By Barrister Peter Magomu Mashate
From the outset, I must confess that I am a DEVOUT Christian with my pledge card number running regularly and with undisputed contribution towards church development both in Uganda and indeed the United Kingdom. I am also privileged to have my son Engineer Dan Nabudere as a fully ordained Senior Pastor duly ordained in the United Kingdom making over 20 years at the pulpit. In short we are a solid Christian family and jealously religious.
For decades, our leaders have failed or deliberately ignored the need to diagnose and deliver the right message to our ordinary people as regards religion.
Until yesterday, no one had dared to tell the wanainchi how important it is to balance religion with wealth creation for one’s survival.
Just yesterday, I read from The Inspector website an article in which our dear Vice President Jessica Alupo, appealed to the Christians to continue working hard to build stable and prosperous families.
I quote:
“If you have spiritually seen the light, then you must do the same economically. You cannot see the spiritual light yet stay in economic darkness. You must push yourselves a little extra and improve your household incomes,” so she said during the opening of the 3rd East Africa Fire and Anointing Conference at Sharing Youth Centre-Nsambya.
H.E Alupo’s observation was spot on and it comes at a time when the country has been blessed with a new Bishop also First Daughter, Patience Rwabwogo. Bishop Patience now has a starting point in her ministry, and so are other clergies.
Messages of hope, encouragement and self help are the only way the wanainchi can really get out of poverty.
Almost on every village in Uganda, there are about three balokole churches. Every street in the cities, has a street preacher. I won’t mention those in our rural townships who hold daily crusades shouting on top of their voices every evening, to near obstruction of children from doing their preps or revision. No noise controllers, and no one touching them! But the NEMA laws on noise pollution are very clear!
There are some churches where followers ‘worship’ from morning to evening, Monday to Sunday, January to December. The question is when do they get to work?
You hear messages by their pastors telling them to ’empty yourself, empty yourself’
From such messages, you see the followers giving in whatever they have. How then, will they be able to benefit from the revolutionary programmes like the Parish Development Model and Emyooga? Assuming some got those funds, how are they able to nourish their investments if they’re ever in the church with their pastors? Who takes care of those projects they started?
Here in Britain, some churches have been turned into shopping arcades because the flocks who used to frequent them realised that spiritual nourishment alone without action, cannot bring about wealth or peace to the person.
H.E the President has always reminded people that the body (where the spirit resides) needs material things which unfortunately; cannot be acquired unless one has money.
We all understand it well that money cannot be got unless one goes out to work. Even the bible tells us that Jesus Christ also worked to earn a bread. He worked with his father, Joseph in his carpentry shop.
How then, can the pastors use him as an example in their sermons to tell their followers to participate in the PDM and Emyooga programs? And if they (followers) do this, how are they able to look after what they start with this money? Should they keep in the church day in, day out?
A fortnight ago, the Minister for Local Government hon. Balaam Barugahare issued a directive banning early opening of bars to allow people work up to 3 pm.
His directive attracted mixed reactions especially that it affects those in the bar businesses since they must pay taxes. But we’ve also heard stories of several bars being broken into. Who breaks into those bars? I believe it is those idlers who pretend to be their customers yet they have nothing. They come to rake. By the way, even in the church, reports of break-ins have become a common occurrence, the latest being a Catholic church in Mityana district where thugs broke into it and stole several items including a Statue of Maama Maria!
This therefore, validates Balaam’s directive to allow alcohol lovers time to work, save and also be able to support the bar owners.
Could we therefore, think of having a similar regulation on the places of worship? Could we have specific hours and or, days for church services? Where is the Minister for Ethics and Integrity to guide on this? I am aware the original churches have got specific days of worship-Sunday. The Moslems have Friday and the 7th Day Adventists, Saturday. Even when Moslems must pray five times a day, they do this strictly for five minutes not for hours or full day, and thereafter return to their businesses. As for the traditional healers/preachers (Maama Fiina and her group), I believe they also don’t do it on a daily basis.
How about the others?
Practically, such an envisaged regulation would help the pastors because a follower who’s always in the church has no testimony to tell than the one who prays, goes to work for seven days and returns to the church. Such followers also tend to return with reasonable tithes than those who keep themselves in the church in the name of constant prayers for miracles to happen.
Modern day miracles happen through hard work, discipline and prayer. Hard work makes you productive (think and act), discipline makes you interactive ( build important networks) while prayer helps you reap from what you sow.
Therefore, no amount of spiritual nourishment will bring bread on the table unless this is accompanied by actions.
That’s why the Vice President’s message becomes very useful and timely. Otherwise, we run a risk of turning places of worship into a safe haven for law breakers or spectators while other Ugandans benefit from PDM and other entrepreneurial programs . Our people must be guided genuinely and rightly. Viva Madam Vice President.
*THE WRITER IS; LONDON BASED BARRISTER PETER MAGOMU MASHATE AN ADMINISTRATIVE, CONSTITUTIONAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS BARRISTER-AT-LAW OF THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF LINCOLN’S INN OF COURT LONDON UNITED KINGDOM*
