Skip to main content

Uganda Mission Begins

Travel Day One.  Washington/Dulles International to Dubai Airport.   Rebecca and I leave today to join and lead a team of ten "shalomers" (five Ugandans, four Americans, and one Malawian) on a 21-day mission in Uganda to raise hope and deepen community development projects in Jinja, Mbale and Hoima areas.

Every year since 2005 I’ve organized and led a service trip and mission to Malawi or Uganda, either for CitiHope International or WorldHope Corps.  This year’s international Mission is focused on Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as taught by Communities of Shalom, based at Drew University, as well as on several WorldHope Corps sponsored projects.  

Our team will conduct the seventh and final session of ShalomTraining for 300 organized coffee farmers ready to step up from subsistence to sustainable livelihoods, and lead and participate in two support and empowerment conferences: one for youth at-risk for HIV/AIDS; and the other for women desiring greater economic independence and education.  We’ll also implement a water purification and community health project in a community lacking clean, safe, potable, drinking water.

I’ll try to post a picture or two each day and provide an update on FB.  I also invite your continued prayers and support for our mission at hand.  Here’s the link to my Worldhope Corps travel blog:

Feel free to pass it along to those who may be interested in our ongoing work in Uganda.


Popular posts from this blog

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue

Liberation Spirituality: Henri Nouwen and Gustavo Gutierrez in Dialogue Lecture Notes: Presented by Michael J. Christensen, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor in the Practice of Spirituality and Ministry,  Drew University;  and  International Director, Communities of Shalom, The United Methodist Church Introduction “There is a little man in Peru, a man without any power, who lives in a barrio with poor people and who wrote a book.   In this book he simply reclaimed the basic Christian truth that God became human to bring good news to the poor, new light to the blind, and liberty to the captives.   Then years later this book and movement it started is considered a danger by [the USA, or Rome], the greatest power on earth.   When I look at this little man, Gustavo, and think about [the President of the US, or the Pope], I see David standing before Goliath, again with no more weapon than a little stone, a stone called A The...

First Generation Lambs Club Reunion

Fifteen of us gathered Saturday night at the Lambs Club for a 35 th year reunion of those who helped start the Lamb’s Church in Times Square in the mid to late 1970’s, including: Rev. Paul S. Moore , Founder of the Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene, and his wife, Tamara Dr. Michael J. Christensen , charter member and former associate pastor, and his wife Dr. Rebecca Laird Fr. William (BJ) Webe r, former Associate Pastor and Director of the Lamb’s Residency, and his wife Sheila who lived at the Lamb’s Jim and Dustee Hullinger, who were on staff together and made the Lamb’s their home for over 25 years Effie Canepa , who was the church pianist under 3 pastors, and her husband Peter Shirley Close, who attended the Lamb’s in the late 1970’s while studying, performing  and teaching music and voice Carl "Chappy" Valente , former associate pastor Rev. Bob DiQuatto , lead singer of the Church’s “Manhattan Project” and staff member of the Lamb’s, and his son Jason Rev. Gab...

Let the River Flow: Why WorldHope Corps digs village wells

  Sunday Sermon at the The Water's Edge in OB , San Diego, CA. "Woman at the Well" (John 4:7-15) When you think about the gospel story of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at Jacob’s well, I’d like you to picture this Woman at a similar well in northern Malawi. Sitting and talking with Pastor Dennis Singini about water. Her name is Nyang'oma, which means "drum." Her Christian name is Mary Botha. She is 85 years old and lives in a village in the Kampenda area of Northern Malawi. She has cared for 11 children, two of whom have died. And her husband has died. When Dennis and I first met Mary in 2008, her village did not have a deep well or access to clean water. Nor did the six surrounding villages with over 1,500 people. Women and children had to drink with animals from shallow seasonal wells or walk about of 5km away to drink from the closest stream. Sometimes they would get sick and complain of stomach aches. Cholera and dysentery were widespread, and m...