Stewardship in a Time of War

Hannington Bahemuka understands stewardship.

Bishop Hannington, as he is known in his community, had a strong desire for the people of his church to give out of the joy of their hearts and not merely out of a sense of duty.

In 2001, when the ADF army took over many regions of Uganda, Hannington’s village was destroyed and survivors were living in destitute refugee camps.

This tragedy provided an opportunity for Hannington to inspire the people within the refugee camp toward generous giving:

I had been taught that everything we have belongs to God, so even in this refugee camp, God has put abundant resources for his work. So I called upon the believers to start sharing what they had with the needy.

This was a solution for the short-term relief of refugees. But when the people returned to their destroyed village, they had to rebuild their community from scratch.

Instead of asking “how can the people from the west help us?” Hannington encouraged people to ask:

How soon can my people rise to the challenge of funding, not only their immediate needs, but their futures as well.

The full story is shown here:

Bishop Hannington from International Steward on Vimeo.

In an article on stewardship Hugh Whelchel states,

God owns everything, we are simply managers or administrators acting on his behalf… We need to be faithful stewards of all God has given us within the opportunities presented through his providence to glorify him, serve the common good, and further his kingdom.

Hannington recognized that God had provided the community with the resources needed to rebuild the community. The community now only needed to give of themselves.

By stewarding their God-given talents as mechanics or business people, the people of the community began to see a transformation.

The people understood that they needed to create wealth in order to allow for tangible generosity…a cycle of sustainability was established…no longer waiting for outside relief, the grace of giving has replaced the welfare state and our entire town was rebuilt.

Local stewardship provides impoverished communities with the long-term sustainability to overcome poverty.

This model of development creates a healthy interdependence within a community and can transform the lives of the poor.

Baylee Eby

Baylee Eby is co-founder of a social impact brand, Dreamer & Co, whose mission is to provide job skills and a steady income to young women in the Horn of Africa. She formerly served as Operations Manager at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. Prior to joining the Institute, Baylee worked as a project manager at Chemonics International Inc. on a Global Health Supply Chain project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Baylee graduated from the University of Virginia with her Bachelor degree as well as a Master of Public Policy degree. She currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, Daniel. They enjoy hiking with their Bernese Mountain Dog, Moose and rock climbing.