Update: April 12, 2012
- Fr. Charles Busingye and his wife, Alice Kyobusingye, are heading to the United States for a three week visit to share their ongoing story about the Reaching the Pygmies Ministry and raise funds to support the Pygmy Settlement and Epiphany School.
- Due to some travel problems, Fr. Charles & Alice will be arriving on April 13th (not 11th) and heading out to central Ohio on Saturday, April 14. They will spend several days at the Parry Chapel with Pastor Dave and the congregation.
- From Ohio, Fr. Charles & Alice will fly to Lafayette, Louisiana. The schedule includes time at Ascension Church as well as the Ascension School (upper and lower). The students have been engaged in gathering funds for the Reaching the Pygmies Ministry as part of their Lenten discipline.
- The final leg of their journey will bring the Ugandan visitors to Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania where they will spend time with parishioners at Church of the Epiphany and First Presbyterian Church.
Update: January 2012
- A new page about the Portable Sawmill Project shares the story of a developing project that will eventually provide income for the Batwa Settlement. It’s challenging to deal with equipment, weather, and personnel from 7,000 miles away.
- Dr. Charles Pinches will soon return to Pennsylvania from Uganda. This trip was the first time he and students from the University of Scranton have traveled during Intercession.
- Fr. Charles Busingye and Fr. Fred Tumusiime are planning a fundraising visit to the United States in late April. In addition to time in Northeastern Pennsylvania, they will visit Ascension Church and School in Lafayette, Louisiana and a church in south central Ohio.
Original Post: September 2011
This website has been created to tell the story of the Reaching the Pygmies Ministry established to support the Batwa Pygmies in southwestern Uganda.
My introduction to the Reaching the Pygmies Ministry followed almost ten years of friendship with The Rev. Charles Busingye, a Ugandan Anglican priest. The story is best told in a timeline.
Early 1990s: Fr. Charles (as we call him) came to the United States to earn a Master of Divinity degree at Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA. Our bishop asked our priest to find someone who could transport Fr. Charles to Church of Epiphany on Sundays. We had that special privilege for two years. He returned to his family and church work in Uganda after graduation.
1992: The Ugandan Government ejected the Batwa Pygmies from the rainforest and established the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, making it illegal for the pygmies to live in their traditional home.
Late 1990s: Fr. Charles and his friend and fellow Ugandan Anglican priest, the Rev. Fred Tumusiimi, established Reaching the Pygmies Ministry. Fr. Charles returned to the U.S. to raise funds to support the three goals of the ministry: 1) establish a settlement and teach the Batwa to farm, 2) establish a school, and 3) evangelize.
Check out the various pages on the site to learn more about this amazing story that continues to unfold.
Linda K. Rogers, Ed.D.
Fr. Fred Tumusiimi and Fr. Charles Busingye, founders of Reaching the Pygmies Ministry
