Barry McWilliams' Mission to Uganda

A Short Term Trip to Uganda - Late 2004 or Early 2005

The Mission:

My Needs:

Benevolent Gifts

The following list contains suggestions giving some idea of what gift items I can take along.

ACTI has worked in East Africa through an extensive ministry of preaching, teaching, evangelism, elder and deacon training, counseling, and medical service and training. It continues to have a significant impact in Uganda among Ugandan Episcopalians and Pentecostals as well as the Presbyterian Church there by facilitating teaching and ruling elders, students and lay people doing short term - but intensive - ministry trips. One hundred sixty-two went to Uganda in ten teams in 2001. Six new churches were planted in 2001, more have been planted this year. Ten primarily pastor/pastor's wife conferences were conducted, together with seven general believers conferences in various denominational churches. Nine conferences were conducted for the benefit of women, youth and children. ACTI's main objective is to straighten and extend the national church in both urban and rural areas of Uganda in whatever venues open to them by the invitation of the Ugandan churches and missionaries.

Over the years, ACTI has found this type ministry to be effective and by God's grace has helped change the character of the church in Uganda. It is an enabling ministry that assists the church in its areas of need, but at the same time leaves the Christians of Uganda in control of their own ministry and outreach. The need is so great and the people are so responsive to the gospel. It is not uncommon for a Ugandan pastor to educated and fluent in English, yet lacking in formal theological training and with few resources. ACTI has helped struggling pastors and churches with conferences and seminars designed to train in ministry skills that we take for granted in our churches here at home. A team member may spend six to eight hours per day teaching pastors, elders and deacons, do personal work at night and then preach in areas churches on the Lord's Day. It is not without its dangers either - besides the ever present health concerns, rebel activities prevent work in some areas, and Pastor Pete Anderson's team was robbed twice last summer. There is much need for prayer for those who go to minister.

ACTI's pledge is to use funds to their maximum for God's glory. The salaries of the Ugandan ACTI coordination team is paid from designated funds and a small portion of ministry teams funds. The more a ministry team uses its staff in Uganda, the more it costs. However, their policy is never to access any team member more than $100 for this purpose. Therefore, the maximum they would charge any team members $3,500 is 2.9%. African Christian Training Institute was founded by a group of Presbyterian Church in America men in 1981, and continues to be overseen by a Board of primarily P.C.A. people. Those who oversee ACTI's efforts in the United States are all otherwise engaged in full-time employment (pastors, doctors, dentists, accountants, etc.,) and their work with ACTI is on a volunteer basis. They even pay their own expenses to ACTI meetings. ACTI is totally committed to both the work of ministry in Uganda and financial integrity for every dollar God entrusts to them.