Ken and Judith Finch reflect on their time in Kiwoko Hospital, Uganda
Ken and Judith Finch, members of Knockbreda Parish Church in Belfast have been CMS Ireland Mission Partners for the past six years in Kiwoko Hospital, Luweero Diocese, in Uganda.
The beginning of October saw Ken and Judith move on from their roles (Ken: Finance and Administration Director; Judith: Occupational Therapist) to take up fresh challenges in Kampala and open a new chapter in their lives. Here, they reflect over the past six years of life and work in Kiwoko…
Any visitor to Uganda is immediately struck by the Christian, or at least ‘religious’, presence in the country. The motto of Uganda is ‘For God and My Country’. Taxis will announce “Glory to God” (or often, due to local language pronunciation, “Groly to God”). Chapatti stalls proclaim “Praise the Lord”. This is visibly a very Christian country. Indeed even business meetings will often start and close with prayer. So when we first arrived in Uganda in early 2006, we often questioned why we felt God had called us there. Yes, there were obvious roles to be covered at the hospital and needs we could meet, but we wondered would we not be better being in a less Christian country or indeed back in the UK, where to stand out as a Christian is increasingly difficult.
However as in many things, all is not what it seems on the surface and Uganda can be quite a contradiction. Uganda is ranked very poorly on the Transparency International Corruption Index, scoring only 2.4 out of 10! This in a country in which 80% of the population claim to be Christians. Growth in the large churches in Kampala and around the country is usually on the back of an unashamed proclamation of a ‘prosperity gospel’, which doesn’t demand a true change of self when we come to Christ. As a result, it seems we have ended up with a population of Christians many of whom proclaim Christ with their tongues but not with their lives.
It wasn’t long before we realised that in Uganda there is a huge need for people to proclaim a truly Biblical Christianity. At Kiwoko we are enormously blessed with many people who reflect Christ to others in both word and deed and who are actively involved in ministries which honour God. People like Shadrach Lukwago. Shadrach heads the hospital Mission Team, which has been running for well over 10 years now. In the early years the Mission Team would go out into villages preaching the gospel, often in door–to–door outreaches. As a result of this many churches were planted both near to Kiwoko and further afield. However, as this work continued, it became clear that the bigger need was not to evangelise, but to disciple. Indeed isn’t this the command our Lord has given to us all?
So the strategy changed with a new focus on Church Leaders’ conferences and Bible Studies. About 900 pastors now attend the annual conference in Kiwoko and the Christianity Explored course has been translated into three languages for use in Uganda. Literally thousands have gone through the course. We continue to pray that these ministries will bear fruit in people’s lives and will lead to the extension of God’s Kingdom.
We can think of many other individuals at Kiwoko who simply demonstrate Christ–likeness. Many of our staff could have left Kiwoko years ago and earned significantly more money elsewhere and yet this is where God has called them to be and they have remained faithful to that call.
Justine nursed her sick husband until he died. For years, he had abused and beaten her until they were separated. Yet she put any hint of revenge aside to tenderly care for him in his last days. Despite only earning the equivalent of about £100 per week, David decided to cover a friend’s school fees for fear that he may not be able to complete his course of study and therefore be unable to provide for his wife and family.
These and many like them are shining lights in Kiwoko and demonstrate the true Fruits of the Spirit in their lives. It has been a privilege to be at Kiwoko for these few years and we have been truly humbled by many people who seek to serve the Lord in this place.
As we leave Kiwoko we would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of you who have supported us in many different ways. We hope that we too have been faithful to God for this period of our lives and we will continue to seek opportunities to serve Him wherever we find ourselves in the future. That is our calling – to make Christ known to those around us whether in Belfast, Dublin, Uganda or anywhere else. God bless you as you live out your calling.
CMS Ireland’s Mission Director, Ronnie Briggs writes…
“We want to thank God for the faithful service and commitment of Ken and Judith over the past six and a half years and to thank them for being true to their calling in mission. Please join us in praying for them as they continue to serve God in this new phase of their mission service.”
A need for financial and strategic management skills
In the words of Dr. Rory Wilson, Medical Director of Kiwoko hospital, “Ken and Judith’s departure from the ministry and work at Kiwoko has left a huge gap in terms of oversight and management of the Hospital Finances. Ken has done an amazing job in terms of training and building up capacity with the staff in his department, but we still are in need of someone with higher level Financial and Strategic Management skills to take over this very important and challenging role.” This is a tremendous opportunity to maximise and strengthen the internal capacity of aspiring Ugandan leaders, and ultimately impact the wider work and ministry that Kiwoko Hospital has within Luweero diocese.
If you are in any way sensing God’s call to fulfil this specific Financial Management role with our Global Partner in Uganda, please contact Gillian Maganda (Personnel Coordinator) at our Belfast office for more details:
Email: belfastoffice@cmsireland.org
Tel:
028 9077 5020