THE number eight in the bible connotes a new era, while seven connotes completeness. This is an appropriate correlation with the Christian Life Ministryâ€™s ninth annual National Celebration and End-of-Year Miracle Prayers, a free convention of believers.

Christians will celebrate the completion of the year as they welcome the dawn of 2008 at Kololo Airstrip. The function kicks off at 8:00am on December 31.

This is the Christian idea of ushering in the New Year as the rest of the world plot for gross mischief to satisfy their raging appetites for something fittingly fulfilling. But this will not be devoid of fun either. It will be clean and pre-meditated fun though.

Pastor Jackson Senyonga, the senior pastor at Christian Life Church, Bwaise, and the man at the helm of this event says: â€œthe first portion of the day will be dedicated to thanks-giving. There will be a variety of Gospel music artistes and entertainment, ranging from local, Kiganda dances and acrobats.â€

Big names expected at the gathering include Pastor Wilson Bugembe (the PAM Award Gospel artiste-of-the-year, 2007), Judith Babirye, Martin Seku, Betty Namaganda, Gladys Mirembe, Robert Segawa, Wasswa Kiyingi, among others.

â€œThere will also be a performance by a city-wide choir, comprising singers from different churches in Kampala. They will perform a variety of music styles ranging from choral, praise & worship to contemporary Gospel music,â€ Senyonga says.

Forty watts of sounds and enough lighting will be provided to make the musical mission a success. At the clock of midnight the place will be lit up with additional illumination as flares of fireworks explode in the sky.

However, the celebrations will not only be about dancing and jumping. According to Senyonga, the musical performances will be punctuated with highly-inspiration talk from international motivation speakers.

A delegation of 80 international preachers, pastors and business people from the US and Australia will grace the event.

This is in addition to such respected local speakers and evangelists as Apostle Alex Mitala, the chairman of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches in Uganda; Apostle John and Mrs Sarah Bunjo of Christian Restoration Ministries on Gayaza Road and Pastor Ruth Birabwa, an independent evangelist. Local pastors will also minister.

Senyonga says the first 100 pastors to arrive will receive free bibles. â€œThe theme of this yearâ€™s gathering is The Lord will Provide,â€ Senyonga says. â€œWe feel God is giving us a blank cheque for 2008. We will fill in the amounts and the needs they are to cater for â€” education, home-building, survival, name it. He will pay up.â€

That blank cheque also comes in form of a blank card to be handed out to every participant to fill in their most pressing prayer requests, place it in an envelope and hand it to the pastors. â€œAfter the fireworks, the pastors will start strong prayers that God helps everyone realise their dreams in the New Year,â€ Senyonga says. Unlike the previous years, Senyonga says, the masses of Christians who will attend this year will be shielded from the wrath of the scorching sun. â€œWe are bringing in tents and providing chairs for all participants,â€ he says.

In The Kampala Sun today

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In The Kampala Sun today

By NewVision Reporter

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