Uganda, 2006. World factbook map.

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) began work in Uganda in 1979 in what was intended as a short-term war reconstruction effort. It related primarily to the Church of Uganda because there was no Mennonite or Brethren in Christ Church in Uganda, and because, until late in 1986, there was no active ecumenical council. The MCC program then shifted from war reconstruction to a reconciliation effort. It spread to various parts of the country working with a variety of ethnic and church groups in an attempt to manifest a peace witness in a society wracked by unending conflict.

In 1986 there were six MCC workers in Uganda. Six others had to be reassigned to other countries because of unsafe conditions. Administration of the Uganda program, previously centered in Nairobi, Kenya, was transferred to Uganda in 1986, with full-time program administrators based in Kampala.

In June 2004, the Kenya Mennonite Church sent John Otieno, their first international missionary, to southwestern Uganda. By December 2006 four congregations had been established in unchurched areas of Uganda, and a national Mennonite conference was formed.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 895. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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