One Pastor’s Perspective

By Rodney George

It is on rare occasions that an individual is blessed unexpectedly with the “chance” meeting of another individual, who soon becomes a friend and brother. This is my experience with Fred Tumwebaze, founder and director of RESCUE AFRICAN CHILDREN and TRUE WORD MINISTRIES. Having been lead to pursue a means to somehow minister to the people of Africa, God placed in my lap, a young pastor from Uganda, who just “happened” to be looking for support for God’s work in his region of the world. Nearly 5 years later, Pastor Fred and I are not only co-workers in God’s work in Africa, but we are brothers; our hearts are knitted together by the very hand of God.

Brothers know one another’s heart. It is revealed within the relationship. Fred Tumwebaze is a man of compassion and vision; I have come to know his heart. These traits are behind the passion Pastor Fred has for ministering to the people of Uganda and the world.

Compassion often comes from the ability to empathize with others; common experiences and challenges in life can help one feel the pain of others. Fred has known poverty. He received his first pair of shoes at the age of seventeen. He saw firsthand the burden a father struggling to offer his children the opportunity for an education, and to provide food, shelter, and clothing. My brother also has experienced the loss of several family members due to the AIDS virus – most recently, a sister and her young daughter. Fred’s Godly call and heart of compassion, lead him to do all he can to help alleviate the burdens of children and their families caused by poverty and disease.

Vision is a key to any organization.

Pastor Fred has a vision, a God-given vision, which he pursues with his whole heart. Meeting the physical and spiritual needs of your world is a tall

order, but Fred seeks to fulfill this order one child; one family, one day at a time. Through TRUE WORD MINISTRIES, Pastor Fred oversees 10 churches in Buwenge and the surrounding areas. He served as the spiritual leader for the pastors and people of these congregations. His efforts are tireless as he helps build strong lighthouses of hope for the people of Uganda. RESCUE AFRICAN CHILDREN and Omega School are the means by which Fred seeks to minister to the specific needs of the poor and needy children in his region of the world. Through REACH, children are given the opportunity to receive an education through the unique child-sponsor relationship. One child receives only one sponsor in hopes of the development of an extended family relationship.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17