How Bethesda School started, in Pastor George Omara's words...
For several years as a young man I had been a Sunday School teacher in our congregation before becoming a Pastor (Pentecostal Assemblies of God). I love children and felt happy every time I had an opportunity to work with them. My Pastoral responsibility also continued to strengthen my love for children, so I ensured that I trained the people responsible to guide children on Sundays during service. I had a very good children's ministry while working in Kaabong as a Pastor and we had several children come to church.
In 2006, I was appointed to oversee our region's churches. That required me to move with my family to a more central location for me to visit every congregation within my jurisdiction. Moving to a new town also meant that my wife had to give up her job as a teacher in the school where she was employed. This was not an easy decision to make as my income was too little to sustain the family and we were greatly depending on her income to meet our needs.
In 2006, I was appointed to oversee our region's churches. That required me to move with my family to a more central location for me to visit every congregation within my jurisdiction. Moving to a new town also meant that my wife had to give up her job as a teacher in the school where she was employed. This was not an easy decision to make as my income was too little to sustain the family and we were greatly depending on her income to meet our needs.
We kept praying that God would open a door for her to get a job but that did not happen. In 2008 I suggested we could start a ministry to children, which would keep her busy even though there was no salary. We began to plan how to share Bible stories with children and through that have the opportunity to disciple them. As we were still contemplating how we could do that when we had no money, I got an invitation to go to a conference at Watoto church in Kampala. The Conference was called Watoto Conference and it attracted participants from different parts of the world.
On the first day of the conference I sat near a participant from England, Phil Telling. We were introduced to each other and shared contacts. We stayed in contact by email and through this initial contact we received 700,000 Uganda Shillings to help set up the children's ministry as I had envisioned. With this money, we started the process of setting up a children's centre and rented a house where we could host the children.
In February 2010 we opened the door for children to come and that was
the beginning of Bethesda Nursery School (see photo). We arrived at this name from
John 5:2 from which we got both the name and the philosophy of the
children's ministry, Bethesda meaning "House of Mercy".
That year we started with fifty-three children, who we enrolled for baby and middle classes respectively. Gradually we kept increasing the classes until now we have a Nursery section and a Primary section. We plan to embark on the Secondary Section as the Lord gives us strength and resources.
Whereas Bethesda is a school, its rationale is an impetus to meet the social and spiritual needs of the vulnerable children in Karamoja. This, therefore, qualifies it as a ministry to children rather than just a school. Karamoja Region is the most marginalized region in Uganda and has been systematically left behind in terms of the various socio-economic developments in the country for several decades. In difficult circumstances we are pressing on in God to fulfil our calling and we welcome any support our brethren elsewhere can offer.
The present school buildings under construction on our own land, 2015 (see top of page for the completed building)