
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).