On 9th October 2024, Senior Elder Emmanuel Kikoni called on the Anglican Christians of St. John’s Rumbugu Church of Uganda to unite and work together to construct a larger church to accommodate the growing number of parishioners.
Elder Kikoni made these remarks while officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the new St. John’s Rumbugu Church of Uganda, located in the Kakinga Archdeaconry, North Kigezi Diocese. He praised the church leaders and Christians for initiating this important project and urged them to join hands to ensure its swift completion.
He also shared his connection to the church, where he used to worship during his youth, expressing his honor at being invited to officiate at the event. Previously, Elder Kikoni had donated UGX 5 million towards the construction, and during the ceremony, he contributed an additional UGX 5 million, bringing his total donation to UGX 10 million.
Venerable Amos Katushabe, the Archdeacon of Kakinga Archdeaconry, also commended the Christians of St. John’s Rumbugu for their contributions toward the construction of the new church. He acknowledged the delays in starting the construction, which were caused by the time it took to gather enough resources. However, with the contributions received so far, they were finally able to break ground on the project. He urged the congregation to remain united and continue supporting the church’s development efforts.
Ven. Amos further encouraged the church leadership to motivate Christians to work hard while continuing to seek God.
Reverend Edson Muhirwe of Rumbugu Parish explained that the entire church project, including offices for the church leadership, is expected to cost over UGX 3 billion. He emphasized the importance of building a larger church, as the existing structure had become too small to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners. Rev. Edson expressed his gratitude for the collective efforts of St. John’s Rumbugu Christians and the generous contributions of well-wishers, rallying further support for the completion of the new church.
Canon Benjamin Karakure, the Lay Leader, also expressed appreciation for Senior Elder Emmanuel Kikoni’s consistent support for religious activities, noting that he always responds when called upon. He reiterated the challenge posed by the limited space in the old church as the congregation continues to grow and encouraged Christians to keep contributing towards the construction of the new building. Canon Karakure also pledged an additional UGX 10 million from his family to support the project, adding to what they had previously donated.
