Utumishi Blog

Thanks for all those who prayed for this conference a couple of weeks ago. Great to see 143 students from all over Uganda with noses in the Bible, hungry to learn and grow. I’ve reflected it on it a bit elsewhere and there’s an Evangelicals Now article coming out from the organisers soon. But just a couple of quick thoughts and then some pics (from Chris Howles).

1. There are things of first importance and things of secondary importance. This struck me between the eyes from 1 Cor. 15:3. There’s a place for discussing our differing understandings of tongues & prophecy or head coverings or creation or baptism – they are important things – but these are not of ‘first importance’. It was great to see various different organisations working together at LWU and students and lecturers from different backgrounds and denominations coming together at the conference around the Word and Christ and the Gospel of the Cross. On the flip side it was sobering to think that if we leave the gospel out of our preaching and pastoring then we have left out the most important thing.
2. Small group work is tremendously valuable. It might not be as high profile as talking to hundreds in one go but much of the real work of the conference went on in the small groups at the end of each day, 5 or so students and a facilitator, looking at the Bible together, asking each other questions, seeking the Truth. The testimony of many students was that this was the first time they had been in a genuinely small group (uni small groups often being 15-30) able to genuinely interact with the Word and each other and go at the right pace for everyone.