G.O.D's love

the father's love letter

Jesus Walks (for real)

all this for you

Soldiers of Christ, Arise

Soldiers of Christ, arise,

and put your armor on,

strong in the strength which God supplies

through his eternal Son;

Strong in the Lord of hosts,

and in his mighty power:

who in the strength of Jesus

trusts is more than conqueror.

Stand then in his great might,

with all his strength endured,

and take, to arm you for the fight,

the panoply of God.

From strength to strength go on,

wrestle and fight and pray:

tread all the powers of darkness down,

and win the well-fought day.

That, having all things done,

and all your conflicts past,

ye may obtain, through Christ alone,

a crown of joy at last.

Jesus, eternal Son,

we praise thee and adore,

who art with God the Father one,

and Spirit evermore.
Words: Charles Wesley, 1749

Bible history timeline

Below is a list of some historical events that are important to the study of the Bible and its prophecies. Many dates and years of various ancient events are taken from the "Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV."

2100 BC (about 4100 years ago)
God promises Abraham many descendants
Abraham lived around 2100 BC in what is now Iraq. God told him to move to Canaan, which later became Israel. Unlike many people, Abraham believed in the one true God. God rewarded Abraham's faith, making him the father of a great nation (Israel).

2000 BC (about 4000 years ago)
Jacob (Israel) is born
Jacob, the son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham, is born in Canaan, which later becomes Israel. Jacob's name is changed to Israel. He has 12 sons, for whom the 12 Tribes of Israel are named.

1910 BC (about 3900 years ago)
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph's brothers are jealous of Joseph, so they sell him into slavery. Joseph ends up in Egypt, where he rises to power as a trusted assistant of a pharaoh. His father and his brothers later leave Canaan, because of a famine, and move to Egypt.

1446 BC (about 3400 years ago)
Exodus begins
After being enslaved for 400 years, the Jews, led by Moses, leave Egypt and head toward the land of Canaan, which later becomes Israel. Moses and his fellow Jews wander the desert for 40 years before reaching the border of Canaan.

1406 BC (about 3400 years ago)
Israel begins establishing itself as a country
After Moses dies, Joshua leads the Jews into Canaan and begins conquering the land, establishing the Jewish nation of Israel for the first time in history.

1400 BC (about 3400 years ago)
Israel is ruled by judges, not kings
From about 1400 BC to about 1050 BC, Israel was not ruled by kings. The people think of God as their King. Instead of an earthly king, Israel is lead by judges who settled disputes.

1050 BC (about 3000 years ago)
Saul becomes Israel's first king
After about 350 years of being ruled by judges, the people of Israel demand to have a king, like the neighboring countries. By demanding a king, the people are turning away from their faith in God as their king. Saul become king and reigns about 40 years.

1010 BC (about 3000 years ago)
David becomes King of Israel
David becomes king of Israel in about 1010 BC and reigns for 40 years. David, unlike Saul, follows the commands of God. He makes mistakes, but repents for them. He seeks to please God. He expands the size of Israel and rules over surrounding territory.

970 BC (about 3000 years ago)
Solomon becomes king, builds Temple
Solomon, son of David, becomes king in about 970 BC. He too reigns for about 40 years. Solomon builds the Temple in honor of God. The work is completed in about 960 BC. But, Solomon eventually turns away from God and worships false gods.

926 BC (about 2900 years ago)
Israel becomes a divided kingdom
Shortly after the reign of Solomon, Israel becomes a divided kingdom. The southern kingdom, called Judah, included the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. The northern kingdom continued to be called Israel. The two often war with each other.

721 BC (about 2700 years ago)
Assyrians conquer northern kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel in about 721 BC. The Assyrians torture and decapitate many. They force many Jews (10 of the 12 Tribes of Israel) out of Israel and bring in foreigners. History loses track of these 10 tribes.

612 BC (about 2600 years ago)
Babylon conquers Nineveh (Assyrian Empire)
The Assyrian Empire's capital city - Nineveh - is attacked by coalition of Babylonians, Scynthians and Medes. As explained by the prophet Nahum in the Bible, Nineveh was to be destroyed because of the Assyrian Empire's treatment of Jews and other people.

605 BC (about 2600 years ago)
Babylon exerts influence over Judah
The neo-Babylonian Empire, under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, seeks to expand its size and begins forcing Judah into submission. Nebuchadnezzar takes many Jews as captives to Babylon to ensure Judah's obedience.

597 BC (about 2600 years ago)
Babylon attacks Judah
Babylonian army attacks Judah and takes more Jews as captives to Babylon. Ezekiel, one of the captives, becomes a prophet of God. Ezekiel explains that God is allowing Babylon to punish Judah because the people have been unfaithful to God.

586 BC (about 2600 years ago)
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and Temple
Babylon attacks Judah again. This time, the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the Temple that Solomon had built. More Jews are taken as captives to Babylon.

586 BC to 573 BC (about 2600 years ago)
Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar attacks Tyre mainland
Babylon begins a 13-year siege of the mainland of the Phoenician city of Tyre.

539 BC (about 2500 years ago)
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon
After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Neo-Babylonian Empire begins to lose power. It was conquered in about 539 BC by Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was king of the Medo-Persian Empire.

538 BC (about 2500 years ago)
Cyrus releases Jews from Babylonian Captivity
Cyrus offers the Jews their freedom to leave Babylon and return to Judah. Cyrus' kingdom rules over Judah and many other parts of the Middle East, but Cyrus allows people more cultural and religious freedom than did the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

536 BC (about 2500 years ago)
Work begins to rebuild Temple
Some of the Jews in Babylon return to Judah and begin work in about 536 BC to rebuild the Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

516 BC (about 2500 years ago)
Second Temple is dedicated
The Temple is consecrated for worship, 70 years after the Babylonians had destroyed it in 586 BC. For the first time in 70 years, the Jews are able to acknowledge God as their ultimate ruler in a way they had been unable to do.

333 BC (about 2300 years ago)
Greeks begin rule over land of Israel
The Greeks, under the leadership of Alexander the Great, defeat Persian armies in Macedonia in 333 BC. This marks the end of the Persian Empire; the Grecian Empire expands.

331 BC (about 2300 years ago)
Alexander conquers Tyre (Phoenician Empire)
Alexander wars against the island fortress of the Phoenician city of Tyre. He takes rubble from the mainland of Tyre and builds a walkway to the island. Alexander's forces then conquer the island fortress, bringing an end to the Phoenician Empire.

250 BC (about 2300 years ago)
The Old Testament is translated into Greek
A Greek ruler has the Jews translate the first five books of the Old Testament into the Greek language. (Some scholars say this translation included other books from the Old Testament, not just the first five). The translation is called the Septuagint.

175 BC (about 2200 years ago)
Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes torments the Jews
Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes rules Syria from about 175 BC to about 164 BC. He reigns over Judah and tries to destroy the Jewish religion and copies of the Torah (the first five books of the modern Bible). He also defiles the Temple.

166 BC to 63 BC (about 2200 years ago)
Jews have independence
Maccabean revolt opens way for Jewish independence in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The revolt is led by Mattathias and his five sons, Judas (Maccabeus), Jonathan, Simon, John and Eleazar. The era of independence runs from about 166-63 BC.

63 BC (about 2100 years ago)
Romans take over land of Israel
After the death of Alexander the Great, his empire was divided up among four generals. This weakens the empire. Meanwhile, the Roman Empire is becoming increasingly powerful. The Roman general named Pompey takes control of Jerusalem.

about 5 BC (about 2000 years ago)
Jesus is born in Bethlehem
Jesus is born in the town of Bethlehem. The Apostle Matthew later points out that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfilled a prophecy delivered by the prophet Micah, about 700 years beforehand. (see Micah 5:2).

about 25 AD (about 2000 years ago)
Jesus begins His ministry
Jesus begins His ministry. He is about 30 years old. He probably began preaching around 25 AD.

about 28 AD (about 2000 years ago)
Jesus is crucified
Jesus is falsely accused of being an anti-government rebel. He is sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of the land of the Jews, to be crucified.

70 AD (about 1900 years ago)
Romans destroy Jerusalem and Temple
In 70 AD, the Roman Army, under Titus, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, to suppress an uprising of the Jews. According to the historian Josephus, about 1.1 million Jews were killed. Others were taken as slaves.

First century AD (about 1900 years ago)
The Bible is completed
During the first century of this era, the New Testament, which describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, is completed. The writing of the Bible (the Old Testament and the New Testament) comes to an end. It began during the time of Moses, about 3400 years ago. Jesus becomes, and remains, the final subject of the Bible.

HISTORY of the Church of Uganda

History of the Church of Uganda

The Church of Uganda dates to the arrival in June 1877 of the first European missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Shergold Smith and C T Wilson. These men, soon joined by others, were based at the court of the Kabaka (ruler) of Buganda near what is now Kampala. Kabaka Muteesa was a past master at playing factions against each other and employed this tactic with the Anglican and Catholic missionaries as well as the Moslems in the country. When he died in 1884 he was succeeded by his 18 year old son Mwanga, who felt the need to assert his authority. This led in 1885 to the death of three young Anglican Ugandan Christians, the first martyrs. Later the same year Mwanga ordered the assassination of Bishop James Hannington, a CMS missionary, on his way to Uganda. A leading Catholic Ugandan, Balikuddembe, was killed for protesting at this action. This was the precursor to the larger-scale martyrdoms of 1886 of both Anglican and Catholic Christians.

This led to a period of complex political instability which only settled down with the arrival of the Imperial British East Africa Company and Captain Lugard with his Maxim gun. Lugard’s actions in 1892 ensured that the Anglican/Protestant faction rather than the Catholic or Moslem became the dominant force in Uganda in the period leading up to the declaration in 1894 of Uganda as a British Protectorate. Thereafter British rule was the dominant political reality extending from Buganda until independence in 1962.

Bishop Alfred Tucker arrived in Uganda in 1890. In 1897 he became the first Bishop of Uganda carved out of the vast and ill-defined Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa. It was in this last decade of the nineteenth century that the shape of the Church of Uganda was formed. In 1893 the first Ugandans were ordained deacon; Tucker was committed to developing an indigenous ministry. Buganda became a centre for evangelisation in the Great Lakes region. The most celebrated of these was Apolo Kivebulaya who later became a Canon of Namirembe Cathedral. Apolo is remembered as the apostle to the pygmies for his work in taking the Christian gospel into eastern Congo. His winsome faith in Christ impressed and won disciples. The impulse to evangelise had both honourable and less worthy aspects. There was a commendable desire to tell of Christ, but this was tied in with spreading political influence. There was also a spur of competition with the Catholics for converts, which may have been good for growth but not necessarily for the integrity of the Christian Gospel. Alongside the work of evangelisation there was the ongoing task of translating the Bible firstly into Luganda and then into other languages of the country, a task which continues to this day.

Evangelisation in Uganda was from the beginning allied with education. The first Christians were known as Readers. They were evangelised through being taught to read using the New Testament. In the 1890’s the missions developed the first schools at an elementary level. Likewise the CMS took a lead in medicine with the founding of Mengo Hospital in 1897. Sir Albert Cook and his formidable wife Kathleen were towering figures in the development of medical mission in Uganda.


The first decade of the twentieth century saw great numerical growth of the church in Uganda in the context of tighter political control of British authorities. Within the church there was controversy over Bishop Tucker’s proposals for a constitution which would give considerable power to what was known as the Native Anglican Church. Missionary opposition to more radical proposals meant the establishment of a church hierarchy dominated by expatriate missionaries. This decade saw the first establishment of the Mothers Union, which has been central to the Church of Uganda ever since.


After 1910 the Church of Uganda extended further into the north-west and into the south-west of the country. Africa Inland Mission was invited to participate in the north and agreed to do so under the umbrella of the Anglican Church. This was a unique arrangement for AIM, and was the first instance of the generous hospitality of the Church of Uganda to mission partners from non-Anglican agencies.
This was a relatively quiet period for steady growth and establishment of missionary stations, schools and clinics of a Protectorate church under missionary control. But in the 1920’s came the first evidence of discontent with this missionary power and dissatisfaction with an imported spirituality. The dominance of CMS led to a particular low-church tradition in Uganda.

A rather dry spirituality was certainly challenged in the 1930’s with the arrival of the Revival tradition from Rwanda. A key figure was Simeoni Nsibambi working with Dr Joe Church. The Revival movement of the Balokole made a powerful impact firstly in western Uganda and then in Buganda and later to the whole of Uganda. At first it was a controversial movement in its criticism of church leaders. In 1941 twenty-six Balokole were expelled from Bishop Tucker Theological College. They were led by William Nagenda, a leading and gifted evangelist. By God’s grace through various church leaders schism was avoided and the spirituality of the Balokole became a major feature of the Church of Uganda. The language of being saved and walking in the light is understood by all, although not owned by all, in the Church of Uganda.

In the 1940’s there came to Bishop Tucker College in Mukono a new Warden, John V Taylor who was committed to integrating the positive insights of the Revival tradition within the Church of Uganda. He also led the way in establishing an Ordinands’ village at the college, recognising the need to acknowledge families. Taylor was also significant for his studies of Ugandan church growth, integrity and spirituality rather than seeing Uganda as a mission field for Europeans.

The 1950’s saw the emergence of the generation of Ugandan church leaders who would replace the missionary hierarchy. Festo Kivengere travelled to Europe as an evangelist for the first time. As an international figure he was a joint founder of African Evangelistic Enterprise before becoming Bishop of Kigezi in 1972. Erica Sabiti and Janani Luwum were other church leaders with obvious potential.

In 1961 the growth of the Church of Uganda was recognised in the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda, Rwanda-Burundi with Leslie Brown as the first Archbishop, based at Namirembe in Kampala. Brown was succeeded in 1966 by the first Ugandan Archbishop, Erica Sabiti. Since the days of fighting between Catholics and Protestants in 1892 relations between the two largest churches have been strained. But a positive step was taken in 1963 with the establishment of the Uganda Joint Christian Council. This has included the tiny but fascinating Orthodox Church in Uganda. But relations with newer more Pentecostal churches have not seen any effective mechanism in Uganda and tensions remain a fact of church life.
The coup d’etat of Amin in 1971 was greeted with initial euphoria by Anglican and other church leaders. But this was short-lived as the nature of the new regime became evident. The Balokole revival movement was in a pietist tradition without a clear understanding of church-state relations. In 1974 Janani Luwum from northern Uganda became Archbishop and he led the Anglican Church to be more outspoken in opposition to the policies of Amin. In 1977 Luwum was brutally killed on Amin’s orders. Other church leaders suffered with some prominent men fleeing the country.

The overthrow of Amin did not lead to immediate peace in the country, but through the 1980’s and 90’s the Church of Uganda has been a key instrument for recovery and rehabilitation in the country. The challenge has been to rebuild both church and country. The north of Uganda has suffered under the Lord’s Resistance Army. Winifred Ochola, wife of the first Bishop of Kitgum was killed by a landmine, but this did not deflect her husband from his commitment to searching for peace and reconciliation in the north.

A second challenge has come from the prevalence of AIDS in the country. To its international credit Uganda has been open about this problem and has started to reverse trends uniquely in Africa. The Church of Uganda has played a distinctive and significant role in this. The Revd Canon Gideon Byamugisha was the first Anglican priest in Uganda to speak openly of his positive HIV status and has become a national organiser and international spokesman.

Since the turn of the millennium, Uganda Christian University has been established in succession to Bishop Tucker Theological College. Its vision is to continue to educate Christian men and women who will shape the country for this century. In the meantime the Church of Uganda takes its place as one of the largest Provinces in the Anglican Communion, prepared to speak with a clear and confident voice.