Why Rev Ben Omuria ought to be your pastor

There is a man in a certain little known Atutur PAG church in Kumi District whom, on first sight, you could easily dismiss as a rural commoner of marginal worth. Why? Partly because he is modestly dressed, somewhat too soft-spoken and tends to be comprehensively humble. What is more, he has a diminutive body build! He is called Rev Bernard Omuria. He doubles as the senior Pastor of PAG Atutur church and an umbrella Assembly pastor.

I had previously heard a lot about his counseling wizardry and demon casting potentialities. A lot more was being said about his miracle healing powers and the hugely hypnotic effect of his evangelistic discourse on his followers. 

So, driven by a combination of trumped up curiosity and sheer spiritual yearning, I made a pioneer visit to his church on Sunday 3rd April 2022.  And Oh boy, I was in for a staggeringly pleasant shock!

At the time of my arrival and entry to the church, the choir was animatedly walking the congregants through a praise and worship session. The atmosphere inside the house of worship was patently electric and ecstatic. Thanks largely to the genius of the lead female singer and the exceptional adeptness of the male keyboard player. It is mainly this duo who had worked up the church attendees into a veritable frenzy. The fired up fans brazenly yodeled their joy, flailed their hands in the air, chorused Amen and danced with elated abandon.

It was at the peak of this praise and worship episode when the lead singer gestured to her colleagues to bring their rabble-rousing performance to an abrupt end. This sudden halting of the show was greeted with a deafening applause and rapturous ululations from the enchanted churchgoers. In fact, to say that it was exhilarating, is to understate it!

At that particular juncture, the chief program coordinator politely asked everyone to take their seat. I deliberately chose to sit at a location where I could effortlessly gain a full view of the famed man of God. Reverend Omuria himself was quietly but studiously seated at his designated space at the front.  

Then, the actual Omuria moment came! A senior church elder was privileged with the honor and responsibility of inviting the petite man of the cloth to deliver his sermon. The elder did so in a befittingly mature fashion. And, the clergyman’s response was similarly reverential. He audaciously stepped onto the podium with the sleekness and agility of an accomplished gymnast - all amid rhythmic hand clapping and sporadic Halleluiah chants!  Inspired by that positive crowd reaction, the reverend smiled rather extravagantly before he cordially greeted the exceedingly excited audience. He then proceeded to exchange a few more pleasantries with the members before calming them down to gain their full attention.

Without much ado, Reverend Omuria set the pace by belting out his favorite praise song. He began slowly but incrementally stepped up his act to a scintillating climax. It did not take long before the entire congregation obliged and joined him in singing that self-crafted lyric. After that curtain raiser, the reverend introduced the gist of his sermon. The theme for the sermon was “How to get full deliverance”.

Omuria set about his business with the alacrity and oratorical proficiency of a uniquely anointed disciple. In overall, his presentation came off as a well sequenced blow-by-blow exposition of a pre-prepared ten-point sermon. It is the systematized, exalting and captivating manner in which the reverend progressively unpacked the contents of his sermon that made his presentation classical. 

First, you have to give it to him for his adroitness in selecting scriptures in the bible which most vividly illustrated the subject matter of interest. Second, he has to be credited for his unmatched interpretive skills. Third, one has to reward his knack for tactful employment of a highly inclusive delivery approach. And, to cap it all, the reverend has to be acknowledged for his raw charisma. He charmingly articulated, gesticulated, probed, intonated, and postured at the pulpit – all with an intent of enhancing the sermon absorptive capacity of the target beneficiaries.

It explains why the audience was palpably wowed! Evidence of optimal sermon uptake was clearly reflected in the:

• Number of testimonies given

• Number of ladies who had tears of spiritual joy streaming down their cheeks;

•Number of the newly converted;

•Frequency with which the audience involuntarily interjected with loud shouts of Amen/Hallelujah; and

•The number of previously demon-possessed women who had just got released from demonic bondage.   In short, try Reverend Bernard Omuria for expedited salvation. God bless you!       

Henry Edison Okurut Kedi, [email protected]