoming increasingly popular as there is a growing awareness that traditional tertiary (university) education does not guarantee that a person will be able to get a job or earn a living. There has also been a good, and growing, uptake of Foundations for Farming training which is encouraging.

CFC/CCM operates primarily in rural Busia and Buhoya as well as in regions further beyond in southeast and east/northeast Uganda. James and Gorret have a particular interest in the north-eastern part of Uganda which includes Sironko, Kween and Amudat, all of which are extremely poor and have histories of land theft, violence, nomadic invasion and local conflicts. There are also other outreaches across the south-eastern area of Uganda. One of the difficulties we have is simply understanding the extensive reach of James and Gorret’s ministry.

History Of Partnership
In 1999 BHW personnel met a Ugandan man studying in Auckland, New Zealand. He went back to Uganda a few weeks later and continued with his work in Uganda. He was involved in church planting and orphan care in various churches. A small level of support was commenced.

In 2000 the first trip was made to see the situation there and to assess the opportunities. It was agreed that there were some real opportunities to develop partnership in the area and so BHW developed and increased the partnership. The key man left the organization a couple of years later and James and Gorret Mayende took over. James and Gorret have provided wonderful leadership which has grown stronger over the years, and the partnership and opportunities have grown with this. The number of churches has also grown. In 2004 micro-enterprise was introduced and the funding for that started in 2005.

In 2007 the board was restructured. Committees were formed to oversee the development of various departments and the personnel on the Board was reshaped. Since then, this leadership structure has changed a bit more, but the leadership has largely remained constant and faithful. One of the encouraging things about this partnership is that their son, Solomon, who is married with children, has also joined the ministry and is sharing in oversight of the many churches that they oversee.

Bright Hope World personnel visit often, and the partnership continues to grow.

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries are the members of the CFC churches. There are also other local people in the community who benefit, some of whom are from other religions and experience the love of God for the first time. They are able to access micro-enterprise loans and register orphan children for education assistance.

Pastors are able to be trained in leadership and church planting and also have access to the micro-enterprise loan programme.

What We Like About The Partnership

We like this partnership because it not only is evangelistic in nature, but it is also a shepherding and holistic ministry endeavouring to care for all of the community needs and doing it well. This partnership has enormous room for growth which will enable the CFC/CCM churches to bring hope, relief and teach the Gospel in eastern Uganda, many areas of which are extremely poor and conflict ridden.

The micro-loan programme has been the flagship of this partnership, along with an education program, and the partnership is expanding. We want to continue to support micro-enterprise but also to support James and Gorret and their team in vocational training and in teaching Foundations for Farming, both of which have huge potential to improve lives in this area. We are also committed to investing in leadership training as we see the replication of leaders as being critical to the future of this partnership and indeed the welfare of the region.

It is easy to see that the Gospel is having a big influence in this area particularly as it is tied to practical love and care for the local people, and we have been hugely impressed with James and Gorret’s dedication and faithfulness.

Key People

Leadership Profile

James and Gorret have lived in this community much of their lives. James has lived in rural Buhoya village all his life. Until recently he was the headmaster of a primary school a few kilometres from his home. James is the leader of the ministry which he previously did in his spare time but is now grateful that he can give more time to. He pastors the church in his village which had about 200 members until the Covid pandemic reduced church attendance but it is now rebuilding. He also oversees and participates in church planting programmes, visits around the 36 churches in the network and generally keeps people accountable.

Gorret is also a leading figure in the community. She is strongly committed to Foundations for Farming principles, actively farms, and teaches others how to grow gardens and raise livestock. She is actively experimenting with new forms of livestock. She also teaches and trains others, is active in the local community and was recently a local councillor. We have been hugely impressed with her skills when we have visited. She is heavily involved in the prevention of domestic violence in the area and reports that due to the increased awareness domestic violence is lessening. In addition, she oversees the development of the loan and micro-enterprise programmes and travels around the district running seminars, training and holding accountability meetings for the various groups that have formed.

James and Gorret are extremely humble self-effacing people who have a great concern for the kingdom of God. They also exhibit in both big and small ways great love for the people under their care.   

Vision and Annual Strategy

The vision in this partnership is to assist the poor and vulnerable in the community, to plant new churches in communities that have none and develop committed faithful leadership.

There are various aspects to the partnership which Bright Hope supports. Most of these are administered by individual leaders and there are committees overseeing some parts of the following ministries:
• Leadership training, missions and outreach
• Childcare and street children education support and assistance
• Loan programme
• Environment management
• HIV and AIDS intervention and income support. 
• Health, sanitation and hygiene
• Foundations for Farming

Bright Hope World supports the education support and assistance programme. This works with the parents or caregivers to determine what the need of a child might be, and what the parents/caregivers can afford. Bright Hope World provides, through CFC, part of the shortfall but we are not wanting to undermine the parents’ responsibility, if possible, to provide for their own children. Vocational training is a logical outcome of this and is being actively explored. The basis of the programme is that the parents/caregivers do what they can first.

 Personal Testimony

Loan Programme

Lorukhama is a pastor of the CFC church in Kubo. As a pastor, she encouraged her congregation to work hard. The congregation did not listen because they saw that she worked yet was still very poor. After hearing about the loan programme from the CFC, she and some other members of the congregation began to save. After they had some money saved, the CFC added to the pool and the loans began.

Lorukhama was very successful in her small business of selling soap, paraffin, and fish. After six months she paid off her first loan and accepted another loan to grow her business even more. Now, when she teaches people about hard work and how to sustain themselves, she speaks with confidence and is a model to them. She also tells others how Jesus is able to do miracles, as he lifted her from her poverty. 

HIV/AIDS Support Group

The HIV/AIDS micro-loan programme in Busia/Buhoya is a very effective ministry. This programme has sometimes had great difficulties because in the past there was an attitude of expectation of a handout because of the illness, coupled with a high degree of fatalism. The leader of the group, Stephen Sande, who is a teacher, is very impressive and is doing his best to ensure that the group remains cohesive and takes appropriate steps to start to develop personal income support in livelihoods even though its members have significant health challenges. We have met several people from this group and have been extremely impressed by the resilience and determination that they have shown. This group consists of about 30 people.