Dr. Bishop Joshua Lwere (pictured), the senior pastor of Grace Assembly Church, Kampala and Overseer of the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda (NFBPC-U).
The National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostals Churches of Uganda (NFBPC-U) was started in 1990 as an idea fronted by the then Born Again Minister of Government Hon Balaki Kiirya.
Since then NFBPC has had several leaders at the level of General Overseer (G.O) and also at the different levels of the organization from Regional Overseers (R.O) right down to fratanity or sub-county level. And all these leaders have contributed to the building of the organization to where it is today.
Using the analogy of building a house I would like to trace the stage at which NFBPC is and the kind of leadership we need especially at G.O position that would take NFBPC to another level come 2022/2023 elections.
In our analogy of building a house I submit that the most important part played by Hon Balaki Kiirya was to identify grounds for building NFBPC in 1990. Identifying grounds is a very important stage because it involves doing all the due diligence and establishing the legality of the site or grounds. If this process is not done well one could lose the land and the property on the land. By the time one Identifies grounds for construction they are actually seeing the whole building they intend to put on the grounds. In this case Hon Balaki Kiirya is seen as the vision bearer of NFBPC. Similar to Moses pointing the children of Israel to the promised land.
Prof. Simeon Kayiwa took over leadership as the first G.O of NFBPC in 1990 to 2003. I submit that his major role was clearing the grounds for construction. The person who clears the grounds for construction does not have a simple job at all. Some grounds are rocky, swampy, hilly, uneven, sloppy to mention but a few, navigating through such terrian to make sure the grounds are ready for the foundation is not a joking subject. The terrain determines how high the house will be and the kind of materials to be used when building the foundation for a strong house.
Remember our analogy of building a house. Apostle Alex Mitala took over as G.O from 2003 to 2013. Apostle Mitala’s major contribution was to establish or build a strong foundation for the house (NFBPC). When building a foundation you must put into consideration the grounds and how the terrain was cleared or prepared for construction. The foundation determines the strength, size, height, durability and resistance of the building among other advantages. Apostle Mitala criss-crossed this country looking for leaders, elders and establishing structures that make NFBPC what it is today.
Bishop Joshua Lwere took over as G.O in 2013 and his term ends in 2023. I submit Bishop Lweres’ major contribution to NFBPC, again using our house analogy, is to build the rooms or walls on the foundation Apostle Mitala and other predecessors prepared. Bishop Lwere put the following rooms; established prayer convocations and alter across the country, opening doors with the president and first family, networking with the market place and the corporate world, working with government and it’s organs (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary), joining Interreligious Council of Uganda (IRCU), empowering youth and women, promoting agriculture and farming to mention but a few. These can be seen as different rooms in case of a bungalow or different stories (floors) in case of a storied building. NFBPC is high there now, the building looks great, it’s off the ground, off the foundation and it looks amazing to the attraction of many other admirers. Bishop Lwere has taken NFBPC from the foundation to the roofing level.
The next G.O NFBPC needs, is one who will do the roofing. The kind and style of roofing done determines a lot of the beauty of the house. Roofing plays many roles, beside the beauty of the house the roofing must cover the entire house, all the rooms must be well covered. That covering holds the house together, protects it from rain and sunshine, roofing makes the house habitable, it secures the occupants from harsh weather conditions. Roofing allows other operations to happen in the building but most importantly, a well roofed house ensures sustainability and durability of the house for generations to come.
Not forgetting our house analogy NFBPC members may agree, all the rooms built by Bishop Lwere are very important to maintain. However, it is also wisdom to recognize that when building there is always room for extension and modification of the building for best interests and strategic reasons but not destroying the building.
Only and only when the house is roofed, that other vital systems are put in place for example plumbing, wiring, plastering, painting but to mention a few. In addition to roofing, the next NFBPC leadership should establish systems that will stair growth, maintenance, sustainability and economic independence for the Fellowship.
I appeal to the NFBPC electorate to ask every candidate serious questions on maintenance and sustainability of what the predecessors have done. Questions on which systems they will leave in place for posterity of NFBPC. Any G.O candidate intending to destroy our house should not be entertained at all as the bible says “but we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul”. Hebrew 10:39
The writer would like to serve in the position of National Public Relations Officer (NPRO- NFBPC 2023 -2027). He is Lead Pastor at Excellers Chapel-Ug, ED at Churches Transforming Communities (CTC) and National Youth Minister – NFBPC.
