LIRA: “At your service, Sir!” For many people that have interacted with Retired Bishop John Charles Odurkami, this phrase quickly comes to their minds when his name is mentioned, a phrase synonymous with the Army upon instruction to take up any assignment.
For Bishop Odurkami, his life is designed for mission, evangelism, resilience, keeping the Church alive and safe from any form of attacks and false teachings. He is always ready to be deployed anywhere at any time until God calls him home.
Bishop Odurkami also has an interesting sense of humor especially when he narrates how Joseph Kony of the infamous LRA Rebel group put USD5000 as a reward for whoever would bring his head for disturbing his (Kony’s) peace. He also narrates his battle with witch doctors in Lango, counteracting cowardly attacks in Kumi, and many other fascinating stories.
A Church Army Captain, Priest, Bishop’s Chaplain, Bishop, Caretaker Bishop, Founding Chairman of Lango Religious Leaders Forum and many other portfolios, Bishop John Charles Odurkami spoke to Church of Uganda’s Communications Officer, Mr. Sadiiki Adams about the highs and lows in his ministry.
*Who is Bishop Odurkami?*
He was born on 19th August 1952 in Akot, Aduku Subcounty in Kwania District in the then Diocese of Lango, currently West Lango Diocese. He was born again on 24th June 1973, joined Church Army Training School in Nairobi in 1973 and was commissioned in 1975 before serving as Curate at St. Augustine Community Centre from 1976 until when he was ordained a Deacon in February 1979.
He was priested in February 1980 and posted to Anai Parish before leaving for studies in Tanzania where he stayed shortly and returned back to Uganda because of the poor standards of the College he had gone to.
He served as the Vicar for St Augustine Urban Parish in the Diocese of Lango from 1981 to 1982 and later as the Diocesan Treasurer from 1982 to 1984.
In 1985, Bishop Odurkami joined Bishop Tucker Theological College for what he referred to as Makerere University Diploma in Theology which he completed in 1987. During his period of study, he also served as the Mission Coordinator for the Diocese of Lango.
Following his outstanding performance in the Diploma Course, he was retained and proceeded for a Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity.
After completing his Degree, the then Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Yona Okoth who had for a long time asked his Bishop to release him to be his Chaplain, called him to Kampala to be his Chaplain, a role he performed until January 2000.
Besides serving as the Chaplain to Archbishop Okoth and later Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, Bishop Odurkami also served as Acting Provincial Missions Coordinator sitting in for Mr. Stephen Mungoma who had gone for further studies.
He was later called back to his Diocese where he served as Subdean of All Saints Cathedral Boroboro before being elected by the House of Bishops in August 2000 as the Second Bishop of the Diocese of Lango and was consecrated and enthroned on 14th January 2001.
“I was consecrated and enthroned as a Bishop at the peak of Joseph Kony’s LRA insurgency in Northern Uganda in 2001. It was a challenging ministry to accept but I soldiered on. The Bishop’s house was in shambles, no vehicle, the Diocese was highly indebted with no provincial quota remittances but I mobilized Christians and partners and we cleared all the debts we had,” says Bishop Odurkami.
He adds, “At the peak of Joseph Kony’s insurgencies, many people were abducted by the rebel groups. Kony used to have a water spring that he believed had magic and would spray the water to his rebels allegedly to protect them from being shot at. I mobilized my people, we went to that ‘magic spring,’ prayed and it dried.”
“When Kony heard of this, he put up a reward of USD5000 for anyone who would give him my head. I had at that time gone to the United States of America (USA) for ministry when I heard the news. The people I was visiting requested me to stay in the USA and even offered me asylum but I insisted that I must go and indeed I came back home. I wanted him to take my head,” Bishop Odurkami narrates.
He sighs for a few minutes and says, “I knew my time had reached but I didn’t want to die like a coward.”
“I took the Rupiny newspaper with the story of Kony looking for my head to Police. This provoked the government and they gave me security personnel armed with sophisticated guns and other weapons to guard me. But I would escape from them and run to the field to do my ministry alone. I knew that God who called me was enough to protect me.”
It is at this time that Bishop Odurkami founded the Lango Religious Leaders Forum (LRLF) which he chaired until last year. He recalls that under LRLF, they would organize peace matches and gatherings for prayer and intercession.
In 2014, West Lango Diocese was curved out of the Diocese of Lango because the Diocese had become too big to be administered effectively by one person.
In the same year, there were challenges in Kitgum Diocese where the then sitting Bishop got issues and was asked by the House of Bishops to retire. He was misguided by some people to take the Archbishop to Court and he lost the case.
The Archbishop then asked him to be the Caretaker Bishop for Kitgum Diocese, a position he concurrently held with being the Bishop of the Diocese of Lango from 2015 to 2017 when he retired.
“On the day of my retirement, the Archbishop said, you are done with Lango but I still want you to help me with Kitgum. I accepted the assignment. In 2018, after I had put in place the Diocesan Synod, nominations Committee, and other relevant bodies, the House of Bishops elected Wilson Kitara as the Bishop and was consecrated and enthroned in November 2018,” Bishop Odurkami says.
He adds, “In 2019, when Bishop Irigei of Kumi retired before the successor was found, the Archbishop requested me to caretake the Diocese until March 2022 when Bishop Micheal Okwii Esakhan was consecrated and enthroned.”
Bishop Odurkami who served as the Dean of the Province said his dream was to be a flight captain and to work with Civil Aviation but was later called and joined ordained ministry.
“Archbishop Janani Luwum who confirmed me used to challenge us that God wants young educated people to serve Him. I devoted myself to serving the Church. Amidst all the struggles, I have kept the Church in me and around me alive.”
Asked about the source of his courage to attack all the challenges, Bishop Odurkami says, “Church Army College trains you to serve in the worst circumstances. When Jesus called me, he pledged to protect me until he calls me home.”
His advice to Clergy
“Those in ministry should always heed to their call and vows. Jesus is not looking at us in our positions but the ministry we are doing for him. A position of Bishop or any other will have one person at a time. We can’t all be Bishops, neither can we be Archbishops. We should serve God wherever we are,” says Bishop Odurkami.
He adds, “When you are truly called by God, He will equip you and send you. The problem is that many are not called. They join because they are looking for jobs, others because they admire our robes but others are just sent by Satan to disorganize God’s vineyard.”
Bishop John Charles Odurkami is currently retired, living in Lira City with his wife Mama Miriam. God has blessed them with 8 children and many dependents. Bishop John Charles Odurkami says he is still available should the Archbishop or his Bishop assign him for any duty at any time.
