On a quiet stretch of land in Aturuku Village, Tororo District, the sound of clucking chickens mingles with the grunts of pigs and the rustling of crops swaying in the breeze.
At first glance, it looks like any other thriving commercial farm. But at the centre of this enterprise is an unlikely farmer – a bishop.
Dressed casually and moving confidently from one section of the farm to another, Bishop Julius Omoit, the senior pastor of Tororo Worship Centre, is as comfortable discussing feed ratios and crop yields as he is preaching from the pulpit.
For many of his fellow clergy, this side of the bishop was a revelation. A recent visit by a group of senior born-again church ministers left them astonished.
The Christians toured Bishop Omoit’s crop gardens, piggery units and poultry houses, struggling to hide their surprise at the scale of his investment in agriculture.
‘We had heard that he was farming, but we did not expect to find such a well-established and diversified enterprise,’ one of the visiting Christians remarked.
Yet for Bishop Omoit, farming is not a hobby or a side business. It is part of his ministry.
Standing beside his poultry house, the bishop explains his philosophy with conviction.
‘I believe that one of the best ways to make the Gospel a reality in people’s lives is to help them improve their livelihoods and become self-reliant,’ he says.
To him, preaching hope is not enough if people remain trapped in poverty.
He believes faith should be accompanied by practical action that empowers families to earn a living and secure their future.
This conviction has shaped his pastoral mission. Over the years, Bishop Omoit has watched members of his congregation struggle with unemployment, low incomes and rising living costs.
He began to ask himself whether the church could do more than provide spiritual guidance. His answer was agriculture.
Today, he sees the farm not only as a source of income but as a demonstration site proof that with knowledge, hard work and determination, ordinary people can transform their lives.
The bishop’s journey into farming did not begin with a business plan or investment capital.It began with memories.
Growing up, he watched his parents labour tirelessly on small pieces of land, hoping for a harvest that was often uncertain.
‘I saw my parents struggle to make ends meet through subsistence farming. Those experiences never left me,’ he recalls.
As he rose through church leadership, the memories remained with him. Eventually, they inspired him to return to the soil – not in the traditional way he had known as a child, but with a vision of modern, commercial agriculture.
He started small, experimenting with poultry and piggery while learning new farming techniques. Gradually, he expanded into crop production and diversified his enterprises. Today, his farm stands as a testimony to perseverance and innovation.
Pastor David Omalla of Pentecostal Assemblies of God says the man of God’s experience challenged his long-held assumptions about the role of church leaders.
‘This is more than farming. It is a ministry of empowerment. The church should not only preach about prosperity; it should also demonstrate practical ways for people to achieve it,’ he said.
Pastor Ruth Kahawa of Smile Africa Ministries agrees that agriculture offers an opportunity for churches to address one of society’s biggest challenges – poverty.
‘We have seen that farming can create jobs, improve household incomes and restore dignity to families.Many of us are now inspired to take this path,’ she said.
But Bishop Omoit’s ambitions extend far beyond his own success.He dreams of turning the farm into a training centre where young people, church members and aspiring farmers can learn modern agricultural practices.
He also plans to venture into value addition, enabling farmers to earn more from their produce and access wider markets. His goal is simple: to create a model that others can replicate.
‘People need opportunities. If we can equip them with skills and encourage them to work hard, we can transform communities,’ he said.
He says it’s time religious leaders across Uganda embrace agriculture as a business and a tool for social transformation.
On the bishop’s farm in Aturukuku, sermons are not preached only from a pulpit. They are lived out in chicken houses, pig pens and fertile fields.