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In March 1999, a local village pastor welcomed me and my daughter Becky upon our arrival in the village 3 km north of Luweero, called Kyevunze. Pastor David Kasule became my interpreter as I launched out into village medical trainings. He also became a cultural liaison person for me, helping me to understand African culture.
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In spring of 2001 Pastor David Kasule started the small village church, which became known as New Life Centre Church in Nakazzi village, just out of Luweero town, about 50 miles north of Kampala, the capitol of Uganda. He started out with a handful of village women in a rented former fish factory, on the main highway that travels north and south across Uganda. He prayed for God to send men for his church as well, and eventually God answered that prayer. New Life Centre has grown and men often outnumber the women. Even a few Muslims attend church services.
The New Life Kids Club started out of this little church, which grew into the New Life Academy primary school. For several years there was a small medical clinic established in the church/school to serve both the students and the nearby community, providing free services to the orphans.
In 2004, a 4-acre piece of property was purchased, primarily funded by a donation from New Life Center in Everett, Washington. Early in 2006 the church was able to move into a building on its own property, also which was also used by New Life Academy during the school week. When the building collapsed in January, 2007, the church met in a rented house next to its property until the building was rebuilt.
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The church was rebuilt in July 2007, and various ministries have come out of that. Two years ago, New Life Centre Church was the starting point for an overnight prayer ministry that involved up to 4 village churches. All of them but one (which had no building yet) had overnight meetings, and their members also came to the Monday night overnight prayers at New Life Centre Church as well. We have been seeing much answer to prayer due to these meetings, both on individual and national levels.
In spite of poverty, the members of New Life Centre Church gradually contributed bags of cement and bought several metal support poles for the simple pole and roof structure that serves as the church. The metal poles added support to the roof. The altar floor area was cemented and a wall put up at that end of the church. A foundation and walls were started for church offices, which by July 2010 became a temporary parsonage for Pastor David and his family. The church is on the side of long sloping terrain and is subject to heavy storm winds with the frequent tropical thunder storms, and once again, in early 2010 it suffered severe damage. The poles and cement that had been used prevented a total loss, but about 3/4 of the church had to be dismantled to prevent further damage and collapse.
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Interestingly, as our building shrunk, our congregation doubled. Thanks to a Bible study outreach in a village about 3 miles away, people began walking to worship services and the overnight prayer meetings at New Life Centre Church.
As the ministry is able, we have been planning for and gradually creating income generating projects, both to help support widows in our community and for ministry expenses. We have about 15,000 pineapples planted on church land, and other seasonal crops, for sale and consumption. Pineapples take up to 2 years to begin to produce fruit, so just this fall we have begun to sell a few of our early fruits. By December, the bigger harvests will begin. A shop has been rented on the highway to sell retail products and produce, as a truck weighing station has just been built. With 60 employees and truckers coming through, much business is being generated. There are future plans, as God provides, to build structures for New Life Academy, a brick church, a small guest house for visiting ministry teams, and a maize mill.
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