Bishop Okabe's last sermon was prophecy to his death – Christians

The former Serere County Member of Parliament who also doubled as an overseer of Impact Ministries, Bishop Patrick Okabe preached a message related to his demise in his last sermon, the members of his church have revealed.

According to the Christians, in his sermon on December 18, 2022 at his Mbale city-based cathedral, Okabe delivered his message on the theme; ‘What you have been waiting for has come to pass’, derived from St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 20 verse 20.

“I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me,” the verse reads.

Mr Leo Mukula, a chief usher at the cathedral, said Bishop Okabe’s preaching was unusual as he only shared the sermon for a couple of minutes, which has not been the case as his sermons usually ran for an hour.

He believes that God was revealing something that they couldn’t understand not until Monday when they received news of his passing on in a motor accident.

“The sermon was extraordinary because many people converted to Christianity when he invited them to the Alter,” he said.

Mr Shedrack Mwambu, an elder in the church, said that on Sunday, Bishop Okabe launched the Impact Women's Sacco, which is meant to empower female members of his congregation and donated Shs2 million out of the Shs5 million he promised the group as startup capital.

“Having several meetings with different church groups like the youth, Women Men, and Church elders in one day!! This could have been a sign that he was leaving us," he said.

Mr Mwambu explained that the death of Bishop Okabe and his wife Christine is a big blow to Impact ministries since they were the pillars.

Ms Joan Tracy, a youth leader at Impact Ministries said Bishop Okabe and his wife have impacted the lives of the many youths in the church through youth-related programs like counselling and providing financial support.  

“They have been like our parents. They have helped so many people in various ways and we are going to miss them so much,” she said.

Mr Felix Mwesigwa, another Christian at Impact Ministries said the late Bishop had a get-together function and handed gifts to children on Sunday.

The secretary of Impact Women Sacco said that women have lost a person who was to move them through the road of success and empowerment.

“Imagine launching a Sacco and dying the next morning. It’s so painful,” she said before bursting into tears. 

Bishop Okabe and his wife died Monday at Naboa along the Mbale-Tirinyi road when a Kenyan truck rammed into his vehicle on his way to Kampala. Their driver is still battling for his life at Mbale Regional Regional Referral Hospital, while the driver of the truck is on the run.