Christ the King Sunday

I stayed home from church today.  It’s Christ the King Sunday, a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church and an unofficial day of celebration in the Episcopal Church. This is the day to remember and celebrate Jesus’ lordship over all—all of creation, all of us, all of our efforts and institutions and systems. We Episcopalians should get on board with the Catholics here and make this a feast day.

My heart has been heavy. Death, sickness, poverty, cruelty, and selfishness persist. Syria. Ukraine. Libya. Israel. The US Congress.

Sad news from Beni continues to roll in. Friends, family, and colleagues in Beni soldier on. Our tiny band of international staff waits, prays, and works in Uganda. CI leadership wrestles with the normal challenges of organizational life and leadership in a not-so-normal environment. What does Stephen Covey have to say about insecurity and unrest in Seven Habits?

Today I needed to sit with prayer, scripture, and God. 

The collect for the day (Episcopal BCP, p. 236):

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and lord of lords; Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The readings for today reference a kingly God and a God of power:

• Worship the Lord…come into his presence...
• Enter his gates with thanksgiving
• ….immeasurable greatness of his power…
• God put this power to work in Christ…and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion… 

Ezekiel references God as a shepherd (a rather lowly occupation in the day) of an unruly and doltish flock (adjectives mine, not Ezekiel's). 

Then there is the Matthew 25 passage. Jesus, God made flesh, Emmanuel, was and is hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned. He was and is a stranger—someone from somewhere else. Jesus the King is broken and in need. King Jesus, broken and in need, asks us for help. King Jesus asks us for some food, a cup of water, clothing and shelter, care and presence, and a warm welcome.

This is where my heart opened up. Something inside said, "Love." I don't know how or why or where that word came from. The word love isn't in today's readings, per se. But it is implied in the actions. God loves us. God doesn't reign imperially and imperiously. God reigns with love and gentleness. God's desire is for our complete restoration—a healthy planet, healthy families, good relationships, people at peace. 

I do not love the people wreaking havoc in Beni and other places in the world. But God does. And while I am not physically able to give the cup of water, I can pray for that cup of water. I can pray that God's love would pour down on each one, just as today's rainstorm drenched us here in Kampala. 

Dear God, King of All, yes, please restore all things and bring all people together—all of us separated and divided and hating and hurting each other. Bring us each and all to freedom and peace. May we do our part. May we love each other across those divides and separations. Help me to pray your love on those whom I do not want to love.

A new story

There are no simple explanations for the recent outbreaks of violence in and around Beni. The region owns a complex history of proxy wars, rebel groups with ill-defined agendas and fluid memberships, political maneuvering, and shifting regional alliances.  Add to the mix human capacity for violence and selfish ambition, and the various narratives soon tangle on themselves.

Since early October outbreaks of violence have battered the city of Beni and its surrounding region. Rebel groups are blamed for random attacks and the murder of more than 120 people. Several thousand civilians have fled their homes in outlying areas to seek refuge in town. Households have tripled and quadrupled in size as families seek safety in numbers. A 6-hour gunfight on November 2 held the town hostage, and residents of one quartier were evacuated after the discovery of two bombs on November 6. Angry mobs have destroyed private and public property. Flyers announcing imminent attacks have fueled fear, and rapid-fire rumors wrestle with the truth. Shambas (small-hold farms) sit unattended as farmers fear leaving town to cultivate their fields. Food prices are rising.

But there’s a better story—a  story of light and life, a story of faith and hope.

UCBC classes were scheduled to begin on October 30. But beginning on October 28, and for the next 8 days, violence and tensions increased. These events prompted UCBC staff and leadership to take precautionary, practical, and prayerful measures. Staff and leadership decided to delay the opening of classes by a few days so things could settle down. They also decided to shorten the school day so students and staff could return home well before dark. A local business formed by recent UCBC graduates began work with UCBC staff to develop an SMS (short message service—i.e., text message) app so university administration could send news, info, and updates to the entire student body. And the community continued to pray. 

An email from Daniel Masumbuko (UCBC Chaplain and Finance Administrator) on November 3 recalled the new story.

Let us hold strong our holy Hope—Christ in us, the Hope of glory! He will never fail us with regards to His Kingdom that's among us, with us, in us and through us. He's been faithful. He usually lays His head for rest on the storm amidst a highly troubled sea. What's happening may actually be a continuation of the devil's anger against the light shining from Beni…, bringing back Shekinah in DRC by contributing to the renewal of His Church…. I think of Psalm 2: "Why do the nations conspire... kings of the earth rise up... AGAINST HIS ANOINTED...let us break their chains and throw off their shackles...THE ONE ENTHRONED IN HEAVEN LAUGHS..." Let us remember that with all that happening and all the emerging universities in Beni, 150 new students enrolled at UCBC!

The next day Honoré Bunduki Kwany (UCBC Academic Dean and Acting Interim Rector ) confirmed,

I am very much encouraged by the attitude of our staff. Despite the situation, all are strong and continue to serve. … Our biggest challenge is that we are a bit far from the center town. But this should not bring us to let the enemy dishearten us. For in Isaiah 41:10 the Lord tells us five things. (1) He is with us, so we should not fear, (2) He is our God, so we should not be dismayed. (3) He promises to  strengthen us, (4) to help us and (5) to hold us with the right hand of his righteousness. He is more than able and he proved it for Israel, Elisha and his Servant when they were surrounded by their enemies (2 Kings 6:8-23).

On Wednesday, November 5, UCBC launched the academic year with a community-wide chapel service and orientation sessions. That the year began a week later than originally planned does not matter. What does matter is that—

Students at work

• 150 new students have enrolled at UCBC, despite the current, local insecurity
• faculty, staff, and students have pulled together to assist with security and communication an committed to abiding by safety guidelines
• student groups such as Women’s Voices and Creation Care Volunteers are meeting, planning the year’s activities, and getting to work
• Service Learning is in full swing with three projects underway
• UCBC's Climate Action Fellows, Sifa Jolie and Faden Sibamtaki, lead students in implementing action plans
• 300 students attend the two primary schools under the auspices of UCBC 

We thank God for this new story, and are reminded of UCBC's guiding verse (Isaiah 43:18-19):

Thus says the Lord,…”Do not remember the former  things; or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Thanks be to God.

A new story: UCBC
Aerial view of campus (red roofs on L), 2010

Still waiting in Uganda

The CI-UCBC International Staff received word this week that we are to delay our return to Beni for another several days, perhaps a week. The situation in Beni is stabilizing. The 6:30pm – 6:00am curfew remains in place and the city has been spared large-scale events. A few days ago an attack on a village just north of the UCBC campus was repulsed without casualties. Two arrests were made the following day. They resulted in the confession of an a FARDC (DRC army) soldier to complicity in that and previous attacks. The resulting investigations have given citizens some assurance that authorities are taking action. CI-UCBC leadership and staff remain in close and consistent contact with a variety of security sources, local government, and NGOs. 

But the verdict for us is, “Wait.”

Waiting is work. It isn’t easy work. We Americans like to do. We like outcomes and evidence. We like completed reports and PowerPoint presentations, painted fences and repaired plumbing, the kitchen cleaned and the trash emptied. But sometimes the work we are called to do is to wait, to sit in the middle of our powerlessness. We are, after all, powerless over people, places, and circumstances. The only real power any of us has is power over ourselves and our responses to people, places, and circumstances. The rest is illusion.

Waiting is an opportunity to sit in the silences, to listen, to feel breath and heartbeat. Waiting is time to open our eyes and see what we miss when we are busy with our doing.

So what are some of the things my eyes have opened to during waiting time? Here are a few: 

• My character defects. In spite of my best efforts to be self-aware, my impatience and desire to be in charge slip in through the cracks in the day. 
• Memories in need of healing. Some very old and not-so-old memories have stepped out of the closet and into my heart. This waiting time gave them permission to reveal themselves. This waiting time offered space for them to breathe and heal. 
• Smiling. I want to smile more. I will smile more.
• Answers to prayer. God continues to strengthen, heal, and protect loved ones in Beni, in the US, and elsewhere. Two UCBC staff members are brand new parents, and we rejoice in the safe deliveries of their babies. People who were sick are now well. Loved ones who have been struggling know respite.
• Young leaders at UCBC living into their responsibilities. Service learning interns have been meeting with faculty to advise on curriculum. The YECA Fellows and Creation Care Committee have introduced their plans to the UCBC community and welcomed new members into their ranks. 

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength; By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BCP, Prayer for Quiet Confidence, p. 832

Waiting in Uganda: A summary update

On October 22, upon the counsel of CI leadership, the International Staff team of Jon and Kate Shaw, Jessica Shewan, Lise vanOverbeeke, and Lauren Haylo, along with Jon and Kate’s two boys, moved from Beni to Ft. Portal, Uganda for a brief hiatus. During the previous two weeks, tensions had been building in the region as armed rebels attacked innocent civilians during night-time raids in areas just north of Beni. In the following days, the violence seemed to subside. I was to join the team upon my arrival from the US, en route to DRC. We planned to travel to Beni together on October 28.

But new attacks occurred, this time closer to Beni. We were asked to delay our trip by two days. As things heated up, CI leadership asked us to delay our return for two weeks. The situation in Beni was so dynamic that predictions about security were untenable. UCBC staff and leadership already had their hands full addressing safety of local staff and students, opening the academic year, and caring for their own families.

We stayed at the Golf Course View Guesthouse in Ft. Portal, Uganda, where the team had already set up temporary home. I’m not sure where the golf course was. The staff were kind and attentive. We had a safe place to stay, running water (even hot!), good food, and easy access to markets and affordable restaurants. Knowing that we would be gone from Beni for at least one more week, we decided to research alternative, more relaxed and affordable housing. Two bathrooms served us and the other 2-3 nightly guests. Also, Jon, Kate and their two boys shared one room; and Jessica, Lise, and Lauren shared another. I was the fortunate one with my own room.

Those with Ugandan and Kenyan connections reached out to their networks. By midweek we found a place in Port Bell, Kampala, Uganda. Yesterday, Friday, November 7, we traveled east to Kampala to settle into a pleasant house in a lush, quiet neighborhood.

We are pleased to have more room, including a separate little guesthouse for Kate, Jon, and their boys; a well-equipped kitchen; three bedrooms and four beds for the rest of us. And all of it for about the quarter of the cost of our lodgings in Ft. Portal.

L-R (front): Jessica, Lise;
(back): Lauren, guesthouse staff Charles and Charles,
Jon and Graham, Kate, guesthouse manager Paul with Eliot, me