Create income-generating projects and stop relying on offertories – Archbishop Kaziimba
Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba officially commissioned Church Plaza in Masaka City over the weekend. The Plerate is on a three-day pastoral visit in West Buganda Diocese Photo by Richard Kyanjo.
What you need to know:
- While laying a commemoration stone at Church Plaza in Masaka City Centre over the weekend, Dr Kaziimba, said the Church can no longer survive on only traditional ways of collecting offertories from believers to carry out evangelism and other projects.
The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, has urged diocesan leaders in Uganda to create different income-generating projects and stop relying on offertories.
While laying a commemoration stone at Church Plaza in Masaka City Centre over the weekend, Dr Kaziimba, said the Church can no longer survive on only traditional ways of collecting offertories from believers to carry out evangelism and other projects.
“The modern Church needs a lot of cash flows which cannot directly be got from believers. So, we need to look at other means and such projects can help to bridge that gap,” he said.
The multi-billion Church Plaza on Plot 17, Edward Avenue, is a key income-generating project for the West Buganda Diocese.
The prelate, who was on a three-day pastoral visit to the area applauded the leadership of West Buganda Diocese for the tremendous efforts that enabled them to set up different development projects like Church Plaza and coffee projects that generate income for the diocese.
Rt Rev Henry Katumba Tamale, the bishop of West Buganda Diocese, said after completing the Church Plaza, they are looking forward to starting other projects in different parts of the diocese.
He went on to call upon all churches in West Buganda Diocese that own idle land in different townships to borrow a leaf from the Diocese and set up their own commercial buildings.
“Let's utilise all Church land in towns by setting up other commercial buildings, this will help in protecting our land from grabbers as well as financing evangelism,” Bishop Katumba said.
Rev. Moses Kayimba, the diocesan secretary said the archbishop’s pastoral visit has been a blessing to the diocese as it will awaken many Christians to love and support Church projects.
During his three-day pastoral visit, the archbishop personally interacted with the clergy and Christians and also inspected various ongoing diocesan projects.
In Kalungu District, the Archbishop commissioned the newly constructed All Saints Church in Lukaaya Town, visited Kijjabwemi Early Childhood Development Centre and Kijjabwemi Secondary School as well as inspected the diocesan coffee mother garden at Sunga Village. The Archbishop also visited different churches under West Buganda Diocese in the districts of Lyantonde, Rakai and Sembambule.
West Buganda Diocese, which was carved out of Namirembe Diocese in 1960, oversees nine districts of Masaka sub-region. The diocese has over 500 churches and most of these churches are in rural areas where Christians largely depend on subsistence farming.
