The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Steven Kaziimba Mugalu, has commended two UPDF soldiers for their humility and acknowledgment of God’s power after they approached him and requested special prayers in Gulu.
“Without prayer, everything you do either misfires, backfires, or makes no fire,” Archbishop Kaziimba said. “I commend the two soldiers for their humility and acknowledgment of God’s power. The best for them is yet to come, and they will testify.”
According to Sadiiki Adam in a post on X, the two UPDF soldiers, who were attached to Bethel Resort Hotel where the Archbishop and his team were staying, approached him on Wednesday before he left Gulu. They knelt down and asked him to pray for them.
The Archbishop privately asked the soldiers what they specifically wanted him to pray for. After listening to their requests, he invited the Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Uganda, Rt. Rev. Godfrey Loum, to join him in praying for them.
Reflecting on the place of soldiers in the Christian story, Archbishop Kaziimba referred to Acts 10, where Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army, became central to a significant turning point in the early Church.
“There is something special about soldiers in the story of our Christian faith. In Acts 10, God chose Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army—you may equate him to a Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, or any other military rank—to be at the centre of a remarkable turning point in the early Church,” he said.
He noted that Cornelius was a devout man who feared God, prayed continually, and gave generously to those in need.
“Through his encounter with Peter, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Cornelius and his household, demonstrating powerfully that the Gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit were also for the Gentiles,” he added.
Archbishop Kaziimba observed that it was significant that God chose a soldier and his household for such a defining moment in the history of the Church.
“Today, we have fine preachers of God’s Word among the military, case in point, Col. Edith Nakalema, SSP Mucunguzi Jackson, Brig. Nelson Ahebwa, and Brig. Ronald Kagyenyi, just to mention but a few,” he said.