Inside Banja’s six priorities for Namirembe Diocese

Quoting Matthew 29:19-20, Bishop Banja said: “As faithful servants of God, we are prepared to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to all and to make disciples of all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit as well as teaching them to observe all that the Lord Jesus commanded.”

Emphasizing the Lord’s word in the book of John 17:21, he added: “We will encourage our people to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...”

The 59-year Bishop whose stay at the ministry will last for at least 6 years further pledged to focus on preaching the gospel that delivers salvation and transforms the lives of all the people.

Building and promoting the existing ministries

Benching on the legacy of his predecessor, [Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira], the new Namirembe Bishop pledged to use the lessons learnt from his colleagues who have held his current position before, to focus on evangelism and development projects that will enable the growth and expansion of the ministries.

“I will be working with the leadership of the Church and all our Christians at all levels to ensure that we maintain and push forward the legacy left behind by Bishop Luwalira as well as completing all his unfinished projects before we embark on new ones,” he said.

Developing projects in the Diocese

Acknowledging that Namirembe Diocese is endowed with a variety of resources, Bishop Banja emphasized that his leadership will ensure that all the parishes are engaged in ‘God honouring projects’ that can support and sustain ministry at all levels of the Diocese.

“We are going to work with all groups of ministry including but not limited to Fathers’ Union, Mothers’ Union, the Good Samaritans as well as the youth and children groups plus other willing and acceptable partners to have sustainable projects to change the status in life among believers and communities,” he said.

Preserving and developing Churchland

Bishop Banja called upon all the Church ministries, leaders, and Christians to jealously protect and preserve Church land as they develop it for the wellbeing of all and the glory of God. He revealed that his new leadership comes at a time when the Church is facing land-related challenges.

Adding that; “We going to engage the legal advisors of the Dioceses to explore mechanisms that ensure optimal utilization of the land resource and also curb land grabbing, which is one of the contemporary evils and challenges in the society.”

He further asked the government to address the rampant issues of land grabbing which he said to be “befalling many vulnerable Ugandans”

Promoting clergy welfare

This is the fifth priority of Bishop Banja’s ministry at Namirembe Diocese, he pledged to; “urge the Christians to take care of their clergy and to ensure that the clergy are supported in all the spheres and aspects of life that promote their wellbeing.”

Among others, the Bishop promised to spearhead the construction of a modern Bishop’s residence and a guest house for the clergy members.

“There will be an established fully-fledged department that will focus on mentorship and clergy welfare. This department will also help to address the rampant heresies that undermine the Church,” he said.

Lastly, Bishop Banja pledged to put in place measures geared at promoting quality education in all the schools under the management of Namirembe Diocese.

“We are going to work with all the head teachers, teachers, parents, and other willing and acceptable partners in this endeavour [promoting education]” he said.

“Ministry in the form of Chaplaincies ministries will also be key and instrumental in building the spiritual and moral life of children. These Chaplaincies must deal with vices like homosexuality and drug abuse that are threatening the wellbeing of the children,” he added.