David's recent visit to Uganda-- updates coming soon.

Training for transformation

Seminars and conference updates:

LEADIA continues to pursue its vision of “nurturing spiritual leaders” We have therefore embarked on aggressive training of Pastors and church leaders. In July we are going to hold a number of Leadership and Biblical training seminars. Below is a schedule of some of our activities during the months of June and July;

• June 25 – 29 Kampala: Kampala Center for Biblical Leadership (KCBL) 4^th Session – Essentials of the Christian Faith” with Pastor Emma Akatukunda
• July 10^th - 12^th Tororo: Leadership Conference for Pastors in Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya at Link Way Business College.
• July 14^th Gulu: Symposium on “The War in Northern Uganda and a Christian Response” at Acholi Inn. Gulu District Chairman, Norbert Mao expected to attend.
• July 15^th – 17^th Tororo: Conference on “The Church in Response to HIV/AIDS” at Link Way Business College
• July 18^th Kampala: Symposium on “The African Church in the face of the Global Challenges Today” at Hotel Equatoria. A number of Church, government and other opinion leaders expected to attend.
• July 21^st Kigali, Rwanda: Symposium on the “Role of the church in reconciliation”. Mr. Antoine Rutayisire of Africa Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) expected to attend.
• July 23^rd – 28^th Kampala: Pastors and Church Leaders conference (Basic Bible and Theological Courses for Pastors) at Kyambogo University. 100 pastors are expected to attend.

Sioport Pastors' Library Launched

In our bid to train more pastoral leaders in Africa, we have continued with our one-week-modular conferences. Sioport is one of the five Pastoral Training Centers (PTCs) that LEADIA conducts. On February 12^th to 17^th 2007, we held our fourth training session in Sioport, Kenya. We covered topics on: Preaching and Communication, Church ministry and Administration, and Old Testament Survey. We also held workshops on youth and family ministries.

In addition to this kind of training, we launched a Pastors Lending Library with over ten books, and we intend to keep building on this.

Kampala Library

Our first library was launched in Kampala at the end of 2006 and now has about one hundred books (commentaries, dictionaries, and other Bible study and theology guidebooks). We are grateful to our friends who have contributed to this.

One of the greatest challenges in the African Christian ministry is having access to ministry and study resources. We call on all those who have a heart to help pastors in Africa, to consider this as a critical need indeed. You could forward this note to churches, colleges, or seminaries, who update their libraries often, so that they may send those books and resources (CDs, Tapes, DVDs, etc) they no longer use. We will of course appreciate brand new stuff as well!

Some comments from the pastors who attended the conference:

“If we had been taught these things before, our ministries would have been different”

"It is good that we are being taught how to prepare Biblical sermons; before we used to preach [attacking] people.” Pr. Gilbert Bwiire – Harvest Fellowship Church.

“We are changed; we will never be the same again” Pr. Alphonse Makolomba – Assemblies of Christ Church.

“We were not allowed [by our denominations] to go to theological colleges. Thank you for coming to us.’ One of the youth pastors after the conference.

"This is a great milestone in our ministry.” Brother Aurah, commenting after the launch of the resource library.

Thank you to all who have identified with our cause of multiplying spiritual leaders in Africa.

If you would like to know more about LEADIA, about our programs please contact us on the address below:

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE AFRICA (LEADIA)

Attn: Emmanuel Akatukunda,

P. O. Box 28848, Kampala, Uganda.

Phone: 256-712-355049, 256-712-954205

E-mail: eakatukunda@yahoo.com

LEADIA.org

LEADIA.org website is in the works. This will be the internet portal to all pertinant info regarding LEADIA. The leadiaofafrica.blogspot.com blog will still be used for updates, pictures and opinions. This blog will have a direct link on the main LEADIA.org website. We will let everyone know when the webpage will be up.

LEADIA UPDATES

• LEADIA has been able to set up an office in Banda, Kampala, Uganda. For now it doubly serves as an office and a Pastors’ Resource Library. It is equipped with a desk, computer, printer and bookshelf with books(read library). We still need a small stand-by generator to help us cope up with the unpredictable power cuts in Uganda.
  We also need a photo copier, and binder to aid us in the production of the Pastors’ training manuals.




• There is a LEADIA Executive meeting on January 18th 2006 at Banda




• Sio Port (Kenya) Mission is scheduled for 12th – 18th February 2006




• Kampala Center for Biblical Leadership (KCBL) first Module [Bible Study Methods ] Interpretation] – 26th – 31st March

Women Ministry: Changing Lives for the better

“Women are meant to be in the kitchen.” These are some of the comments you hear many an African man mention when they meet in any social gathering. Some women have begun to defy this notion. They are now convinced that they can do more than kitchen work (which is also a noble work).
Hellen Akatukunda mobilizes women to discover their God-given potentials and to use them meaningfully. “Every fortnight we meet and contribute 10,000 Uganda Shillings (about US $6) each and give the day’s collection to one of the 13 members. They have used money for a number of things that range from paying their children’s school fees to boosting their small businesses”, narrates Hellen.

When she was asked about women who can’t afford to contribute the money, she had this to say: “… we have every woman in mind. We are not only concerned with their financial wellbeing but about their holistic growth. We want to see that we grow together in our relationship with God and one another. So, we meet to pray, chart, and learn some skills to help us live productive lives. For instance we learn how to make handbags out of local materials. Our only challenge is raising the money to buy raw materials and getting the ready market for the bags finished.”

The women desk also organizes forum for wives of pastors and other church leaders to meet pray and learn together.

It is a long journey that has already started with just a few strides. With God’s help they are up to change the lives of many women for God’s glory.

Children Ministry: Nurturing Tomorrow Leaders Now

LEADIA’s passion is to nurture emerging indigenous African leaders for the ultimate transformation of Africa. In a bid to achieve this vision, we have embarked on helping needy children to go to school by providing tuition scholastic materials.
Dawudi Mutambi is one of these kids who benefit from the Tumaini Children Education Sponsorship Scheme.
Dawudi aged 9 and joining Primary 3 had to start late because he comes from a dysfunctional family. “His father refused to pay for his school fees and I have no money to take him to school”, her mother regretted.

Now you can see a smile on both mother and son with the hope that Daudi will now be able to achieve his dreams, thanks to the LEADIA Tumaini (hope) Children ministries.
“It is more than just sending kids to school,” says David Ofumbi, LEADIA’s Team Leader, “we are preparing them for future leadership roles in Africa. In fact our goal is to open a leadership academy to nurture them from the time they are just starting school.”

It costs about US $150 to take 1 kid to primary school for a whole year.

You can be a blessing by helping nurture future leaders by helping more needy children to go to school go to school.

Kampala Center for Biblical Leadership

In February 2007, LEADIA will open a leadership Development Center in Kampala, Uganda.

VISION:
KCBL exists to “Raise native Christian leadership models in the church and the market place, who will champion the task of fulfilling the great commission.”

MISSION
“To Equip Christian Leaders with appropriate Biblical and life skills necessary for effective ministry and community transformation.”

It is LEADIA’s model school – pattern that other Pastors Training Centers may follow.

The Founding Principles of KCBL
1. Given the fact that Africa is faced with so many leadership challenges, there is need for such an institution as KCBL that will produce leaders who are equipped spiritually, morally, and intellectually and professionally to transform their communities to be a reflection of God’s reign.
2. KCBL serves the church in her efforts to fulfill the Great Commission by equipping Christian men and women with relevant ministry and professional skills appropriate for serving their communities in a bid to reach them with the saving love of Jesus Christ.
3. Although we stress academic excellence, we realize that students’ character based on their personal faith in Jesus Christ is paramount. Therefore our training aims at helping our students nurture their God-given gifts and callings for effective service in the ministry. We seek to integrate worship, Bible study, intercession, and small group fellowships in every academic discipline. This is further strengthened by the staff-student relationships.
4. At every level of training and instruction, whether preschool or university, KCBL seeks to raise leaders with hearts of integrity and skillful hands (Ps. 78:72).
5. We seek to develop courses that address the needs of the communities in Africa –both apparent and inherent- from a Biblical perspective.

OUR UNIQUENESS:
 We integrate Spirituality in the day-to-day life experiences (practical spirituality) as reflected in our curriculum. Thus our target is for people in Christian ministries and those in ‘secular vocations’
 We integrate a Christian worldview in indigenous Christian ministries and vocations.
 We focus on developing the pastors’ and church leaders’ spiritual and intellectual capacity to handle the ministerial, organizational and developmental challenges that they face.
 It is our goal to provide a simple, affordable and first-class biblical and leadership instruction to native church and Christian leaders.
 We provide a modular training that enables our students to study while attending to their other ministry engagements.
 We are committed to the historical Christian faith.

KCBL’s vision is in line with LEADIA’s statement of purpose, which is “to realize African leaders of integrity with skillful hands for impacting their communities.” Our training therefore focuses on the whole person i.e.

 The heart - spirituality
 The head - intellectuality
 The hands - productivity.

OUR ETHOS
We believe that Authentic Christianity can only be lived out in a community of genuine relationships. Our definition for community is “living for one another.” Therefore our key phrase at KCBL is ‘meaningful relationships.’

CAMPUS LIFE: Our campus life is a reflection of our ethos – meaningful relationships. This can be summarized in three words
 Worship (both individual and corporate), which involves a life of integrity and our chapel activities.
 Community, which involves Care groups, Bible Study, Retreats, Student Leadership, Games and sports, etc.
 Missions. This involves out reaches.

OUR SLOGAN: “Spiritual Leaders for a transformed Africa”

OUR VALUES:
1. Non Denominational
2. A Holistic Approach To Ministry
3. Emphasis On lay ministry
4. Practical spirituality
5. Meaningful relationships
6. Biblical approach to contemporary issues.

OUR PROGRAMS:
1. Christian Ministry
2. Theology (market place, biblical, sysmatic, spiritual etc)
3. Christian Leadership
4. School of Evangelism and Missions.
5. Biblical Counseling
6. Christian Music.
7. Early Childhood Education
8. Vocational Studies.
9. Developmental Studies
10. Journalism and Communication
11. Community Development
12. Information Technology
13. Family life

QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION
1. Must be born-again (recommendation form pastor or spiritual leader is a requirement.
2. Must be in active church or Christian ministry.
3. Certificate: Able to read and write English
4. Diploma: O’ Level with good credits.

PROGRAMS SO FAR

1. Leadership Training Centers in Uganda and Kenya
2. Mobile Evangelism Centers
3. Tumaini Children Ministries
4. Campus Outreach Ministries
5. HIV/AIDS Support Center
6. Marriage Enrichment Ministry
7. Economic Empowerment
8. Lay leadership and ministry development