Uganda Bishop Visits Church Center
Episcopal News Service. September 11, 1980 [80304]
NEW YORK -- "Even when we are plagued by mounting political, social, and economic problems, the future of the Church of Uganda is bright because it is in the hands of the Lord," said the Rt. Rev. Dunstan Nsubuga, Bishop of Namirembe, in an interview here with officers of the Episcopal Church Center.
The Uganda Church leader said that the blood of the martyrs, from St. Charles Lwanga last century to the late Archbishop Janani Luwum, has enriched the foundation of the Church and has equipped it to face the present and the future with hope and faith.
"No matter what happens, we are confident that the Lord Jesus will guide and sustain us now as he has done in the past," he added.
Bishop Nsubuga came to the United States on a two-week visit to the Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria, where he sought to "share our experience in the faith" with students and professors. Bishop Nsubuga was a special student of the seminary during 1957-59.
At a eucharistic service at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Church Center, Bishop Nsubuga thanked the people of the United States for the generous help being given to the Church of Uganda during this time of crisis.
After the brutal regime of Idi Amin, the people of Uganda have embarked on a great campaign to rebuild their broken and war-torn nation. Last month, the clergy and bishops of Uganda issued a statement urging all the members of the Church to "bring back to the Lord the people of Uganda and to revive in them the love and justice lost during the past eight years."
The Episcopal Church, through the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, has joined other Anglican churches and ecumenical agencies throughout the world in this giant spiritual and humanitarian task.
Presiding Bishop John M. Allin has appealed to all Episcopalians to give generously to the $1.25 million goal for Uganda. So far, $470,000 has been sent through the Presiding Bishop's Fund and more contributions are expected in the coming months, as the appeal continues.
The Ugandan leader also pointed out the tragic famine situation which has recently developed in East Africa, especially in the Karamanjo District of Uganda, where thousands of people are dying of starvation. He thanked the Presiding Bishop's Fund and other ecumenical agencies for the prompt response to this critical situation.
Bishop Nsubuga also remembered the "feeling of solidarity and belonging" experienced by the people of Uganda when they received thousands of Easter cards right after the assassination of Archbishop Luwum.
The bishop is not a stranger to suffering himself. His wife Mary, lost her life tragically in March 1977, when her car was smashed between two army trucks during Amin's regime.
He recalled with emotion a simple card received from the United States that said: "I know that my Redeemer lives. " He added that at a time of tribulation these messages meant a great deal to all the Ugandan Anglicans. "You still can see many of these cards posted on the walls of the Cathedral in Kampala and many homes throughout the country."
Bishop Nsubuga, a product of the missionary schools, said that at the age of 16 he knew Christ as "saviour and redeemer" and from then on decided to share his message with others. After being a catechist for many years, he finally was ordained priest in 1944. Twenty years later he was consecrated Bishop of Namirembe.
"I plan to retire next year, when I will be 65, but I have plenty of work to do building the Christian community wherever I go, " he said.
During his visit to New York, Bishop Nsubuga met with the Rev. and Mrs. Richard Larom, of the Diocese of Long Island, who are departing shortly for Uganda where Father Larom will be a tutor at Bishop Tucker Theological College at Mukono and Mrs. Larom, a professional journalist, will be assisting in the production of The New Century, the national Anglican paper.