By Timothy Okurut
Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi the Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University (UCU) has pledged 50 million Uganda shillings towards the Church of Uganda (COU) All Clergy Conference being held at the university’s main pitch.
Mushengyezi made this gesture as he gave his opening remarks at the conference, which has welcomed more than 3000 clergymen from all 39 Protestant dioceses of the country.
The three-day conference began today at 8 am with a Holy Communion Service led by the Arch Bishop of the COU and the Chancellor of UCU, His Grace, the Most Reverend Stephen Kazimba Mugalu. In his sermon, he encouraged the clergymen to lead with a heart of servanthood.
He also emphasized the fact that as church leaders, the clergymen need to depend fully on God to achieve their goals in service. “Our strength is not received from our experiences. Your experience is very good, but without the Chief Shepherd, it’s good for nothing.”
Prof. Mushengyezi encouraged the clergymen to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to their control. He highlighted that it’s important for leaders to appreciate what they have and manage it with discipline. He narrated his ordeal after being entrusted to lead UCU at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the university was pushing through with meager resources.
“We were able to save 2 billion shillings just by reorganizing our strategies,” Mushengyezi said as he encouraged the clergymen to appreciate the resources available to them.
The conference is being held under the theme, “The Good Shepherd and the Flock of God.” Some sessions will be held in line with the well-being of the clergymen, discipleship, and fostering their pastoral ministry. The event will also provide networking opportunities with church partners and stakeholders, like UCU, Uganda AIDS Commission, Words of Hope Uganda, Equity Bank, Stanbic Bank, Liberty Insurance, and Child Evangelism Fellowship.
The conference will conclude on Wednesday, August 20, with another Holy Communion service and commissioning led by the Archbishop.