As a member of the A29 Network, one of ECC’s core commitments is to plant church-planting churches. We are committed to not merely sending financial resources to church plants, but to also helping equip them through leadership development.
When we were first introduced to Pastor Jimmy Okello and University Community Church in 2017, we had no idea that he had been trying for several years to become part of Acts 29. But it didn’t take long to see that he was in a very unique position as one of very few biblically sound pastors in Gulu. Pastor Jimmy was clearly a man desiring to faithfully disciple the students of Gulu University in the word of God, and desiring fellowship with other pastors and churches flowing in that same vein.
East Africa as a whole is an “emerging region” for the A29 Network. As of yet, there is not a strong gospel presence there, which is why we want to proactively look for opportunities to plant and grow strong leaders and churches there. And Gulu is a rising village in Uganda — many people are coming to attend the university, and many are also coming as refugees from the Sudan. Pastor Jimmy’s physical proximity and relationship with the university gives him a prime opportunity to reach many souls, disciple them with deep, rich, gospel truth, and send them back into the world as light in darkness.
Since that first introduction, leaders from ECC have traveled to Uganda several times. Our church family has had the privilege of partnering with Pastor Jimmy and the UCC family for ACTS 29 Network assessment, as well as for coaching, training, and support. And while UCC is not technically an ECC church plant, we're blessed to be co-laborers in God's work in this emerging region of East Africa.
