The pastor of Watoto Church, Pastor Gary Skinner, has officially handed over the mantle to his successor, Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo, after 39 years of service.
KAMPALA, UGANDA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo, successor to Pastor Gary Skinner, has officially taken over the mantle of the Watoto church after 39 years of service. Vernita and Julius Rwotlonyo have been Watoto’s Associate Team Leaders for five years.
- Gary and Marilyn Skinner announced their retirement from full-time ministry, noting that they had intentionally prepared and mentored their successors over the past ten years with the blessing and endorsement of the Watoto Church leadership.
- Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo, who succeeds Pastor Gary Skinner of Watoto Church, will take over the mantle after 39 years of service. The Rwotlonyos have served as Watoto’s Associate Team Leaders for five years.
- Pastor Rwotlonyo has a deep understanding of the church’s mission and values and has been involved with the church for many years. He has a proven track record of success as a leader and is well-respected within the church for his pastoral skills. He is seen as the perfect leader to continue the legacy of Pastor Skinner and to grow the church even further.
Pastor Skinner has served the church for nearly four decades, and his leadership and guidance has enabled the church to grow and be a beacon of hope in the community. In order to ensure continuity of the church’s mission, Pastor Skinner has decided to handover the mantle to Pastor Rwotlonyo, who has been groomed to take over the reins.
Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo has the skills, experience, and knowledge to be an effective leader, and this is reflected in his past successes as a leader.
He is also well-respected within the church for his pastoral skills and knowledge of the church’s mission and values, and he has a clear vision of where he wants to take the church. Pastor Rwotlonyo is committed to continuing Pastor Skinner’s legacy and to building on it in the future.
With their retirement announcement, Gary and Marilyn Skinner noted that, over the past ten years, they have been preparing and mentoring their successors with the blessing and endorsement of the Watoto Church leadership.
“We celebrate this new season of what God is doing and ask you to extend to Julius and to Vernita, the same love and support you have always accorded to us,” the Watoto Founders said.
“It is with joy and delight that we announce that Julius and Vernita, who have served as Associate Team Leaders for Watoto for the last five years, will succeed us.” they added.
Who is Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo?
Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo is the Senior Pastor at Watoto Church in Uganda. He is known for his passionate preaching and for his global vision of transformation and evangelism.
He is an advocate for social justice, and his leadership has been instrumental in helping Watoto Church become one of the largest churches in Africa.
For five years, Julius and Vernita Rwotlonyo served as Watoto Associates Team Leaders. His efforts have been so successful that Watoto Church has become a beacon of hope for the less privileged, inspiring them to strive for a better life and creating a ripple effect that has lasting benefits for the community.
“Since 1984, our founders have walked in obedience to the call of God, faithfully pastoring Watoto Church as well as reaching the most vulnerable children, women and communities. We have been blessed by their visionary and exemplary leadership for almost four decades.”
”Vernita and I are humbled to be stepping into this role to continue with the mandate of our vision to see healing come to the cities and the nations. We are grateful for the mentorship that we have received from Gary and Marilyn and are committed to building on their legacy,” Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo said.
“As a church, we need be relevant to the needs of community. Over and above celebrating Jesus, we must pay attention to the things that break His heart. We must care for our community by getting involved in it,” explains Pastor Rwotlonyo.
Vernita Rwotlonyo is the wife of Pastor Julius and they have four lovely children, Hayil, Hank, Hannela and Halyn, together.
In addition to serving alongside Pastor Julius, Vernita also supervises Watoto Neighbourhood, a program designed to empower women, restore them to dignity, so they and their children can thrive.
With Keep a Girl in School, the program’s preventative arm, works alongside local schools in Uganda and South Sudan to reduce dropout rates while teaching girls their worth in Christ, igniting their passion for learning, and giving them tools for success.
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