Noah and Cate Brennan - Missionaries to Ecuador

Buffalo Uganda Report: 03/14/17

This February 16-24 I had the privilege of traveling again to Uganda. This time I did not get around to the churches but had the distinct responsibility along with Jeff Reed founder of BILD, to kick off the Antioch School in the nation of Uganda. Working among the grassroots pastors and people is always a blessing. That yields incredible opportunities for relationships which are the basis of discipleship and church planting. What Jeff has found over forty plus years of working in countries, is that unless the leaders of associations of churches are on board for a Great Commission movement, there will be no spontaneous expansion that last or promotes unity and fruitfulness in a national movement.

That is why our years as Buffalo Initiative, Sundoulos, Giving Tree and a few local churches working in various ways, has created this amazing opportunity. One hundred bishops from every part of Uganda has applied for training through the Antioch School. For those who have taken some of the courses, you know that the content seeks to go beyond academic information to the building of strong leaders, churches, networks, and positioning the local church to be what it is, God’s vehicle in this age for the building and expansion of the Kingdom of God.

The National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches is one of, or could be, the largest ministry of its kind in Uganda. 30,000 churches that have a constituency of 6-7 million people who could be impacted by this training. We never imagined that something like this would have so quickly come into formation when we began in 2012. Many of the pastors and leaders we have developed relationships with have already begun to implement the training in their own churches, along with other pastors in their villages. Others have done training of the First Principles in Rwanda and Burundi. What we discovered lately is that the door is wide open for the Uganda pastors and our coming alongside them, to now be poised to reach what is called the East African Community (Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan.) I believe this is a Romans road in East Africa, the Bishops agree.

I was taken back and gave glory to God as Jeff Reed announced last time we were there in August that BILD was offering D. Min Degrees free of charge for those who would do the work. Some frown on academic knowledge, but the proper obtaining of it along with character development, skill development, and accountability/assessment can go along ways in impacting sub-Sahara Africa for Christ, it is the possibility of training, more than the degrees, that will ultimately bear fruit.

We also have secured a relationship with Wycliffe Associates the largest bible translating organization in the world and the oldest to translate the materials into several languages in Uganda. This uses the skill of many of the pastors and seasoned leaders in the process as a part of their degree if they so choose. They will be trained using the latest and most practical processes to date.

We also will be printing all materials in Africa with new Antioch partners in Nigeria and Ethiopia. Please continue to pray, and support this incredible opportunity that God has given to the Buffalo and WNY church to have this hands-on ministry for the Kingdom of God and Christ Church.
Em