Where Ugandan preachers like Pastor Jackson Senyonga get money

If you have been following the trend these days, it is of Pastors cruising in hummers and all the new models of range rovers. Just like you might notice, it is also said of how all these pastors were either roasting cassava at the roadside long ago, how they lost all their parents, how they used to be street children and a lot of such stuff. You’ve heard it, don’t deny! Except if your pastor is Pastor Jackson Senyonga of Christian Life Church.

First, he breaks our cycle of hummer and Lamborghinis. He prefers to ride in a simple harrier! Yes, you are right. Just a harrier and above all this, he shares the same car with his wife and children. Hahahahaha… I am also laughing at this unlike my facebook friend Barbra who just said LOL.

Well, it happens to be that Passtor Senyonga Jackson, who is one of the founders and current pillars of Pentecostalism in Uganda, also owns the leading Christian Television and chain of radio stations in Uganda. He also built and runs orphanage homes that shelter and feed over 1,000 needy and orphaned children.

Having been orphaned at an early age, it seems Jackson Senyonga was humbled by the situation then (I know my friend Joe won’t agree with this) and thus decided to keep it simple. Now, let’s leave his humble way of life and focus on the heading, time is running out.

The huge following Pastor Jackson Senyonga has, both in Uganda and the United states, is making the figures for him in the bank! But more seemingly, it is the number of friends he has accumulated over time abroad as a result of his humble nature that makes him always give accountability for the donations they make.

Speaking to one of his staff that preferred anonymity, “PJ is always on the run checking for any faults in the finance department. He made sure there are 2 functioning offices, with 1 in the US just for cross checking how every donation is used”. Wow!!! And his staff? He chooses to advertise job opportunities emphasizing  Christianity especially when it comes to handling money.

There you go.

The full story of Ugandan Revival by Pastor Jackson Senyonga, as written by CBN

CBN.com – National Prayer
December 26, 2003, the largest prayer gathering in the history of Uganda was held. All through the night from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. 25,000 pastors mobilized three million Christians to pray in 50 stadiums -- one in each district of the nation. They prayed for their nation and for global harvest to cover the earth. Jackson says in the coming years they expect 13 million, or half the population of Uganda, to gather for such annual prayer meetings. They are seeing many Muslims come to faith in Jesus.
The Lord has shown them there must be six levels of prayer so that God can harvest a nation to Himself: 1) prayers in homes, 2) prayers in churches, 3) prayers in communities, 4) prayers in cities, 5) prayers in a nation, and 6) prayers for the nations. These six waves create an atmosphere where God can dwell.
Revival in Uganda
Jackson says the Lord showed them not to pray for a change in the government as problems come and go. Instead, as they interceded for the divine calling and destiny of their nation, everything would fall into place. As they prayed for the presence of God to come to their nation, a spirit of revival was birthed in Uganda. In the early 1990s a prophetic word came through Israeli believers that said Uganda would be the breadbasket to the world in the end time harvest.
Jackson says they are seeing changes with people at the highest levels of the government being concerned with moral standards and enforcing principles of God's Word. New government ministries have been established, including the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity. Christians are being placed in the most sensitive positions. Laws are being rewritten to favor God's principles and Word. Members of parliament are meeting weekly for prayer. Judges acknowledge praying privately. Police often send prayer requests to churches. First lady Museveni prays publicly and encourages all sectors of his government to hold morning and lunch-time prayer meetings. Every day from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. and again from 11:00 p.m. to midnight live intercessory prayer is broadcast across the nation on radio. The AIDS crisis has been severe, but they are now seeing many supernatural healings that the doctors can't explain. The crime rate has dropped 50 percent.
On New Year's Eve, 1999, President and first lady Museveni joined a huge stadium celebration where a public proclamation was read in which they covenanted with God for the land of Uganda to be used for the next 1,000 years for the purposes of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Unity in the Body of Christ
Jackson says they used to see spiritual breakthroughs on the church and community level, but as they have come together in unity in the Body of Christ, they have seen national breakthroughs. Sometimes it would take four retreats before pastors would work together. They have had to refuse to be offended.
Unity is more than having a crusade together; it takes a revelation of God to strike hearts in tangible ways, causing a need for each other. Because of the intensity of the spiritual darkness over a city, one man or one church cannot handle it. But when there is unity in the Body, the spiritual strongholds cannot withstand the combined strength.
Abandoned as a Baby
Jackson's father was a polygamist and his mother abandoned the family soon after Jackson's birth. A sickly child, Jackson was not expected to live. In fact, his parents were getting ready to toss Jackson onto a garbage dump to die when his grandmother rescued him. His aunt, who was daily involved in witchcraft, raised him through the Idi Amin years. At 15 Jackson went to school in Kampala where a friend took him to church. He was saved and received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He read the Bible voraciously and attended ministry courses.
In April 1995, Jackson started Christian Life Church with seven people. By a move of God, they had 2,000 people in two weeks! Seeking God's presence and not church growth, they now have 25,000 people in the church.
Desperation of Idi Amin Years
The tyrant Idi Amin ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979, brutally slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people. These were hopeless times as the economy was in shambles and no life was safe. Jackson says that in these desperate times, the pressure taught the Christians to pray. God birthed a prayer movement. In small pockets, Christians gathered in secret places in the jungle, caves, and swamps to call out all night to God. In 1979 Amin invaded Tanzania and then fled to Saudi Arabia when the Tanzanian army invaded Uganda and took over Kampala. Jackson says unfortunately the church in Uganda did not follow up, but rather went back to sleep and worshiped its own victories. Milton Obote again headed the government, and Jackson says it was back to the ugly days of villages being wiped out. Once again the church was desperate. In 1986 Obote was overthrown by the current leader, Yoweri Museveni.
The revival in Uganda has been reported in George Otis Jr's Transformation II video.

Another Ugandan Pastor writes About Pastor Jackson Senyonga's support to charities

Is Uganda better off without Pastors and churches?

The year was 1972 when then president Idi Amin banned Pentecostal Churches in Uganda and many of the faithful were arrested especially in the Full Gospel church. Just like God’s ways have it, this was a blessing in disguise because the underground intercession that followed this is talked about by many of my brothers as the moment that sparked the present day strength in Pentecostal Churches. Ministries like Christian Life Church of my elder Pastor Jackson Senyonga, Miracle Center of Pastor Kayanja and Victory Christian center soon took to their feet in what would turn up to be a roar of thunder in transformation of this great nation.

Though at first the Pentecostal Church was a shame, it soon became admirable up to this day where it stands as adoration such that even members of respectable public offices can associate with us. Unlike many other movements that rely solely on the praises and positive media relayed about them to survive, the Pentecostal movement has, since the start to this day, been showered with massive negative publicity and endless trials and tribulations but just like the Lord said we should, we “scripture”.

Since the days of “biwempe, Yesu eyabba embaawo”, to the criticism on the type of music, the “going to the lake” for powers, “electronic machine miracles” to all sorts of allegations against all pastors. If it is not Pastor Kayanja, it is Pastor Jackson Senyonga and the most challenging part is that at all times, the media has not shown any/enough interest in acquittals of these men of God but insisted on showing only the allegations.   In one notable case of 2008 that to this day, not very many Ugandans remember, the airplane saga (of Pastor Jackson Senyonga ) that caught all Ugandan headlines, no newspaper has taken any crucial step (as it was for the allegations) to put across how the FBI investigated and showed that the Pastor actually had no wrong doing.

However, when you come to know the number of people whose lives survive on the names being defamed by weekly tabloids, it is a pity. All the orphanages, Churches, media houses with positive messages, national image, employment opportunities that originate from these “bad” men of God are never put into consideration by tabloid editors who also believe in “For God and My country”. It is ofcourse not worth noting that these stories are fabricated (like Kamunye date where I am alleged to have split with Pastor Senyonga over money)

Even when there are the “wolves in sheep skin”, I find it a bad trend that a big percentage of our media has turned into a place for “stoning”, accusation, and conviction rather than being investigative to the end. In other words, there is a loss of interest in the whole case if it doesn’t go the anti-Church way. It is at times like this that one wonders if the works done by the Church were better off left undone, souls left unsaved and mouths left in hunger just because of the fear of what the media will say. In a more ironic way, Amin’s event of 1972 stands as a blessing because to all brethren, one thing comes to mind: The Lord that passed us through that (1972/Red Sea), shall provide more in these weekly media battles.

Pastor Jamada Kikomeko Gyagenda