Bishop Silvester Kisitu of Jinja & Eastern Uganda visited Busia Orthodox Community on Sunday, 22 September 2024. He attended the Divine Liturgy that was served by Fr. Moses Gubi on the First Sunday in the Gospel of Luke .
Following the eucharistic service, His Grace presided over the service of the Blessing of the Bread (Artoklasia). The thanksgiving was offered by the family of Papadhia Anastasia Edotu as a belated celebration of the feast of St. Sophia and her three daughters; Faith, Hope and Charity (Love) which was meant for 17 September.
Making reference to the Sunday Gospel (Luke 5:1-5) in which the Lord asked for Simon Peter’s boat to sit in and preach to the multitude, the Bishop urged the congregation of Busia to never get discouraged in their mission.
He encouraged the young and small community to stand with faith and hope in the grace of the Lord. He said that “all those who offer their homes or hire tents for the worship services are now like the Apostle Peter and the other disciples that rendered their belongings as well as themselves to serve the Lord, so they will be filled with God’s grace.”
“The Eklessia we dream should not only be a very big one in numbers, with beautiful buildings, and a financially very rich status”, the hierarch said. “The Eklessia we dream should first and most importantly be that filled with righteousness and God dwelling in the hearts of the humble believers”, he added.
Afterwards, His Grace cut and served the surprise birthday cake which was prepared and offered by the Orthodox Christians of the promising community. Bishop Silvester marked his 42nd birthday on Friday, 20 September 2024.
The celebration was held in the compound of St. Cosmas & Damian Medical Center which is located at Abochet village on Busia-Tororo Road in Busia town. The health facility, which was established in 2020 has been serving as the center for Church mission in the area and the heart for the steadily expanding community of Orthodox believers.