The role of Arch-Bishop L. Brown in the establishment of the church of the province of .

Leslie Wilfrid Brown lived between 10th June 1912 and 27th December 1999. He was Bishop then before returning to England to be Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich1.

Brown was educated at Enfield Grammar School before studying for ordination at the London College of Divinity. He was ordained priest by the Bishop of Portsmouth in 19362. After a curacy at St James, Milton, Portsmouth he went out to the Diocese of Travancore and Cochin on the Malabar coast of India in January 1938, working there for the Church Missionary Society, and eventually becoming Principal of the Kerala United Theological Seminary3.

In 1952 he accepted the post of Bishop of Uganda, despite having doubts because of his support for indigenization. Upon his appointment, the then Mukama of Bunyoro congratulated him with these words;

“It has been much pleasure to hear that you have been appointed as a bishop of Uganda instead of Bishop Stuart who has done a big job for Uganda. I trust you, as well as he has done, will energetically serve the Church in Uganda successfully…..”4

In regard to the above letter, apart from the Mukama of Bunyoro a number of very important people including Muteesa of Buganda congratulated him and were willing to welcome him and ready to serve with him as Bishop. Muteesa as well had this to say; “I assure you of a very warm welcome and cooperation of us all, on your arrival”5

1 Available on; Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Brown_%28bishop%29 , accessed on 27/02/14 2 Accessed from the UCU Archives, George Cicestr, letter responding to the questioning of the appointment of Rev. L.W.Brown as Bishop of Uganda: from south India to Africa, Church Times, 6th June, 1952. 3 Ibid. 4 Adopted from the UCU Archives, Mukama of Bunyoro congratulatory letter written to Rev. Bishop Brown, 25th July 1952. 5 Adopted from the UCU Archives, Muteesa of Buganda letter to Rev. Bishop Brown, 24th July 1952. 1

Bishop Brown was to serve as a bishop in total for 25 years, first as Bishop of Uganda until 1960, bridging the period of Ugandan independence, then as the first Archbishop of the Province of Uganda, until 1965.

When he returned to England, he became first an assistant bishop in the and in 1966 Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich6.

Background of the church of the Province of Uganda

In 1961, the growth of the was recognized in the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda and Rwanda-Urundi (later Province of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi). The incumbent Bishop of Uganda, , was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province. Brown was succeeded in 1966 by the first Ugandan Archbishop, Erica Sabiti7.

The Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop8.

Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known as an archdeacon. The archdeaconries are further subdivided into parishes, headed by a parish priest. Parishes are subdivided into sub-parishes, headed by lay readers. As of the 2002 Census, 8,782,821 Ugandans (35.9% of the population) consider themselves affiliated with the church9.

Having been established in 1887 by missionaries of the Church Missionary Society from England, for half a century it was called "The Native Anglican Church" until 1961 when it became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion as the Province of the Church

6 First Archbishop Of Uganda Dr. L. W. Brown Elected The Times Tuesday, Nov 08, 1960; pg. 10; Issue 54923; col E 7 Accessed from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Uganda, on 06/03/14 8 ibid 9 ibid

2 of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. In 1980 Uganda became a province on its own. The history of the church in Uganda has been marked by martyrdom and civil strife10.

The mission statement of the church reads: The Church of Uganda is an independent Province of the Anglican Community worldwide which subscribes to the Holy Scriptures. It is part of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church worshipping the one true God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Church is commissioned to carry out Christ's mission of preaching, teaching, healing and nurturing her people so that they may have abundant life and build an evangelistic, loving, caring, worshipping, peaceful and just community. The Mission therefore is “to fulfill Christ’s mission through holistic teaching, evangelism, discipleship and healing for healthy and Godly nations”11.

The Vision of the Church of the province of Uganda is “a Christ Centered Church equipped for transforming mission among people”12.

The Church of the province of Uganda’s Core Values are13:

 Godliness

 Faithfulness to Holy Scriptures

 Upholding Biblical family values

 Integrity

 Selfless service

 Unconditional love and unity in Christ.

The Church of the province of Uganda is governed by the Provincial Assembly. Meeting every two years, it is comprised of the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy, and the House

10 Tom Tuma, 3rd Bishop Kivengere memorial lecture: Church-State Relationships in post Independent Uganda, 16th May, 1993. 11 Accessed from, http://churchofuganda.org/about/vision-mission-and-core-values, on 06/03/14 12 ibid 13 ibid 3 of Laity. In between meetings of the Provincial Assembly, the Provincial Assembly Standing Committee meets and carries out the ongoing work of governance for the Church in Uganda14.

Current activities of the church of the province of Uganda include spiritual nurture, development and conflict resolution through peace initiatives. Its priorities are to deal with HIV/AIDS through programs of sensitization, to create a sustainable church, mobilizing people to use their potential and utilize available resources, to promote Christian values, and to create room for the young generation in the church. Concerns of the Church of the province of Uganda today are the issue of homosexuality at national and international levels, the desire to see the church rise and shine, and to achieve networking and sharing information through radio, newspapers, television and the internet.

Bishop Leslie Brown’s role in the establishment of the church of the province of Uganda:

While speaking during a memorial service for the archbishop at Namirembe Cathedral, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, acknowledged the late Dr. Leslie Brown, the first Church of Uganda Archbishop for Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire (Congo), for steering the church in Uganda during political crises at the time15.

The Archbishop of Bishop Leslie Brown together with Joseph Kiwanuka of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop Nankyama of the Orthodox Church are credited for initiating the Inter Religious Council of Uganda (UJCC). Uganda had many challenges particularly the religious divisions; ignorance, poverty and health related issues. The governance structures needed to be established for harmonious co-existence and upholding of human dignity. Bishop Brown is therefore, remembered for trying to impede the religious divisions that had been for example created by Obote’s government. Hence he tried his best to reconcile the different religious groups through the Council.

14Accessed from, http://churchofuganda.org/about/vision-mission-and-core-values, on 06/03/14 15 Adopted from: Africa News Service January 26, 2000

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As noted earlier, having been established in 1887 by missionaries of the Church Missionary Society from England, for half a century it was called "The Native Anglican Church" until 1961 when it became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion as the Province of the Church of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. This happened during the leadership of Bishop Brown the incumbent bishop thus should be credited for preparing the church for this significant change. Because of the foundation that had been established earlier, In 1980 Uganda became a province on its own. Because of this, Bishop Brown will always be remembered in the history of the church in Uganda.

Further, Bishop Brown went on to prepare the church in Uganda and outside Uganda (East Africa) in all spheres for example he prepared Rwanda and Burundi and in 1980, was elevated to a separate province. His other role was witnessed in mentoring Bishops such as Dr. and in particular his successor Bishop Erica Sabiti who eventually replaced him. This discipline availed leaders who took the mantle of leadership of the entire province even after his departure. In my view, without such leaders, Uganda would not have become a separate province.

Challenges faced by Bishop Leslie Wilfred Brown

As Bishop elect, just before coming to Uganda from India, some people were questioning his appointment. In fact an undisclosed person wrote a letter on May 30th 1952 questioning the appointment the Rev. L.W. Brown as Bishop of Uganda16. Responding to this letter, George Cicestre wrote a letter to prove that his appointment was legitimate. In this letter, George went ahead to quote the series of resolutions passed by the convocations of Canterbury and New York in 1950 as follows;

“a bishop or presbyter of the , who was ordained as an Anglican, and who desires to officiate as a minister of the when on furlough,

16 Accessed from the UCU Archives, George Cicestr, letter responding to the questioning of the appointment of Rev. L.W.Brown as Bishop of Uganda: from south India to Africa, Church Times, 6th June, 1952.

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or to resume his full status as a minister of the church of England on returning to this country for permanent work, may be allowed to do so provided that, if he received his ordination outside the British isles, he has received the permission required under the colonial clergy act. A minister thus temporarily or permanently receiving the status of a minister of the Church of England, becomes subject in all respects to the rules and regulations of the Church of England”17

In my scrutiny, such questions were worrying to the newly appointed Bishop. They could in actuality make him feel insecure in doing ministry in a new place (Uganda). Yet according to the colonial clergy act, his appointment to an Anglican see by the Bishop of Canterbury could not be described as an infringement of the policy to which the convocations unanimously agreed.

Bishop Leislie Brown was generally not at good terms with Baganda for they accused him of collusion with the governor in deporting the Kabaka in 1953. They claimed that the Bishop must have been consulted and that he must have given his consent18. Likewise, the absence of a specific prayer for the Kabaka in the newly printed Luganda prayer book was seen as further evidence of the conspiracy against Buganda headed by Archbishop Brown. Though the Bishop always denied this, all the same the relationship between him and the Baganda was a damaged one. What worsened everything was the election of bishop Sabiti (a non Muganda) instead of Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga something that was unfair to the Baganda yet the elections were presided over by the Bishop Brown himself. There was suspicion that the elections were unfair and could have been influenced by political gerrymandering19. This deprived relationship was therefore a grave challenge throughout his ministry in Uganda as a number of Baganda believers were not comfortable and lacked confidence in the Bishop20.

17 Accessed from the UCU Archives, George Cicestr, letter responding to the questioning of the appointment of Rev. L.W.Brown as Bishop of Uganda: from south India to Africa, Church Times, 6th June, 1952. 18 Kevin ward argues this point in his paper “the church of Uganda and the exile of Kabaka Muteesa II of Buganda (1953-55)”, pp 9-12. 19 Zac Niringyiye, the church in the emerging Republic, 1960-1971, Pg. 141. 20 Tom Tuma, 3rd Bishop Kivengere memorial lecture: Church-State Relationships in post Independent Uganda, 16th May, 1993, Pg. 6. 6

Similarly, the issue of a successor caused serious tension to Brown as Archbishop. The baganda wanted the maintenance of the status quo-the Bishop of Namirembe as Archbishop. In fact a lobby group of laymen in the church that called itself the Namirembe Christian organization,21accused Archbishop Brown of wanting to appoint a Munyankole instead of a Muganda replace him. In a settlement at press conference on November 15, 1965, Brown responded that it was “entirely and completely wrong to suggest that I have chosen a new Archbishop …….. There has been a good deal of misinterpreting or misunderstanding……”22 Despite Brown’s explanation plus Bishop Wani and others, things worsened as the Baganda reasoned that the church had failed to recognize their founding role in Buganda and beyond. All these put Bishop Brown in immense pain and in my observation; the climax of his leadership in Uganda was a definition of confusion as he left behind a divided church.

The coming of Dr. Apollo Milton Obote (Obote 1) to power between 1962 and 1971 was a big blow to the Church and the Bishop Brown as its leader. Obote’s leadership suppressed the voice of the church and gradually the church lost its special place in the Christian state23. The then political tension was a momentous problem to the Bishop whom was expected by the people to advise the president.

The political instabilities in Uganda were also a stern problem to Bishop Leslie Brown. Though the church had been working closely with the various political governments as Dr. Tuma asserts, the poor political state of the country put the Bishop at jeopardy of losing his life. We must remember that he served the church during bad political regimes especially that of Dr. Apollo Milton Obote. The church could not come out freely to advise the government. There was also a lot of interference from the government. Consequently, executing his duties as a church leader became problematic24.

21 Lockard, “Religion and politics in Uganda, 1962-72”, Pg. 189. 22 Reported in Uganda Argus, 16 November, 1965. 23 Tom Tuma, 3rd Bishop Kivengere memorial lecture: Church-State Relationships in post Independent Uganda, 16th May, 1993, Pg. 8. 24 ibid

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How he shaped Christian theology in Uganda

His lasting contribution is reckoned to be in the field of liturgy, first as a member of the liturgy committee of the Church of South India, which in 1950 produced the influential Church of South India (CSI) then working on A Liturgy for Africa, produced in 1964, and also corresponding with the Church of England's Liturgical Commission. This liturgy and the theology embedded in it had a noticeable impact on Christian theology in Uganda as Christians came to know more about the worship of God. It also guided Christians with is correct theology on matters of worship. It also answered question on doctrinal matters such as baptism

He worked in India for a number of years and undeniably had many Indian friends and of course familiar with the social and religious setting of Indians. By the time of his appointment in Uganda, there were around a half million Indians in Uganda and around East Africa. These were worshipers of gods such as mammon and gradually many Ugandans were being influenced by this kind of worship. It is for this reason that Bishop Brown is credited for creating a rapport with the Indian using his Indian experience. A number of Indians were therefore ministered to and some came to know the Lord through Bishop Brown. He also enlightened the church about the wrong teachings form the Indian communities and helped many Ugandans to know who the only true God was/is. He further preached against cultism, encouraged people to read the bible to increase their understanding of God and get equipped with the right theology.

He was a highly educated man during his days. He must be one of the very few missionary bishops who secured his doctorate by a regular scholarly route25. From this I can conclude that he was an academic senior man! Who was also grounded in Christian theology as he had been the Principal of the Kerala United Theological Seminary26. With this experience,

25 Sir Ronald Prain. Reflections on an era, London, metal Bulletin Ltd, 1981. Pg. 262. 26 ibid

8 his impact on Christian theology in Uganda could be easily predicted. It is also unquestionable that he became the representative to Makerere College for the whole of East Africa. He always preached at the college and definitely people came to know more about God. He could also advise and guide college teachers especially the young Christian lecturers. This undeniably improved their teaching especially regarding Christian theology27.

He also could send Christian instructors that were well trained and equipped if he didn’t go himself to schools to teach teachers and students more about God, about the Christian faith and calling upon people to embrace Christ in their lives. From this we see that he mentored Christian leaders theologically who could do the work on his behalf. This improved discipline and caused fear for the Lord in schools among teachers and pupils/students knowing that the God they served and accepted was a God of discipline and order28.

In Conclusion, despite the worrying relationship he had with the Baganda, Bishop Brown should be accredited for doing his best to unite the church and setting strong foundation for the church in Uganda. He trained and mentored many church leaders that later stood in the gap after his departure. His experience as a principle of the Kerala United Theological Seminary was also one of the outstanding factors behind his success. It helped to improve the moral and spiritual standards of schools and colleges in Uganda for instance Makerere College where he used to send well trained and theologically informed instructors to instill correct theology in the young generation something that had stern impact on the shaping of Christian theology in Uganda.

In my analysis, though his hard work as seen above saw Uganda becoming a province, I think even without Bishop Brown other church leaders could equally do this work better than he did. Before his coming to Uganda, other leaders had more experience of the church in Uganda for instance Bishop Stuart. In fact some people were surprised and questioned to hear that he had been appointed Bishop of Uganda instead of Bishop Stuart. For example the Mukama of Bunyoro had this to say;

27 F. B. Brown;letter to Bishop brown, makerere College Kampala, 11th may 1952. 28 Ibid.

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“It has been much pleasure to hear that you have been appointed as a bishop of Uganda instead of Bishop Stuart who has done a big job for Uganda.…..”29 This statement indicates that probably Bishop Stuart was fit enough to take on the position than Bishop Brown. I think people such as Bishop Stuart laid a good foundation before Brown came into power and of course not forgetting the effort of native Church leaders.

29 Accessed from the UCU Archives, Mukama of Bunyoro congratulatory letter written to Rev. Bishop Brown, 25th July 1952. 10

References

Sir Ronald Prain. Reflections on an era, London, metal Bulletin Ltd, 1981. Pg. 262.

Zac Niringyiye, the church in the emerging Republic, 1960-1971, Pg. 141.

Tom Tuma, 3rd Bishop Kivengere memorial lecture: Church-State Relationships in post Independent Uganda, 16th May, 1993, Pg. 6.

Kevin ward, the church of Uganda and the exile of Kabaka Muteesa II of Buganda, 1953-55, pp 9-12.

Lockard, Religion and politics in Uganda, 1962-72, Pg. 189.

Adopted from: Africa News Service January 26, 2000

Reported in Uganda Argus, 16 November, 1965.

Adopted from the UCU Archives, Mukama of Bunyoro congratulatory letter written to Rev. Bishop Brown, 25th July 1952.

Available on; Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Brown_%28bishop%29 , accessed, on 27/02/14

Accessed from the UCU Archives, George Cicestr, letter responding to the questioning of the appointment of Rev. L.W.Brown as Bishop of Uganda: from south India to Africa, Church Times, 6th June, 1952.

Adopted from the UCU Archives, Mukama of Bunyoro congratulatory letter written to Rev. Bishop Brown, 25th July 1952.

Adopted from the UCU Archives, Muteesa of Buganda letter to Rev. Bishop Brown, 24th July 1952.

First Archbishop of Uganda Dr. L. W. Brown Elected, The Times Tuesday, Nov 08, 1960; pg. 10.

Accessed from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Uganda, on 06/03/14

Accessed from, http://churchofuganda.org/about/vision-mission-and-core-values, on 06/03/14

F. B. Brown;letter to Bishop brown, Makerere College Kampala, 11th may 1952

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