Pastor Phillip Walendo Travels to Kenya - October 2014

I am really so glad to write to you this brief report about the training I attended in Thika (Intensive Bible and Pastoral Ministry Training) which ran for one full week from 20th- 26th October 2014.

I left Uganda on 19th October 2014 at 6 pm for Nairobi-Thika and reached Thika on 20th October 2014 Monday at 9 am. I found Pastor John from Turkana was already there waiting for me. We were received by Rev. Titus the Director TCM Kenya. Rev. Titus introduced us to the training room where we found Pastor Mwangi Stanley also waiting for us because he was one of the facilitators. The training started at exactly 10 am.

DAY I: Bible dispensation 1,2,3,4, by Pr. Stanley.

DAY 2: Homiletics,( preaching skills) by Pastor Stanley.

DAY 3: Bible Doctrines by Rev. Improso

DAY 4: Evangelism and church planting by Pastor Titus.

DAY 5: Hermeneutics ( Bible interpretation) by Improso

DAY 6; Leadership skills by Rev. Titus. Final challenge and award of certificates by Rev. Improso.

On Sunday 26th October 2014, I was the preacher on Sunday service then I left Thika for Nairobi- Kampala at 3 pm.

With all the above topics we covered I am greatly transformed and I got a lot of courage because all my questions about Grace Ministry were answered by the facilitators. I know that God will always help us in his Ministry and open doors for us. The facilitators gave us good notes which will help us in our churches as in teaching others.

My major ambition after the training is teaching other people and opening a new church in Uganda. My special thanks go to Rev. Titus, Rev. Improso, Pastor Stanley for their time and knowledge which they gave us. Back in Uganda I would like to thank Mr. Cwinyaai Steven, Livingstone, Jonathan and Pastor Robin for their precious support which they always give to the church and me as their senior Pastor.

Introducing Pastor Philip Walendo

Praise the Lord Jesus Christ, my beloved brethren. I am Pastor Philip Walendo from Uganda. Father God blessed me with the leadership of his Church called Uganda Grace Gospel Church of Christ (TCM).

My Biography

I was born to Mr. Banja Remelia and Mrs Masiana Anyayo on 25th November 1980 in Pakwach Nebbi District Uganda, East Africa. Both my parents are still alive and saved. I received Jesus Christ has Lord and personal Savior on 3rd August 2003. When I was in my High school, I used to drink alcohol terribly simply because I had joined a bad group, I used to even spend my own school fees on alcohol to the level that my father stopped giving me school fees and could only deposit it on the school bank account by himself. My parents used to pray for me and I didn’t not want anything to do with prayer except drinking alcohol. One day, a Reverend from our school gave me some money for taking soda, but I used the money for buying alcohol. And that marked the beginning of my getting saved. Because that alcohol caused me problems which made me sick for one week. Then my friend called Fred told me, "Philip, the way am seeing you, if you don’t get saved, alcohol will kill you and don’t just say you want to live it but get saved and join the born again community because if you don’t get saved, we shall still pull you back to drinking."

When this man told me these words, my spirit got activated. Can you imagine that Fred was not a born again person but he came from a Christian family so I took his advice serious and on that Sunday, 3rd August 2003, at 11:00am, I called my area lay leader and some saved people who led me to Christ. The verse they read to me was Galatians 5:1. From that time my happiness and joy returned. And my grandfather who was fed up of my life style told me that if you are really saved, then your Jesus Christ will help you. “If you are pretending then it will be worse for you in this life.” He said it because I had wounds everywhere and people where saying, “Can Philip be saved really??” Thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ for since that time, up to now he is using me mightily.

Joining Things to Come Mission

I came to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda in May 2005 and I got some TCM Missionaries called Reverend Carlo B Pana and Mama Elma Pana who opened a church in Kampala so I joined the fellowship with a vision and passion of serving God actively and these two missionaries trained me for 3 years because they wanted me to learn the dispensational teaching according to the preaching of Apostle Paul. Due to my commitment, in the Church and the word of God because I loved the teaching so much that I became one of the most determined youth in the church. So the TCM missionaries appointed me to become the Pastor of the Church on 17th July 2010. Since that time up to now I am still the Pastor. The message of the grace of God is rich and powerful where by whoever gets it ,is happy. (Hebrews 4:12). I thank God for the director of TCM Rev. Ben Anderson for sending TCM Missionaries to Uganda who trained me with the message of the grace of God. My message to you is found in the book of 2nd Timothy Chapter 2:15 and Ephesians 3:9. WELCOME TO UGANDA GRACE GOSPEL CHURCH OF CHRIST (TCM) KAMPALA

History of TCM in Uganda

In March 2004 TCM Director Ben Anderson and missionaries Carlo & Elma Paña drove from Kenya to survey Uganda. They prayed, surveyed the capital city Kampala, identified the areas of of the city and enjoyed the many hills on which the city is built. We cried to the Lord and prayed, “Lord you brought us here in Uganda. Start your work within us so that we can plant a church and churches in different places in this country.” The Panas transferred to Kampala from Kenya on October 24, 2004 with all their belongings.

In 2013 Carlo & Elma Paña resigned from Things to Come Mission and the leadership of the Grace Gospel Churches passed to the capable leadership of the Ugandan Grace believers and leaders including Chairman Steve Chwinyaai and Pastor Philip Walendo.

Kenya Director Titus Kivilu Report on Uganda, November 2013

Pastor Philip Walendo, the leaders and members of Grace Church in Uganda warmly received us and availed themselves for the meetings and the teaching seminars we had planned. We had four days of ministry in Uganda starting from Nov 16th to 19th. Our mission was to encourage, strengthen the brethren and to discuss with the leaders about the vision for Uganda Grace Gospel Church of Christ-TCM so as to rejuvenate their hearts and spirit for the furtherance of grace gospel in Uganda. We also shared our experience and ideas on how they can organize and restructure the ministry to accelerate growth and spread the gospel in all parts of Uganda.

I sincerely commend the commitment and hardworking of Pastor Philip and his Associate Pastor Robinson, the national Chairman brother Stephen and Secretary brother Jonathan, and the local church chairman brother Livingstone. May God bless their labor in the service for Him.

On 16th afternoon we had our first seminar where we taught “Vision and Goal Setting” with emphasis of the church vision. This seminar was an eye opener for the leaders to see the need of having a clear vision and objectives to reach Uganda with grace gospel. They realized their vision needed practical objectives to attain growth of the ministry in Uganda.

We had a full schedule on Sunday 17th from 9am to 6pm. We started with Bible hour which I taught about “Partnering in Furthering the Gospel” (Phil 1:5). After the Bible study it was the worship service where Pastor Peter preached about “Endeavoring to Keep the Unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:1-6). Brother Stephen and his wife invited us for lunch in their house before we went back to the church for the Leaders workshop. The workshop was the peak of everything that we had discussed as the leaders laid down the plans of action to grow the church and the grace ministry in Uganda. The following plans were suggested as the way forward:

1. Revise and restate clearly the vision for the ministry in Uganda and the objectives to attain it.
2. Organize and restructure the ministry in Uganda to sustain growth and expansion of the ministry.
3. Initiate a way to provide adequate biblical and ministry training for the equipping of pastors and leaders
4. Enhance teaching of grace message (Leaders requested for a 1 week seminar of intensive teachings so they can be able to teach others)
5. The leaders reiterated their commitment to work with TCM to reach the whole of Uganda with grace message.
6. They welcomed the cooperation and input from GBC-Kenya leadership
7. Suggested to organize a Grace conference in 2014

The ministry in Uganda has a great potential to grow and to spread to all parts of Uganda. What is needed most is a clear vision and objectives, and a strong leadership to spearhead the vision. We were encouraged and inspired by some progress that the church has done such as the finalizing the church plot payment and cementing the church building in Luzira. It is encouraging to see that the members contributed some money and cemented the church both the floor and the walls in and outside. Only outside part of one wall is remaining. We commended them for that great effort. We pray the plans that the leaders will pursue the plans they laid down.

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©2015 Things to Come Mission, Inc.