Veracity Fount

What is Veracity Fount?

Veracity Fount is a community of Ugandan Christians, from different tribes and backgrounds, united by the Holy Spirit. We are committed to creating communities of Christian thinkers actively engaging culture with the truth of Christ, shaping African Christian thought for generations to come, and reaching the lost with the love of Christ. We aim to do this through training, publications, and church planting.

Why the name ‘Veracity Fount’?

The village fountain holds special meaning for many Africans. Those of us who grew up in homes that did not have running water had to fetch water from a community fountain. Apart from the practical benefit, the journey to the fount often accorded us communal moments in which conversations that matter took place. We could talk about almost anything freely, without fear of judgment. Others refreshed our souls. Veracity Fount aims to be a version of that and consequently a fount of refreshing biblical truth.

Our logo represents the village fountain and Jesus Christ, who is the Living Water.

Who are your leaders?

Team leader Joseph Byamukama was born in Western Uganda. Joseph is currently a Ph.D. New Testament Studies candidate at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia, under Dr. Brian Rosner. He writes for The Gospel Coalition—Africa and his blog, www.byamukama.com. He is married to Daphne, with whom they have two sons, Abaho and Abaasa. Other leadership team members are co-founders Ntambi Derrick and Allan Mugenyi and coordinators Daphne Byamukama, Patricia Taremwa, and Geoffrey Mbaziira. (See bios on veracityfount.org/staff.)

Why Uganda? Why Kampala?

On the surface, Uganda appears to be a Christian nation. Over 85% of Ugandans identify with a Christian tradition (Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, etc.). In fact, by 2060, Uganda is poised to be the 8th most Christian country in the world (Pew Research Center). But, unfortunately, most Ugandan Christians are not prepared to answer the intellectual and spiritual challenges to their faith:  the prosperity gospel heresy, the growth of Islam, and the skepticism of academia. This raises deep concern about the state of the church in Uganda, both now and in the future.

Kampala is the largest city in Uganda, and cities are where young people want to live. Tim Keller writes: If you want to reach the younger generation, the younger people of the world are moving into cities way faster than the church is.

What is the current status of Veracity Fount?

Veracity Fount is fully registered in Kampala, Uganda, as a Not-for-Profit organization. We have the following ministries running:

Library
The life of the mind has for long fallen by the wayside in engaging the African believer. We seek to rectify that problem by providing a space where believers can learn and learners can believe. Our assortment of books is not your typical Christian bookshelf in Kampala. From African authors such as John Mbiti to British thinkers like C.S Lewis, we aim to resource the Ugandan Church to think profoundly and faithfully about Faith.

Small-Group Discipleship
"What comes to your mind when you read a verse?" is not an excellent way to hear God speak. Yet asking good questions in the context of original hearers and paying attention to original languages is the best way to equip the Ugandan church with teachers faithful to the text in interpretation and application. Many churches in Uganda do not have a reputation for this. Our weekly Monday Exegetes fellowship and Thursday Community Bible Studies provide space for studying God's Word in settings that allow for a proper interpretation that pays attention to the text's history, language, and context.   
                                                             
Podcasts
Thanks to our fireplace history, conversations are a good fit match for people who are traditionally storytellers. Our podcasts hosted at the Fount Studio are regular roundtable discussions covering everything about Christian life. Worldview Wednesday aims to be biblically faithful and culturally relevant as we explore themes related to apologetics and faith. Others in the pipeline include Feed My Soul, a daily devotional exploration of the text for application purposes.

Research
The Church in Uganda has often been detached from data. It's hardly possible, for example, to know the number of converts to Christianity in Uganda in a particular year. Also, trends and fads come and go unexplored as aberrant movements rise among congregations, leaving damaging spiritual effects. Whereas numbers and information are not primary, we should not underestimate their impact on evangelism and discipleship. Therefore, the Church in Uganda must be resourced with information necessary for her mission efforts. Our Veracity Fount team is focused on keeping an eye on movements and trends as they arise among Ugandan believers for us to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Then, we seek to clarify what the numbers say as we interpret data in light of historical and biblical theology.  

What do you need?

As God continues to confirm our vision and expand our hearts for the work that we are doing, would you please pray that He fills us with His wisdom and courage to follow Him? And will you prayerfully consider our invitation to be a co-laborer on a mission with us to research and resource the Ugandan Church?

Thank you for taking the time to read this! 

(Please visit www.veracityfount.org for more information).