Pastor Emmanuel "Emma" Amos Kisa's Story

The following is Pastor Emmanuel "Emma" Amos Kisa's personal story, which I received from him in many pieces over the years but recently received more completely in September, 2023 through a WhatsApp conversation.  I (Rachel) have also been in contact by writing and video calls with people in the community who are both friends and enemies and can testify to these things.

Pictured to the right are Pastor Emma and his second wife Eunice; they have two biological children and many more orphan children that they treat as their own.  Pastor Emma's first wife was martyred during an attack against the orphanage.

[5:11 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Pastor Emma, who was your home church before the Lord called you to Iganga?

[6:07 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: It was called Prayer Palace

[6:09 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Please tell me more. Did they bless you in your call to Iganga?

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: Yes

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Where are they out of?

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: I mean, their location.

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: They are in Jinja

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Are they a true church, true gospel, true fruit, etc.?

[6:10 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Are they part of an association of some kind?

[6:11 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: Absolutely

[6:12 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Is the same minister there who sent you to Iganga?

[6:13 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: Most churches in Uganda fall under the federation of born again churches. But they are all indigenous churches.

Also,they can get registered by the government, without falling under the umbrella.

[6:15 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: When you say "indigenous" you mean "independent"?

[6:16 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: The Lord sent me to the Eastern part of Uganda. I informed my pastor about my calling and he didn't want me to leave, but it's because I was a very valued member of the congregation; later, he came and opened up the first fellowship and blessed me.

The calling of God upon my life is what I followed to become a pastor.

[6:16 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: Yes, they are independent

[6:17 PM, 9/7/2023] Rachel Anna Adamus: Amen, indeed, the calling of God is everything, but the fact that He used His channel of your sending church to bless it as a witness is a huge testimony of His call on you.

[7:07 PM, 9/7/2023] Emmanuel Amos Kisa: I got saved in 2004, March during a crusade. I then joined Miracle Center Church Gateway in Jinja. I stayed there three years, which were my foundational years. Then I joined Prayer Palace Church for ministry because at Miracle Center, there was no room for me to serve. So I started training [a] praise and worship team at Prayer Palace Church and interpreted the pastor; then one year later, I started teaching Sunday school. On 31 October 2010, the Lord spoke to me in a voice, "Go [to] the East and start there a church." I said, "Lord, I am a medical doctor and that's how I make my living. How will I earn [a living]? I make some good money here treating people." And the Lord told me, "I am your source of life. I will be with you." From that time, my heart and mind changed to one thing: starting a church. I sold the clinic and moved to Iganga, and I started looking for a church. But the Holy Spirit did not show me where to start.

So I moved further in the East, to Kaliro District. There I found a place I could finally start the church. But the Holy Spirit did not confirm it. While in Iganga, the Lord impressed upon me the need to start an orphanage. I already [had] the children since 2007. So I moved them in and added on other children–a total of 87 children. In September 2012, the Holy Spirit told me, "Look for land in Iganga and start the fellowship." I looked at many places in Iganga until I gave up. Then one evening, I had gone to a hotel to have dinner; then the voice said, "You shall start a fellowship in this place right there." I thought it was at the hotel, so I asked if they had a hall, and they did have it. On our way to check it , the Holy Spirit again said, "Not at the hotel, but in this community," so we stopped. As I was driving back home, I saw a bush, and the Holy Spirit again told me, "It's on this land that you shall establish a church."

In the morning first thing, I came to the place and found there a mad man, not knowing that he was mad. I told him all that the Lord had told me. He then told me, "Come, and I [will] take you to the owners of the land you want." [1 Cor 1:27-29: "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are, 29so that no flesh may boast before God." Zech 4:6: "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says Yahweh of hosts." Eph 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not of works, so that no one may boast."]

We went down to the garden where an old woman was cultivating the land. And then this mad man stood in the very place where we now have the church built, and he said, "If you are to build a church, this is the place where you will build the church, and it will be so tall that you will be able to see the town. Many people will come here. Our people were killed innocently on this land, and now they win even in their death. Indeed they were of God." But since it was a bit away from the main road, and it had no neighborhood, I didn't like it, and I did not take those words seriously. So, the old lady directed us to one of [her] sons to help. When I reached her son, I explained everything to him, but he refused and sent me away. As I was driving back home, the Holy Spirit told me, "In the morning, go see an elder in the community and assign him the responsibility of looking for the land." So I did that.

I found an elder and promised to give him a token if he found the land. Two days later, he called me with information of the land. I picked him [up], and he took me to the very land that the Lord had shown me. When the old woman's son saw me, he again rejected me and told the elder, "This boy was here yesterday and I told him I won't give him the land, so let him go back."

After for the second time he denied me the premises, I decided to return home, although in my heart, I knew that it was the land that the Lord had told me about. I rose up from the chair to leave, and when I was opening the car door, he called me back and told me that the Lord had a prophecy on that land, that there would be a church, and that many people have come to him asking for that same land to start a church, but that the Lord did not accept any of them. [The owner of the land continued, saying], "Seeing he [Emma] [was] a very young man, I couldn't believe that he would be one that God [had] called. Yet as he was leaving, the Holy Spirit [had] told me, 'Don't let him leave. He is the one I have called to start a church here.'"

Then later, I asked about the price of that land, and he told me they [would] only rent it for some time. I paid rent for the first two years, and the following day, we started raising a temporary structure. Actually, when I had just paid the first rent money for the land, two days later, another man came and said, in my presence, that he wanted that land to start a church, but that he was denied. So he was wondering what I did that made the land owner change his mind. [For clarification, the land that Believers' World Church rented out was only a piece of a larger property, which had been divvied up between a rental property and another section that could be purchased. It was that other section that Pastor Emma ended up purchasing, after renting on another piece of that larger property for nine years. Thus, in all contexts, Believers' World Church has occupied, for its whole existence, the designated land that the Lord had set aside for it–as a monument of an earlier generation of Christians that had been burned to death there.]

On 9th December 2012, we held our first fellowship. We had the greatest opposition from the Muslims, Catholics, Anglicans and Mormons. They trumped up charges against me and had me arrested many times from church, but the Lord was with me and He prevailed. I lost my car, my house and my wife. I can say, I have faced things that are hard to explain. But Christ's name has always been exalted. I didn't see my spiritual father [sending pastor] after the opening of the church, through the persecutions. I only had God to lean on. The news of my persecutions reached some American newspapers and Senator Allen West, who got in touch with the Ugandan government concerning what was happening.

The son who rented the land died, and another heir, a Muslim, took over. He resented the Church. 1 January 2021, they came to my house and gave us an eviction notice, to find where we were to take the church. I told them, "On this very land where the church is located; the Lord showed us through the madman where we shall be. So if the Lord has permitted you to tell me those words, then His time to fulfill His promise has come." And two weeks later, we bought the Land. [Now] the church is built. Again, when we opened up the church, I called my spiritual father to come and open it up. He came.

Following are the details of how that land was purchased, according to an accounting Pastor Emma gave me (Rachel):

In April 2020, a land broker came to me and told me that that particular piece of land was for sale. On that day, I also informed the pastors and ministers. Pastor Mwesigwa was always worried about where the church could end up, if we were evicted. The landlord used to tell people that that church is temporary and pastor Emma will be going away soon, that we were all depending on his mercies for the church to be in on his land. And other rumors went around saying that the church may grab his land. So, the landlords were very much on our neck. And also, many people stopped committing themselves to the church because they knew we were there for a short time. Although, I always told them, "The Lord gave me the East to serve Him," because when He called me, He told me go East and start there a church.

So that day, I told pastor Mwesigwa, "The Lord has given us this land for the church. In this place, the Lord shall have a fellowship so big and many will come and know the Lord here. We shall die here, and our children will marry here and build this community and fill it for Christ. Then pastor Mwesigwa asked me, "How will this be? Where shall we get the money to buy this land and to build the church?" I asked him, "What's the first thing we need? Land!" And I told him the Lord gave us this land a long time ago. That was in April 2020.

From that time to January 2021, when we bought the land, I counted 6 land buyers who came to see the site and negotiate the land to buy it. But they left the land, not for lack of money, but they all said that it was not the land they wanted. [However], land in this community can't be sold with such difficulty. It was God sending them away.

On 1 January 2021, the church landlords, (two brothers) came to me and told me that they want to use their land to raise up a shopping mall. So they told me, "Don't pay money for this year. Use it to find another place."

I told them, "The Lord told me I would build a church on this land. And He cannot lie. If you have come to tell me that the church is no longer needed on your land, then it means the time of the Lord has come. The church shall not take forcefully what it doesn't own. So we shall leave. Give us some time to organize and leave." So they went away.

On 14 January, we were holding national presidential elections. When I had just returned from voting, the Holy Spirit told me, "You may be seated here while the land is being sold. Ask the caretakers of the land. (Those are the landlords for the church temporarily)."

I immediately called him and asked if the land was still available, and he said that the land was still available for sale. He asked me if I had the money to buy so that he [could] communicate to the owners. I told him I had no money at the moment but would raise it in two months (by faith). He told me, "Let me call the owners and talk to them; then I will get back to you."

He called me ten minutes later and told me that he talked to the owners and asked for three months instead of two and that they had accepted. So I felt relief in my spirit.

But then a few minutes later, the Holy Spirit told me, "Think about it for a moment. You know that the landlords don't honor you and that they would rather see the church displaced. Will you trust his words? Call the land broker that I sent to you in April last year. He will tell you the truth, because a little delay may change things."

So I called the broker and asked him if the land was available. He told me, "Pastor, the land has been sold, and it's not available."

"What???? You have sold of my land? That land is mine and I bought it. How could you and the owners connive and sell of that land? I will involve my lawyer."

Then he said, "Pastor, when did you buy that land? Do you have anything to show that it's your land? I am the one who was given the responsibility of selling it. How could you even think you could buy it without my knowledge? Pastor, the land isn't yours."

"It's not my land, you think I don't have evidence for my ownership? Alright. Once the court opens, after these elections, you and the buyer and the owners will meet me in court. I made a down-payment on that land, and that's what makes it mine sir. So let's see where this will lead us."

He responded, "Oh, now I know. But let me tell you, some Muslims want to buy this land to set up a mosque. But they have 20 million shillings in cash, and the land is 35 million, minus broker fees and lawyer fees. Mine as a broker is 15% of the value. The Muslims have the money to pay, but unfortunately it's in the bank and the banks and money institutions are not working because of the elections. So, they will bring all their money on 16th Saturday at 10am, then they will have their land. But they already gave me some little token so that I will keep this land for them until Saturday when they will be coming to make payments. So pastor, how much did you pay? And is it possible that we sell off the land and refund your money?"

I said, "Not at all. I don't sell of the land. I want it and nothing can change that."

He said, "It's alright pastor. You have only until Saturday or, the land will be sold and your money will be banked on your account."

Now my sister, I had only about $5 [to my name]. And here is a $10,000 need and a deadline of only two days.

I shared with you immediately, because the Lord told me to share with you. And you also spread the word to our brethren. What happened, my sister? On Friday, the 15th of January 2021, we had all the money needed to buy the land for the church. I tell you, we cried. I cried, and my wife was worried for my health, but the joy of the Lord was beyond what words would express. This shock took me many months to get over. For this was the greatest miracle of my life. The church had now finally found a home, an address and a habitation in the very place where they laughed at us, and the very place where many of our brethren were martyred.