Watoto Church, an exuberant cell-based community church, is celebrating 30 years of transforming lives in Uganda and South Sudan. At the same time, the church marks 20 years of reaching Africa’s most vulnerable women and children through its community outreach arm, Watoto Child Care Ministries.
Launched with 78 people on Sunday 22nd April 1984, Watoto Church has grown to be a phenomenal beacon of hope and example of true transformation in Africa. Today, more than 23,000 people attend one of the 26 weekend services at 10 campuses in Kampala and Gulu, Uganda, and Juba, South Sudan.
To date, Watoto Child Care Ministries has provided holistic, residential care for over 4,000 orphaned and vulnerable children (about 3,000 in current care). This includes about 950 babies rescued from dire circumstances and former child soldiers and those born to rebel leaders during the civil war.
Some of these have already gone on to become lawyers, teachers, computer scientists, journalists, farmers, doctors, and are impacting society positively as a result.
Through Watoto’s Living Hope initiative, dignity has been restored to almost 3,000 vulnerable women, who have been empowered with literacy, business and practical skills. Their children, more than 15,000 boys and girls, now have a better chance at a future.
101.4 PowerFM, Watoto Church’s urban Christian radio station is impacting the lives of Uganda’s youth. To date, the station’s listenership includes more than 250,000 up and coming young people.
The church also comes alongside the community to drive practical improvements, including water projects, hospital refurbishments, school renovations, access road works, and city wide clean ups to name a few.
Watoto Founder, Gary M. Skinner comments, “This is huge milestone for us and we are excited about what God will do in the next 30 years. We invite everyone, in Uganda and outside to see with their own eyes the impact of partnering with Watoto. All this is for the glory of God!”
Starting this week, Watoto will hold a series of activities to commemorate the anniversaries, culminating in a week-long celebration from 1st to 8th June 2014. Be there.