Correspondences seen by our reporter indicate that ICU was in touch with the leadership of Nyangatom tribe in Ethiopia to have “the Church Missionaries” from Teso join the Church in Ethiopia to transform the lives of the pastoral communities in the southern part of the country.
Fresh details about the missing members of the Christ
Disciples’ Church show that they were aided to travel to Ethiopia by the Iteso
Cultural Union- ICU. Correspondences seen by our reporter indicate
that ICU was in touch with the leadership of Nyangatom tribe in Ethiopia to
have “the Church Missionaries” from Teso join the Church in Ethiopia to
transform the lives of the pastoral communities in the southern part of the country.
The Nyangatom are believed to be part of the Ateker community
that connects through Turkana in Kenya, Southern Sudan, and Karamoja and Teso in
Uganda. They live in the dry- semi-desert land of southwest Ethiopia and
Southern Sudan, where their lives revolve around zebu cattle and growing crops, especially sorghum, maize, and tobacco.
In an introductory letter authored by the ICU
Spokesman, Gabriel Opolot on February 1, 2023, to the authorities, there were
prior plans for the mission some time back. “This serves to introduce
Ministers from Christ Disciples’ Church, which is a fivefold ministry
headquartered in Soroti, Teso- Uganda who have organized Ateker for Christ’s
Evangelism in partnership with the Full Gospel Church Ethiopia scheduled from
9th February to 23rd March 2023 at Kangaten in Nyangatom, Ethiopia,” Opolot’s
letter reads.
Opolot noted that the purpose of the mission was
to preach the gospel of Christ for peace and co-existence among the Ateker
community in Ethiopia, Kenya, Southern Sudan, and Uganda; meet and enhance
relationships of the Ateker people, the Nyangatom and the Iteso of Uganda. After Opolot’s letter, Vincent Ocen Lead, one of
the Pastors of CDC- Soroti wrote to Pastor Ekal of Kangaten Hiwot Birhan Church
in Nyangatom, Ethiopia on February 10, 2023, informing him of the missionaries’
travel.
Ocen’s letter indicated that the missionaries had received
instructions from God to preach the message of salvation, redemption, and
deliverance in Ethiopia over the last 20 years ago but the team reportedly
didn’t heed it until they were punished.
"We disobeyed but God Almighty punished us to the
extent that we were left with no option but to repent and accept to travel.
Hence, our previous visit to Kangatem- Nyangatom, Ethiopia to deliver this
message in brief, confirm the place and people to whom the Lord has been
speaking, and carry out further evangelism and God’s activities in Ethiopia,”
Ocean’s letter reads in part.
Unlike the ICU letter that stated the specific
period for the mission in Ethiopia, Ocen’s letter is open. It only shows that
the preaching would commence after arrival on February 19th, 2023 until God,
again directs them to return to Uganda. In his reply to Ocen’s letter, Abdissa Etuku Lokicha of
Kangaten Hiwot Birhan Church in Nyangatom, Ethiopia welcomed the missionaries
to Ethiopia.
“As our Church in Kangaten- Nyangatom received your letter,
we felt happy and started preparations to welcome you at the time you scheduled
above. Our Church is ready to welcome our brethren from Teso- Uganda to
Nyangatom. Besides, we are working together with Nyangatom administration to
facilitate your entrance to Ethiopia”, reads a letter signed by Lokicha on
February 16, 2023.
The said missionaries mostly from Serere and Ngora
districts sold the property to facilitate their transport, feeding, and other needs
on their Journey to Ethiopia. Most of the families that traveled sold land,
motor vehicles, food, and houses as each member needed a minimum of two million
Shillings. According to Opolot, 273 missionaries traveled to Ethiopia.
These include children and adults, some of whom are civil servants who
abandoned their Local Government jobs for the mission in Ethiopia.
Opolot told our reporter that the team is expected to
transform the lives of the pastoralists, whom he notes have been depending solely
on livestock that has contributed to the theft of animals and brewing conflicts
within the Ateker community. He adds that the team is in Ethiopia after meeting
all the required terms from the authorities.
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CDC- Uganda speaks out:
The Christ Disciples’ Church- CDC in Soroti has
disassociated itself from the alleged missionary activities of its
purported members to Ethiopia. In a press briefing on Saturday at their
Church premises in Soroti City East Division, Bishop Ismael Orode Ojangole said that the group that reportedly went missing in Serere, Ngora, and other
districts of Teso are a composition of rebellious people who broke away from the
main Church in 2017.
He said that the group is led by Vincent Ocen
Lead, Augustin Eragu, and James Enyaku who have been listed by the Police in
East Kyoga for questioning. Bishop Ojangole says that the group with others
stopped fellowshipping with them after rejecting his leadership when he was
enthroned as second bishop in 2012.
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Information obtained by our reporter indicates
that CDC has undergone transformation and reviews over the years following
disagreements by the top management. The Church was reportedly founded by Solomon
Otale (now deceased), a resident of Amuria district, and was registered as an
organization in 1973 as Christ Disciples by Vincent Obileng.
Samuel Odeke, the Secretary under CDC- Uganda
says that the registration was hijacked by the elites who took advantage of the
ignorance and the high illiteracy levels of the founder members at the time. He
says that the religious organization registered under Christ Disciples took
center stage in Kampala forcing the other group in Teso to register a new
organization, Christ Disciples’ Church- Soroti in 2004.
Odeke notes that the 2004 registration was
spearheaded by Vincent Ocen whom he notes was one of the most exposed and
educated members of the Church at the time. Odeke, however, notes that Ocen and
another group also took advantage of the same disease that affected the
founders to own the organization. This climaxed in 2017 when the team broke
away leading to the re-registration of the Church as Christ Disciples’ Church-
Uganda (CDC- Uganda) in 2019.
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Opolot told our reporter that missionaries traveled
by road via Moroto through Turkana in Kenya to Ethiopia. The team is led by
Pastor Vincent Ocen, Simon Opolot and another Pastor only identified as
Okwalinga.
When contacted on the progress of the Police
investigations after the new details emerged about the missing persons, Oscar
Gregg Ageca, the East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesman said that he will
communicate after further engagement with the security chiefs.
Edward Eninu
Freelancer