Deo Musoke
DEO MUSOKE from UGANDA
Deo's main calling is to promote and lead prayer across his own nation and in other nations. He founded and leads Ugandan Church of Christ Intercessors (UCCI), a major inter-denominational prayer initiative in Uganda.
He and other UCCI team members lead over a million Christians in and around Kampala in prayer each morning (5am to 6am!) via a radio programme. Many people have been blessed and brought to Christ through this.
Deo is now also the national prayer secretary for a network linking the many diverse and broadly pentecostal churches and church networks across Uganda - which is what most non-mainstream churches are in Uganda. At present there are well over 10,000 churches in this network, and the government are encouraging all Pentecostal churches to come under this banner, in order to protect Pentecostal churches constitutionally and to prevent the development of cults which have sometimes marred the movement in the past.
Deo has always been highly respected in mainstream churches as a pioneer of the modern prayer movement in Uganda, having strong links with and regularly ministering among Anglican and other denominational groups in Uganda.
Deo represents Pentecostal churches as part of a group of Christian leaders representing all Christians in Uganda (including the Anglican archbishop, the Catholic cardinal and other denominational leaders). This group was formed by the president and is responsible for promoting, organising and leading major prayer gatherings about national issues. Two annual days of prayer - one a day of thanksgiving and the other of intercession - have recently been established in law. In recent years particular intercession has been made for peace in the north of the country, and since Christians have been praying in this way, the war has recently come to a fragile but holding truce. Most recently Deo helped organise a nation-wide celebration & ongoing prayer in response to the discovery of oil in west Uganda. Again, as an answer to specific prayer, Uganda and the Congo have averted war over oil and just recently signed a peace treaty.
The main work of Deo's ministry, however, is travelling around the country leading prayer meetings, large and small - often packed with believers wanting to grow in the area of prayer. He has seen many healings and miracles in his ministry, including one young man who was died and raised from the dead many hours later. Most weeks Deo is involved in leading all night prayer meetings somewhere in the country.
Deo also founded and runs a Christian school in Kabowa, New Rock Foundation School. This has recently obtained a new site next to the Kabowa church and building work is now well advanced, with help from friends here in the UK. The school is presently for primary age children, but his hope is for it to grow to include secondary and even further education departments.
Deo first came to the UK in 1998 to lead one of the intercessory prayer teams that travelled all around the UK and Ireland, sharing John Mulinde's prophecy for this country and Europe, encouraging the Church here to break through into revival through prevailing prayer.
Since then he has visited the UK on several occasions, including one year spent at Bible college in East Yorkshire. Deo continues to come back to teach and encourage us in the area of prayer for our nation. He has a particularly strong link with Calderdale, West Yorkshire, usually spending a couple of weeks here on each visit.
Deo is married to Josephine and has a large family made up of his own children and also some adopted children. From a background of witchcraft, he was the first family member to come to faith, though now all but one are Christians.
For a man of such stature in God and in his own nation, Deo comes over as a humble and unassuming man, gentle by nature and quiet spoken (except when praying!). Above all, he has a great heart for prayer and so teaches on and leads prayer with great passion everywhere he goes!