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Update: October 2011
Partnerships can be messy. Think about the foundational life partnership of marriage. Consider how Moses partnered with twelve other men who were given the task of spying out the land, and had ten of them fall into unbelief. Reflect on the deep partnership between Jesus and his disciples, and the price that Christ personally paid because of the treachery of one of them. Finally think about the partnership God pursues with us in the establishment of the Kingdom. What a tremendous risk!
This year and in the years to come, our church is going deeper in partnership with four churches and pastors in the nation of Uganda. There will be many risks and rewards. We will learn and grow under the impact of our Ugandan brothers and sisters, and they will advance through the relationships we are establishing with them.
One pastor's wife recently reported, "When we walked with you from Pastor Eli heading to one of the families, I stayed behind with mom Susan and experienced God's encounter. She reminded me what He spoke to me in the 1990s and I was thrilled with his presence. thank you for the letters you send us, thank you for loving us."
Right now a team has been gathered to spearhead the Orangeville Baptist side of our partnership under the leadership of Gary and Ruth Ann Murray. The team will be- preparing for the next outreach in to that nation , helping to strengthen our commitment to the children we have sponsored , taking us deeper in prayer , and stirring up letter writing and email contact with members and key leaders of our partner churches . In addition they will be continuing to pursue initiatives to bring Ugandan leaders to Canada to help us in the process of reaching our region for Christ . if you're interested in any of these initiatives , then please be in contact with Gary Murray.
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 For the past four years OBC has been part of a Partnership Project with International Needs Network Uganda, a Christian aid organization. Justus Miwanda is the Executive Director of this organization, and in this capacity oversees a ministry which includes two elementary schools with more than 1700 students. Many of these students are living with grandparents or other relatives having lost their parents to the ravages of AIDS and warfare. International Needs Uganda provides support for most of these children by paying their school fees, providing them with school uniforms and two meals a day while they’re in school, and providing free basic health care and social services. This ministry also supports a vocational school whose aim is to provide job-oriented training and skills to young people who, for various reasons, find themselves without jobs, education, or employment. Without such an opportunity, these young people too often turn to drugs and alcohol, and frequently fall victim to AIDS. IN Uganda has now established a home for AIDS-orphaned children and a secondary school. As well, a featured component of the ministry is a vibrant church-planting program.
A former elementary teacher and now an ordained minister, Justus began life as an abandoned child. Throughout his life he has encountered many painful experiences that have prepared him well for the work he is doing today.
Justus lives in Kampala, Uganda with his beautiful wife, Deborah, and his three great children, Damalie, Daniel, and Deborah.
A charismatic leader with a warm and engaging personality, Justus is equally at home in front of large gatherings, small groups, or one-to-one around a dinner table. His infectious enthusiasm, handsome features, and one of the deepest voices in Africa make him a “must meet” individual.
Background to the Partnership
In 2006, Orangeville Baptist Church entered into a Partnership Agreement with International Needs Canada. The focus of this partnership was the ministry of International Needs Network Uganda. What first attracted us to this partnership was the mission of the IN Network – “to win people to Jesus Christ by connecting Christian partners in evangelism, discipleship, and community development” – and then the follow-up vision of IN Uganda – “to glorify God and win men, women, and children to Jesus Christ.” In the Partnership Agreement, Orangeville Baptist Church stated its priority as partnering with indigenous churches and missions agencies in a mutual relationship aimed at the following six areas of emphasis:
- Church planting and evangelism.
- Among unreached or difficult to reach people groups.
- At the same time serving the needs of the poor and oppressed.
- Training and empowering local people – for church planting, evangelism and serving the needs of the poor and oppressed.
- Connecting the project to the growth and influence of a local community of believers where discipleship is taking place.
- Holistic ministry that meets the needs of the whole person.
Since 2006 Orangeville Baptist Church has taken the following steps in each of the areas of emphasis:
 Trinity Bible School – OBC has contributed approximately $13,000 to assist with the capital costs of renovations to provide classroom space as well as to help provide sponsorships for the initial intake of students into the Bible School. In addition, OBC has provided Bible School teachers for three one-week seminars for pastors and their spouses, as well as approximately $1000 to help defray the costs involved in enabling people to attend these seminars. Finally, OBC has provided approximately $1500 to purchase a motorbike for the supervisor of the Bible School program to enable him to more easily and more frequently visit pastors and church planters to assist and encourage them.
- While the Makonge Region of Uganda may not adhere strictly to the definition of a “difficult to reach people group”, in the area in and around Buikwe the influence of Islam is significant. To counter this influence IN Uganda is setting up school facilities that offer a transparently Christian education, and open the doors to girls of Muslim families who have traditionally been denied formal education. That the number of girls attending the schools at the Buikwe campus is high is a testimony to the success of this approach. In Kiyindi, one challenge has been that of a fishing-based economy which has traditionally ignored the value of formal education for children, using them instead as a form of cheap labour. In addition, the influence of traditional animist beliefs and practices has been significant. Once again IN Uganda has countered with a transparently Christian school that has successfully attracted and maintained a large number of children.
 The level of poverty among the people of the Makonge Region is high. Many are tenant farmers, and many of these tenant farmers are single-parent women (mothers and grandmothers). Working from dawn until dusk on small landholdings, they labour to pay often exorbitant demands from their landlords, and then provide (usually minimally) for their families. Once that has been done, they have little, if anything left. They certainly do not have enough financial resources to send their children or grandchildren to school. The situation is similar for many of the people in and around Kiyindi. The fact that here some families are involved in fishing does little to address their poverty. High overhead, uncertain catches, unpredictable weather, and low prices, combined with back-breaking labour, leave them with little if anything to pay school fees for their children. The child sponsorship program, available through IN Uganda, means that many of the children from this region are now able to attend school. In addition, they are provided with school uniforms, food and basic medical care, relieving the financial burden for their families and making available some basic services that families could not otherwise provide. OBC members and friends currently provide about $6300 a month or $75,600 a year in child sponsorships for a total of about 180 children.
 Training is provided through Trinity Bible School (see #1) as well as through the Vocational School on the Buikwe campus. Here vocational training, with a Christian flavour, is provided for students in practical areas such as agriculture, tailoring, food preparation, bricklaying and computers. This training first of all confronts issues such as HIV/AIDS and substance abuse among unemployable, idle youth by giving them the practical skills they need to earn a living. It also provides opportunities for Bible School students to learn skills they can use to help support themselves financially as they carry out their pastoral responsibilities. OBC has provided over $60,000 to help make the renovations necessary to provide classroom space for these students as well as to provide needed supplies and equipment.
 In carrying out its mandate, IN Uganda functions much like a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), but does so within the framework of an overtly Christian vision and mission. Its mandate includes a number of churches, with more churches being established each year as the church planters answer their calling. Each short-term team that OBC members have participated in has provided speakers for Sunday services in a number of these churches. As a result of these opportunities, as well as opportunities to teach in the Bible School, relationships have developed between OBC members and a number of churches and their pastors in the Makonge Region.
 The ministry of IN Uganda is a holistic ministry, and by supporting the many dimensions of this ministry OBC has been able to maintain a holistic approach. In addition to the contributions mentioned above OBC has provided over $40,000 to help build new school classrooms, and will, by the end of 2011, have provided $50,000 to build the new Staff houses necessary for the schools to attract top quality teachers.
One area of emphasis not specifically identified in the Partnership Agreement, but vital to the success of Partnership is the area of Relationship. Establishing and maintaining positive relationships between and among brothers and sisters-in-Christ from different cultures has increasingly become a major focus of the Partnership. Justus Miwanda, the Executive Director of IN Uganda, has spent time with people and ministries from OBC on at least four occasions. To many of us he has become both a recognizable face and voice and a valued friend. He has challenged us from our pulpit and kept us up-to-date on what is happening in Uganda. In addition, approximately 180 members and friends of OBC now sponsor children in schools in Uganda. Regular letters back and forth between sponsors and sponsored children have developed close ties between OBC members and friends and families in the Makonge Region. Finally, OBC members have had the opportunity to participate on a number of short-term teams, each of which has spent up to two weeks immersed in the culture and ministries of IN Uganda. One result of these visits has been the growth of ongoing relationships between team members and IN Uganda staff. Teams have been facilitated in this endeavour by the provision of a guest house right on the Buikwe campus. OBC contributed around $60,000 to the construction and furnishing of this guest house.
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