Naboth.K. Tumuhairwe and his wife Alice pastor MakenkeCentral Redeemed Church in Mbarara, Western Uganda. They are committed church planters who, in only eight years, have seen their ministry grow from one small church to over 60 churches scattered trhrought out western region of Uganda. These churches together have over 20.000 members served by 150 leaders.
Naboth is an energetic evengelist who spends most of his time conducting gospel crusades, conferences and seminars through the Great lakes region- Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His ministry has also taken him to Europe and the United States of America
The ministry of the Tumuhairwes also includes a primary school in Rwebishuri, set up in 1993 to cater mainly for orphans. The scchool now has 360 pupils, half of them orphans.
Salvation Story
Naboth was born 45 years ago to Banyankole couple in western Uganda. His father, a respected local chief, was a very religious man. He made sure that his family attended services in their local Anglican church every Sunday. Naboth was thus baptized and confirmed in the Anglican church when he was still a young boy.
Despite their deep religiosity, however, Naboth's parents did not have a personal relationship with the lord. (They did commit their lives to Christ in their old age, shortly before they died, through Naboth's influence). Nevertheless, the religious atmosphere in Naboth home made him aware of the existence of God and the spirit world early in life.
As a young boy, his heart was often strongly drawn to seek God. Several times he hid himself and prayed to God, asking for help with his exams or not to be beaten at school by his teachers! He read his father's Bible every once in a while.
When he became a teenager, however, Naboth lost interest in religion though he continued going to church to please his parents. This went on till he joined college. There he started feeling the desire to seek God returning.
Resumed the occasional seasons of prayer and Bible reading. He, however, finished college and started working without getting saved. He remained a good religious Anglican.
In 1980 Naboth attended a small open air gospel meeting which radically changed his life. As he listened to the loud Pentecost preacher talk about Jesus, he realized that he lacked what the preacher and his colleagues had. He did not have a personal knowledge of God. He lacked the reality of a living, saving Jesus. He had not experienced the freedom from guilt nor the power of the Holy Spirit the preacher was speaking about.
Begining of his ministry
A few months after his conversion, Naboth entered the marriage ministry. He married his sweet heart, Alice Asiimwe, who was a born again Christian too. Their wedding was extremely simple.
Although Naboth was led to Christ by a Pentecostal preacher, he did not immediately abandon the Anglican Church. Actually, at that time, he was working in the office of the Anglican Bishop of West Ankole diocese as canteen Manager. He was also youth leader at Ruharo cathedral, the diocesan headquarters church.
Naboth began sharing what he knew about Christ's saving power with the young people he led and anyone else that cared to listen. He became active in the small fellowship of Balokole (born again Christians) there in the
cathedral.
In 1985, Naboth and Alice felt that they could not continue to grow spiritually the way they desired within the Anglican Church. They longed for the power of the Holy Spirit the Pentecostal so much emphasized. They decided to join a small Pentecostal church-the United Pentecostal Church.
With the experience they had gained from leading the youth at the Anglican Cathedral, the Tumuhairwe's immediately found themselves providing leadership for the youth at the Pentecostal church. They also taught in the church school, where Naboth served as founding head master, (Both Naboth and Alice are qualified teachers)
Planting of first Church
In 1991, Naboth and Alice left united Pentecostal church in Mbarara town and went back to their ancestral home in Rwebishuri, 4km from Mbarara. They started holding services in their small house. a short while later, a well-wisher offered them a plot of land in the village next to theirs. They raised a very simple mud and wattle structure and moved the church there. By that time, the church had grown to 13 members.
That first church is what has now grown to the several hundred member Rwebishuri Central Redeemed Church, which in turn has so far directly given birth to 36 other churches.
