Watoto Church

Watoto Church, formerly Kampala Pentecostal Church (KPC) is an English-speaking cell-based East African community church headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. Watoto means "the children" in Swahili.

Watoto Church
Watoto Ministries
Watoto
Watoto Children's Choir
Watoto Church
0.3189855°N 32.5749527°E / 0.3189855; 32.5749527
LocationKampala
CountryUganda
DenominationPentecostal
Membership20,000[1]
Weekly attendance30,000[2]
Websitehttp://www.watotochurch.com/
History
Former name(s)Kampala Pentecostal Church
FoundedApril 22, 1984 (April 22, 1984)
Founder(s)Gary Skinner, Marilyn Skinner

Background

The church was founded in 1984 in Kampala by Canadian missionaries Pastor Gary Skinner and his wife, Marylin.

Initially, it operated out of Kampala's Imperial Hotel before the leadership took over a disused cinema which was renamed The Centre.[3] Today, Watoto occupies its own purpose-built campus in Kampala and earns £13.3 million a year[4]

Structure

Watoto's main church is dubbed Watoto Church Downtown and has expanded over the years across the city with Watoto Church Kisaasi, Bweyogerere, Lubowa, Kyengera, Kansanga, Bugolobi and Entebbe. The church has also expanded across Uganda with Watoto Church Bbira in Wakiso District, Watoto Church Suubi in Mpigi District, Watoto Church Gulu and Watoto Church Laminadera in Gulu District.

Vision

The vision of the Church is to continue expanding until it encompasses all of Uganda and possibly East Africa. It already has a campus in war-torn South Sudan, Watoto Church Juba.

Congregation

The church has an average congregation of 27,000 people who also meet in smaller cell groups. Each cell comprises about 7 to 10 members who meet at least once a week in members' homes to share in fellowship.

Leadership

The Skinners remain the current pastoral team leaders, assisted by various campus pastors and other ministry leaders. Stephen Langa, an outspoken anti-gay activist is an elder of Watoto Church.

Children's Work

Watoto Church is home to Watoto Child Care Ministries, a ministry that assists vulnerable children and women in Uganda and which is best known for its Watoto Children's Choirs that tour internationally,[5][6] proselytizing, and raising money for the organisation.

Christmas Cantata

Watoto Church produces an annual Christmas cantata. And a gospel drama play every four years known as Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames. The shows are a mixture of live performance music, dance, scripted drama, sounds and lighting effects. Historically, the cantata has run through the week before Christmas.

ISO Investigation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the church was criticised for going ahead with a tour by its internationally renowned children's choir. According to Uganda's child affairs minister, the Internal Security Organisation is investigating Watoto church for alleged breaches of child labour laws. These include taking the children out of the country without permission and putting them at risk by not cancelling the tour as coronavirus spread and countries closed their borders. Seven members of the choir and seven adults on the tour with the children contracted COVID-19, but recovered. However, 80 members of the choir remain stranded overseas.[7]

Homophobia

Watoto Church has received criticism for its stance on homosexuality. Gary Skinner and Stephen Langa have been accused of creating "violent homophobia" within Uganda.[8] In 2009, Langa invited American pastor and anti-gay activist Scott Lively to the three-day Family Life Conference in Kampala to discuss the "hidden and dark" gay agenda[9][10] and the 2014 Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act[11] allegedly arose as a result of the conference.[12][13]

References
  1. Launch of Watoto
  2. About Gary Skinner
  3. "Watoto Church || History".
  4. "Watoto Annual Stories 2018".
  5. "Happenings school news: YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College" (PDF). South China Morning Post. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2020. Performance at the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College in Hong Kong, China.
  6. Y's Opinion May 12 Issue 78. Performance at the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College in Hong Kong, China.
  7. Alice McCool (4 May 2020). "Uganda megachurch criticised for choir tour as children stranded by Covid-19". The Guardian.
  8. Gartrell, Adam (October 2016). "Turnbull MP Stuart Robert's close ties to anti-gay African church". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. "Meet the American pastor behind Uganda's anti-gay crackdown".
  10. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Scott Lively on the causes of homosexuality. YouTube.
  11. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Stephen Langa, director of the Family Life Network. YouTube.
  12. "Americans Must Prepare for an Anti-Gay 'Revolution,' Pundit Warns". 19 March 2014.
  13. http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v24n4/us-christian-right-attack-on-gays-in-africa.html
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