|
"One by one
makes a bundle." (A Lunyoro proverb)
CMS mission partner Jenny Ottewell has worked in education in Uganda for nearly 27 years.
She reflects on some of the principles derived from that work.
"Clovis is who he is because you taught him to lead the young
children." So a colleague wrote of my early years in Uganda. He
added: "Clovis will not grow old because he will keep with the
children" Praise God for that!
As I reflect back on nearly 27 years in the same department I
could ask, "Why Christian education?" Certainly, remarks such as
those above are encouraging. So were others written in my
farewell book, talking of ongoing effects and programmes.
We have a commission to 'make disciples'-that is learners who
are growing more like Christ -a process of nurture into faith and
Christian living. Yet the efforts seem all too daunting: a huge task,
with too few volunteers, that's too expensive and with no end in
sight. At least that would be a Ugandan perspective. Even to
translate 'nurture' into the many local languages really taxed my
colleagues.
There is no doubt in my mind of the urgency of carrying on the
commission faithfully. Since I arrived in Uganda, its people have
endured two civil wars, economic collapse and recovery, the AIDS
scourge and the return of different forms of political participation,
greed and materialism. There is a need for deep and
knowledgeable faith that is visible in a daily, Christ-like walk.
What principles can spur us forward in an increasingly
competitive "market"?
Team work
We can know that this is essentially a team effort: no one person,
church or group has all the skills or all the answers. In Kampala
the millennium inspired an ecumenical celebration which drew in
over a thousand children, eight denominations and many schools
and church congregations. Its success has ensured that it will
become an annual event. All our work in schools has always been
in co-operation with other churches as well as with the
government. It must be.
Latterly, I was involved in a programme to train all our pastors in
materials and methods for Christian education. Each three-day
event, once or twice a month in different dioceses, focused on a
departmental production, the book entitled The Church Team, and
facilitation was by headquarters and diocesan staff, clergy and the
laity (who are often underused by the Church of Uganda).
Baptism follow-up was seen as a priority and the godparents
system seen as inadequate. On a recent visit to a Mennonite
church I much appreciated the 'mentor' system. A young member
is helped to choose a mature Christian who walks beside her or
him, supplementing the parents' and general congregational
programmes, especially with counseling, leading them forward.
Faith cannot be inherited but it can be caught.
Each has a part to play
The 'Nehemiah 3' principle, that each person has a part to play,
has long inspired me to keep going when the odds seem too
great. For example, John said, "You gave me my first training in
ministry", and since his school days he has gone on to a Master's
degree. No attempt at nurture is ever wasted. People move on
but they take their knowledge with them! "Small" efforts grow.
People can accomplish so much together.
In fact, every programme depends on such people who need to
be adult in faith. The church must satisfy their thirst for knowledge
and growth. I remember as if it were yesterday a moment in
1976 when a member of a group studying Ephesians read chapter
4, verses 7-12: "He (Christ) did this to prepare all God's people for
Christian service in order to build up the body of Christ", and
exclaimed, "Now I see I should be involved too!" From that came
the logo and vision for our department and policy.
Support the workers!
There is also a need to support and appreciate the 'volunteers'.
One of my greatest joys in Uganda has always been to work with the
'Sunday School' teachers, who usually labour away unnoticed in
impossible conditions with huge numbers of children, no
equipment and often under a mango tree! Yet it is they who have
taught me the power of faith and 'the joy of the Lord'.
Have fun!
So it is also important that education is 'fun'- full of joy,
informality, spontaneity, and always entering into new realms of
excitement.
Every one of our workshops, for chaplains, parents, young
people or elders, has been a source of delight and incredibly
enriching. As I look at my videos I wonder if such freedom could
be possible outside Africa. I hope so!
Watch them grow
Growing up in faith starts from the day of our birth! In the Church
of Uganda Education Department we have developed basic
materials for very level, baptism being the beginning of the
process. But no syllabus can cover all we need to know or all we
will come to know either.
I love the symbolism of baptism: the cross, the water and the
light. On the day I write this I have witnessed such a ceremony in
St Albans Abbey. It was fresh and challenging, offering growth for
all who were there .The so-called 'mission' work of the church
and education are inseparable, a lifelong process. Each experience,
each lesson, should be a tantalising taste of greater and greater
things to come, creating in the learner a desire to go on and find
out for themselves."
The "teacher's" main task is to set someone on that road, to enable and stimulate .What a wonder to have the privilege to set one, two, or two hundred, forward in that way. Maureen said to me, "You made me what I am." I believe many people did. I was only one of them. From a hesitant school-girl she became a classroom teacher, attended Sunday-school training, then became a facilitator and now serves on the national Children's Committee too. As a mother she has the extra joy of sharing her faith with Emily and Jeremy and watching them grow.
Church Mission Society
Partnership House 157 Waterloo Rd London
SE1 8UU UK
Tel: (+44) 20 7928 8681
Fax: (+44) 20 7401
3215 Registered
Charity Number 220297
|
