OPC Uganda Mission

About Us

The Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission [OPUM]

OPUM has been operating in Mbale, Uganda since 1995 and in the Karamoja region since 2000. The goal of the Mission is to labor, with the grace given by Christ, to establish an indigenous church that is self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating. In addition to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, there exists a robust diaconal work designed to adorn and support the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The members of the Mbale station work with the indigenous Presbyterian Church in Uganda for the purpose of facilitating their formation as a mature, grace-empowered, self-sufficient body. The station also operates Knox School of Theology, a pastoral training institution for African students from Uganda and Kenya. Works of mercy are also in operation in Mbale.

There is no indigenous reformed church in Karamoja. The members serving on the Karamoja station labor in the areas of evangelism, church planting, leadership training, village Bible instruction, literature production, literacy training, medical care through the work of Akisyon a Yesu Presbyterian Clinic, community health instruction, and other works of mercy such as the operation of a farm.

The current members of the OPUM are:

Rev. Dr. Charles & Connie Jackson | Mbale
Tina DeJong | Karamoja
Leah Hopp | Karamoja
Christopher & Chloe Verdick | Karamoja

Knox School of Theology

Knox School of Theology is located in Mbale, Uganda. KSTU faculty and curriculum are designed with the following goals and ideals in view:

Priority and centrality of the church and public worship: Students should leave KSTU with a serious commitment to the centrality of the church and public worship as an essential part of our Christian’s faith.

Excellence in academics: Our curriculum is designed to be cultivated in an attitude of spiritual devotion to the Word of God and also something to be done for glory of God. Therefore, academics should be of the highest quality.

Faithful to Reformed theology: The essential focus of all the studies at KSTU is to be biblical, exegetical, Reformed in its theological, expositional and practical in nature. Special attention is giving to the 16th century Reformation as a way to retrace our roots in the Bible.

Christian worldview: Careful attention is to be devoted to the cultivation of Christian character qualities, with an aim to transform their worldview and faithfulness which are essential for godly living, for leadership and ministry and for effective involvement in serving others for Christ.

Faithful preaching of the word and sacraments: Each course at KSTU is to include significant focus on the faithful preaching of the word of God, which is Christ-centered and soul-satisfying, and the faithful ministering of the sacraments.

We are thoroughly committed to historic Christian and Protestant theology, but we welcome students from every tradition, and we look forward to the contributions of all our students from various backgrounds. As such we have created a Christian academic community of scholars and students who love God and who love each other. Like the woman at the well in John 4 who ran to tell all her friends and her community about Jesus, we hope our students will graduate from KST with such a burning love for Jesus that they cannot remain silent, but like this Samaritan woman whose heart was bursting with love for God, they go forth to tell everyone they know of the love of Jesus Christ.

Go to KSTU main website

Akisyon a Yesu Presbyterian Clinic

Akisyon A Yesu (The Compassion of Jesus) Presbyterian Clinic (AYPC) is a small, outpatient-only clinic located in rural Uganda. It was originally opened in 2002. AYPC provides many medical and laboratory services in the context of a Christian environment.

AYPC has a well-supplied laboratory which often receives referrals from the surrounding clinics and hospitals. This lab provides an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn laboratory techniques as well as to see many tropical diseases through a microscope.

AYPC provides the opportunity for those less-experienced in medical procedures to become proficient in taking vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, weight, etc.). The hope is that everyone gains at least a basic knowledge of how to take a medical history, especially in the context of infectious diseases.

AYPC provides visitors with the opportunity to see many types of tropical and infectious diseases that are not commonly seen in the developed world (while at the same time providing a break from the routine illnesses in the USA like diabetes and high blood pressure). Visitors can work directly with the registered clinicians, or they can even see patients by themselves (if registered with the Ministry of Health or Nurses’ Council). Various procedures and many immunisations are done routinely.

AYPC also provides the opportunity for visitors to see several of the surrounding villages during the weekly outreaches. These outreaches include such things as malnutrition screening, childhood immunisations, HIV counselling and testing, health education, and a Bible lesson.

Visitors can participate in all of the above (as well as various administrative projects), and this is all done in the context of a medical mission. Routine preaching is done at the clinic, prayers are offered regularly, and patients are invited to church. Visitors have many opportunities to show the compassion of Jesus to the patients that are seen each day.