Lira City dedicated to God in Prayers

RELIGION|PRAYERS|VIOLENCE 

LIRA - The recent violence in Lira City was not a surprise to many but a thing that was in the waiting to explode.

On November 12, 2020, a group of youth took to the street of Lira robbing and molesting people.

This was the day presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu was expected in Lira on campaign.

Police officers and journalists were not spared by the youth, and some TV crew lost their equipment and their vehicle was damaged.

The act was attributed to street kids and those who grew up on the street and have now taken to crimes as their means of livelihood causing a sharp rise in the rate of crime in the new Lira City and its suburbs.

As a result, some selected religious leaders, cultural leaders, and political leaders over the weekend assembled at the Mayor's Garden in the City for deep rooted prayers.

The prayers saw the leaders dedicate the city to God in a covenant.

Bishop Joshua Lwere, the General Overseer of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda led the prayer.

In his remarks, Lwere said covenant is very important before God.

He said from this moment, God will take interest in Lira City because it's given to him in a covenant.

Religious leaders' special prayers

Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok of Lira Diocese prayed for a better livelihood for people of Lira City. 

He condemned political gimmicks, prostitution, wicked, pornography, gambling, and human trafficking, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

"Let the Lord bless the sons and daughters of this City, the rays of honesty, those who are trustworthy, dependable shall receive the same blessings always and your same blessing shall be like a double sword against the wicked," Wanok prayed.

Bishop Emeritus of Lango Diocese John Charles Odur Kami prayed for families, saying from this, people can get blessings or curses.

"We want all the families in the City of Lira to be strong, faithful, honest, God loving and God fearing," Odurkami said.

He prayed that men should not marry more than one wife; women should be with one man. "It's in those multiple marriages that confusion begins, strive to begin, witchcraft come and all sorts of evil begin to raise and they are nurtured," he said. 

He condemned gay marriage, polygamy, and infidelity.

Judith Omara, a female leader prayed for the church in Lira City saying it should be made a house of prayer and a city settled on a hill that cannot be hidden.

"Make us salt and light to our community that preserves the people of the city from evil and preaches the gospel of your kingdom," she prayed.

Bishop Lwere then asked the leaders if they accept that the city be dedicated to God and they shouted in chorus in the affirmative. He prayed for the City together with the leaders including health Minister Dr. Jane Aceng Ocero.

He added that elders in Acholi went on top of a hill and dedicated the land to Joseph Kony and that land was ravaged for two decades until some religious leaders went on that hill and broke the covenant made there.