Archbishop Of The Church Of Uganda To Speak At Covenant College

  • Monday, September 10, 2007

Covenant College presents the Neal Conference on True Spirituality September 17-23, featuring speaker Mindy Belz, editor of World magazine; musician Phil Wickham; and keynote speaker, The Most Reverend Henry Luke Orombi, archbishop of the Church of Uganda.

The Neal Conference will include chapel services Monday through Friday at 11 a.m.; a Phil Wickham concert on Tuesday evening; and Wednesday and Thursday evening sermons by Archbishop Orombi. All events are open to the public free of charge in the Dora Maclellan Brown Memorial Chapel at Covenant College unless stated otherwise.

Invitation-only events include student luncheons Monday through Thursday, a reception with the Anglican community, and a luncheon with area pastors.

The conference will conclude on Sunday with a morning worship service at Chattanooga's First Presbyterian Church and an all-presbytery worship service Sunday evening at 6 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga.

Monday, Sept. 17
11 a.m., Chapel with Mindy Belz

Tuesday, Sept. 18
11 a.m., Chapel with Phil Wickham
8 p.m., Concert with Phil Wickham in the chapel

Wednesday, Sept. 19
11 a.m., Chapel with Archbishop Orombi
7:30 p.m., Chapel with Archbishop Orombi

Thursday, Sept. 20
11 a.m., Chapel with Archbishop Orombi
7:30 p.m., Chapel with Archbishop Orombi

Friday, Sept. 21
11 a.m., Chapel with Archbishop Orombi

Sunday, Sept. 23
11 a.m., First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, Worship service with Archbishop Orombi preaching
6 p.m., Covenant Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, Presbytery-wide worship service with Archbishop Orombi preaching

College officials stated, "The Chuck Neal Annual Conference on True Spirituality is a signature event for Covenant that is focused on strengthening students' walk with and knowledge of the Lord. More specifically, the key goal of this conference is to help students let the gospel define and empower a life of true spirituality for them as God's children. The term "true spirituality" is used as Francis Schaeffer discussed it in his book by that title."

The Most Reverend Henry Luke Orombi has served as Archbishop of the Church of Uganda for nearly four years, and in that time he has become a leader among evangelical Christians all over the world. Under his leadership, the Anglican Church has done significant work in AIDS awareness and prevention in Uganda. Additionally, Archbishop Orombi has emerged as a staunch defender of biblical standards in the ongoing Anglican debate surrounding the ordination of homosexual church leaders. The Church of Uganda has agreed to oversee many North American churches that have chosen to separate from the more liberal Episcopal Church in the U.S.A., the U.S. branch of the international Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Orombi has been shaped by a diverse interplay of forces and experiences, touched by divine love and guided by the sovereign hand of Almighty God from his youth. He was born on October 11, 1949, and was raised in Pakwach, in northwest Uganda. His father, Luka Odongo Jalobo, left his village of Amor as a teenager to join the African Inland Missionaries (AIM) in Goli in the early 1920s and emerged a skillful preacher. Herein lie the roots of Archbishop Orombi’s gift of communication. Archbishop Orombi’s mother, Susana Nyandukla Nyar’Alwi, was a solid rock of strength and stability who raised her surviving six children with dedication and quiet trust in Jesus.

Archbishop Orombi became a born-again Christian while attending Arua Teacher Training College, from which he graduated in 1969. He married the former Phoebe Angeira Mugeny in June of 1972. Orombi started active preaching when he was a teacher in Lira. His preaching and music ministry particularly touched many young people; many more came to a personal and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

He served as assistant Diocesan Youth Worker and Religious Education Advisor from 1973 to 1974. A year later, he entered Bishop Tucker Theological Training College, Mukono, for a four-year diploma in theology. After graduating at the top of his class in 1978, Orombi was ordained deacon, and priested in late 1979.

He was a successful youth evangelist in Arua until he entered St. John’s College, Nottingham, UK, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology in 1983. After returning to Uganda, he resumed his youth work until 1986. He was consecrated as the first bishop of Nebbi Diocese in 1993.

In the ten years he was bishop, Orombi transformed Nebbi Diocese from a young rural and underdeveloped diocese into one of the fastest growing in the Church of Uganda. It has a vibrant Christian witness, expanding modern infrastructure and facilities with extensive national, regional and international partnerships and networks.

Phoebe Orombi, the archbishop’s wife, has been a unique companion. She is a quiet tower of strength and, together, they have four children: Helen Acen, Robert Ogenrwoth, Daniel Jalobo and Deborah, who passed away in 1983.

Mindy Belz has written for World magazine since 1986, becoming the magazine's international editor in 1994 and its editor in 2004. She has covered war in Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Her reporting has been published overseas, as well as in World & I, First Things, the Charlotte Observer, Frontpage Magazine and the Washington Times. She has appeared on Fox News and ABC News. She is a former Capitol Hill staffer, and attended George Washington University.

Phil Wickham is a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter and guitarist from California. He has released two CDs, Give You My World (2003) and a self-titled album (2006). Wickham began playing guitar in middle school, writing songs and leading worship for his youth group. He was 19 when his debut CD was released. Wickham tours internationally, and in 2006 he joined MercyMe and Audio Adrenaline on the "Coming Up to Breathe" tour.

Founded in 1955, Covenant College provides a first-rate, Christ-centered education in the liberal arts to more than 1,250 students from around the country and the world. Covenant is governed by a board of trustees elected by the Presbyterian Church in America and offers master of education, bachelor of arts, bachelor of music, bachelor of science, and associate of arts degrees, as well as several pre-professional programs. Quest and the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education are the College's adult degree-completion programs.

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