Let children attend church, Kaziimba urges govt

Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba. PHOTO/FILE. 

What you need to know:

  • In March last year, government closed churches, among other institutions to curb the spread of the virus.

Archbishop of Church of Uganda Stephen Kaziimba has asked government to put in place strategies to enable children attend prayers amid ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

In March last year, government closed churches, among other institutions to curb the spread of the virus.

Seven months later, the government announced the reopening of churches, excluding children, and subsequently the opening of schools in a phased approach.

“My heart is bleeding because we do not have children worshipping. Even when the government opened churches for 70 people, the children were not considered and when the congregation increased to 200, again they are not included, this hurts me so much and yet children have to be nurtured in church to be productive for the country,” Archbishop Kaziimba said while addressing journalists at his Namirembe provincial residence last Friday.

The archbishop was highlighting the successes and challenges during the  one year as the head of the Anglican Church in Uganda.

“My prayer is that since they have opened schools, they (government) will invite the church leadership and plan for the children programmes because fellowship is important for them,” he added.

Archbishop Kaziimba also listed other issues such as deaths, accidents, leadership wrangles, demolition of Ndeeba church and land disputes, among others.

He said the pandemic had presented to the church new ways of doing ministry leading to numerous successes such as reaching the congregation from their homes through television and radios, pastoral visits, holding the archbishop conference via zoom, which attracted more than two million people, giving relief items to the needy through government and reaching people individually.

Others are consecration of Rwenzori bishop, acquisition of agro inputs, doing compassion work for the youth and women, among others.

“Covid-19 presented challenges but it has created a new way of doing ministry. The old tools of preaching cannot handle the new challenges and we are moving on,” he said.