Nevertheless, believing that this was a call from God, the church began to pray fervently for Divine intervention and in December 1956, Hugh and Audrey Layzell were sent to Kenya to work temporarily with the Elim missionaries of New York until the door to Uganda would open.

God was at work to fulfil his purpose. Hence in May 1960 Glad Tidings Missionary Society received a permit to do mission work in Uganda.

The Gospel Mission to Uganda which birthed The Full Gospel Churches of Uganda was then incorporated under the Unlimited Companies Act in October 1960 and became the first Pentecostal mission or church to be granted legal status in Uganda.

Today, The Full Gospel Churches of Uganda has over 1600 churches country-wide with its headquarters at Makerere Hill Road plot number 55-59 where Full Gospel Church Makerere – the mother church is situated.

Glad Tidings Mission group arrived in Kampala and began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in open-air crusades in markets places. At the same time, Hugh engaged a lawyer to register the work under the name, Gospel Mission to Uganda, a non-profit incorporated company in Uganda, this being the only way a mission could be registered. The Full Gospel Churches of Uganda was formed and registered later as a national organization.

The first meeting was held at Nakawa under a mango tree and another at Kabaka-Anjagala in Mengo. At Nakawa, many people came out of curiosity, to see and hear a white man preaching in the open air, something very unusual then in Kampala. The news of this ‘Gospel of power got into the local newspapers and crowds began to gather at various market meetings to hear this Gospel.

Later land was acquired and the first church was planted in a tent erected on a small plot near the site of the present church.

Between 1961 several other Full Gospel churches were planted in the suburbs of Kampala around the areas of Kisenyi, Katale and Kibuli. Toward the end of 1961, Marjorie Mukasa was able to arrange for the mission to purchase the site on Makerere Hill Road for the building of a permanent sanctuary for the Church.

In January 1962 the band of Glad Tidings missionaries grew when Bill and Gerda Brown, Eleanor Webb and Betty Caron transferred from Sierra Leon to Uganda. Immediately Pastor Bill undertook to supervise the construction of the church building, with funds from the Missionary Society in Vancouver. The facility was completed by December, and the ‘home’ of Makerere Full Gospel Church was formerly dedicated. A sister to Ssekabaka Muteesa, former Kabaka of Buganda, Princess Muggale who received Christ as saviour during the Mengo crusade, formerly opened the new church on December 5th, 1962. The Christ for the Nations Native Church Crusade, founded by Gordon and Freda Lindsay of Dallas, Texas, helped with the cost of church buildings. Glad Tidings Missionary Society helped obtain land for Pastors’ houses and gardens.

Pastor Layzell pastored Full Gospel Church Makerere with a Ugandan associate, Pastor Joshua Kamya Musoke. Ezra Kikonyogo served the church as interpreter and counsellor. Audrey launched the Sunday school program and later was assisted by Samuel Namutiiti who later headed it with effect from 1973.

Ministers were trained in the bible school, and more than 200 young men and women were thrust out to pioneer Full Gospel Churches in the different towns and villages of Uganda, particularly in Buganda, Kigezi, Toro, Bunyoro and Busoga then later in Ankole. Several new missionaries later joined the group over the years and the work of God expanded.

Their Vision is to be "A Pentecostal church that touches the world with the love of God and disciples believers with the goal of presenting every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

And then their Mission is Full Gospel Churches of Uganda exist to reach out to Uganda and the rest of the world with the love of God demonstrated in worship, evangelism, discipleship and ministering to the hurting world in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Cabinet members during pastors’conference (L-R, Rev S. Kabwana, Rev. J. Mutebi, Rev. B. Mugisha, Rev, I. Wagaba, Rev. P. Ndyanabo, Rev. I. Kalibbala, Rev. P. kinataama and Rev. S. Ssebaggala)

Src: fullgospelchurchesofuganda.org