Patterson, John - Uganda

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Prayer Letter February 2008 (click here for pdf version)

Dear Friends,

Hello. I hope that 2008 is going well for you. Let me look back to 2007 before coming to 2008.

In the weeks running up to Christmas it is the custom for different homes connected with a local church to take it in turns to host a daily service at about 5.00pm so that friends and neighbours can be invited to come and prepare spiritually for Christmas. This is then followed by light refreshments. I had the chance to do this in October and I guess about fifty people, including quite a number of children, squeezed into my sitting-room and dining-room while local clergy, both women, led a service in Runyoro. I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, and also enjoyed attending a few of the services held in other people’s homes.

Also in the autumn I thoroughly enjoyed attending the graduation of some of our TEE programme’s first Diploma students. The sun shone at Bishop Barham University College, set high up on one of the hills around Kabale, and the students looked the part in their caps and gowns. 

I mentioned last time my misgivings about recruiting students for new TEE as I felt that some of the problems of running the courses meant that new entrants would only have a low chance of completing it. The Bishop accepted this view. We will help the present students to finish, hopefully by the end of 2008, but we will not start new courses. I have since been told that the scheme as a whole is to be phased out. I am grateful that a decision that seemed difficult some months back became clearer as time went by. Please pray also that I will know clearly how best to spend time that TEE would have taken in the last part of my time here. In addition to Alpha and the Teachers Training College where I am already involved I would love to see a programme drawn up for the long-term development of the Diocesan Training Centre. This would require substantial money as well as time and would, of course, need to be felt a priority by the Bishop. I am now into the second half of my three-year term and aware that time is going fast, so I value your prayers for discerning what God’s priorities for me are.

After a long build-up the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November came and went satisfactorily. I was surprised at the affection felt for the Queen, and at the honour she was felt to be doing Uganda by coming. After some anxious times in the months of preparation about whether arrangements would be ready or not, it was a relief that things seemed to go according to plan.

About twenty-four people from different parts of the diocese attended an Alpha Training Conference in October which was led by the National Alpha Coordinator. Our hope is that those who came will want to have a go at running Alpha in their own parishes. We have made some progress with translating the core Alpha materials into Runyoro, but there is still plenty more to do (including the central book, ‘Questions of Life’).

Allow me to say a few things here about money. The first is, thank you again to all of you who support my being here either through individual gifts to Crosslinks or through the churches of which you are members. Both my living expenses and my work expenses are mostly met in this way so that my presence here does not burden the local church. Secondly, because my support is raised in this way, I am reluctant to talk about projects where more funds could be used. Suffice it to say that needs and opportunities abound. If you, your church or organization is actively looking for a project to support, I’ll be glad to offer suggestions. Thirdly, some of you have been supporting me since I first started looking for funds, and kept your support going even during the year when I delayed to come because of Darren’s ill health. Please feel entirely free to stop when you want to. I would hate it if I thought that anyone felt that their commitment was being expected for longer than they had bargained for. And thank you again.

So, now some news from 2008. The Diocese has just hosted a very large Convention here in Hoima. It’s an event that occurs every ten years and is for the encouragement of Christians, and for the evangelisation of non-Christians. People arrived on Wednesday and the event closed at lunch-time on Saturday. I would guess that somewhere between 1,000-2,000 people were present. The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Orombi, was here throughout and spoke several times. A succession of Bishops and others led Bible-readings and gave addresses. I enjoyed it most for the very large number of people it drew together from our own diocese and beyond, and for the ‘special occasion’ atmosphere that accompanied it.

Please pray for peace, order and healing for Kenya. Much of East Africa, including Uganda, relies heavily on goods that come through Mombasa. Hoima quickly became short of petrol when the trouble in Kenya started, though things are pretty much normal at the moment.

St. John’s, Hartley Wintney, is a parish in Hampshire that has supported projects here in the diocese for a number of years. Two of the church’s members, Duncan and Helen Sherlock, have made a number of visits. They decided last year that they would come and live in Hoima for a year and at the beginning of January arrived with their four children and an adult helper/teacher. They rent a house about ten minutes from where I live, and it is nice to have them nearby. John Baptist, who used to help me till he left for University, is using some of his long summer holiday to help them settle in. Talking of help, Vincent, John’s successor, has been with me for about five months now and is a good help.

Well, that’s about it for this time. I am hoping to be in the UK for most of June 2008, and am just trying to finalise the dates.

God bless,

John

For Thanks

  • The future of TEE now clear 

  • Good contact with neighbours through the service at my home.

  • Progress with Alpha 

  • The recent Convention

  • CHOGM 

  • Vincent’s help at home, and the house itself.

  • For safety and good health

For Prayer

  • For churches to have a go at running Alpha and for steady progress with translation.

  • Helping present TEE students to finish well. 

  • A peaceful solution to Kenya’s problems

  • For the Sherlock household to settle well in  Hoima & to have a good year here.

  • Clear priorities for my remaining time here.

  • Good planning for UK leave 

  • For family in the UK all the year round







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