Church in Gulu at Koch Corom

This post is to all American Christians who believe that a church service should last an hour at the longest.... Today we went to Koch Corom located in Gulu district in Northern Uganda for worship at the United Methodist Church. This building was built through resources God raised through Central UMC in Fayetteville. It is the first permanent Methodist church in Northern Uganda. Bishop Daniel Wandabula joined us to dedicate the new building. What a great honor to join this community of faith in a structure that they could not even imagine as a possibility just a few years ago. This church started under a mango tree when Koch Corom was a displacement camp. (During the heat of the war with the LRA the government forced people in the rural villages to move to camps so they could be protected. This move did not help quite as they planned as the LRA was still able to attack the camps and the people). As the war moved out of Northern Uganda people began to move back home, but many camps became permanent villages like Koch Corom. The service started with singing and dancing as African church does. Let me say I love church in Uganda because it is active and exciting and full of passion! The choirs are jumping, singing and dancing;it is incredible! This service was a bit different than normal since we were dedicating the building. We had an order of worship to follow and we sang some classic hymns. How amazing to be singing old hymns in a new church building in the middle of Uganda, Africa! Keith opened the service in prayer, as well as, praying for the church. Jody delivered the sermon and the benediction. Melisa, Kysia, Mike, and Tamara read parts of the service and prayers. Keith, Jody, and I assisted with communion. The service lasted for 4 hours... 4 hours.... Talk about being tired and spent but uplifted....And in the US we think an hour is to long! It was an amazing time. We also dedicated the new bore hole for free and clean water to the community. After the service the village cooked for us and we had a truly Ugandan meal... No utensils. So we all ate with our hands. What a great day to worship the Lord and celebrate with our brothers and sisters. Tomorrow we drive back to Jinja with a stop and boat tour of Murchison Falls. One of the natural wonders of Uganda. Our time in Gulu has been blessed. Our friends are amazing people who are resourceful,resilient and full of faith and passion to set the Lord. The team is doing so good. Today was a down day from clinics and I think we need it. Clinics are so rewarding and impactful for all of us, but they are tough due to the heat and the number of people in poverty and desperation. Of course, you also get smiles, prayer, hope and love. God bless you all. Chris and Kysia