The Seed of the Church

Tertullian, I believe, stated, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” For supporting evidence, visit the shrine of the Ugandan Martyrs just outside Kampala. In the 1800’s, missionaries came to Buganda, the most powerful kingdom in what is now Uganda. The reigning king welcomed them, and Christianity gained a sure foothold in East Africa. The king’s son, however, realized the implications of his people giving their allegiance to King Jesus, and when he came into power he systematically began persecuting and brutally executing Christians, demanding that they recant their faith. On June 3rd, 1886, one large group of Ugandan boys and young men were mercilessly tortured, then bound together to be burned alive slowly, beginning with their feet. Not one of them recanted; in fact, they all sang praises to Jesus until they died. This powerful witness convinced many of the Ugandans that the God of the Christians was more powerful than any of the gods they worshipped, and the place of Christianity in Uganda was secured. Many Ugandans point to this time as the source of transformation for their country.

Uganda Martyrs University sits on the historical land of the above events. It is a struggling school with close ties to UCU, and it has produced some of the finest pastors in Uganda, my friend Frederick being one of them. There are a little over 100 students and 5 full time faculty. The facilities are a bit primitive, but no more so than in some of the other places I’ve visited. They’re a few months away from completing a new 4 bedroom guesthouse, the home where we would stay were God to bring us there.

The principal of the school continued the pattern I’ve experienced of giving me a warm welcome. He talked of the great needs of the school for teachers and for resources for their library. He described the relationships at the school as a family, and said that the students are dedicated and eager learners, most of them making significant sacrifices to be there.

Being close to Kampala, Uganda Martyrs has fairly easy access to schools, hospitals, and other things to warm a westerner’s heart (ex. movie theatres, a supermarket, a hamburger joint). It is also close to UCU, an advantage because of the friendships that would be available there.