Kigali, 2 December 2012
Today at Petit State, President Kagame joined Members of ADEPR gathered at Petit Stade for the closing of a one week retreat during which they discussed the role of the church in national reconciliation, the fight against drugs and domestic violation and in Rwanda’s development.
President Kagame began his address by acknowledging ADEPR’s continuous work for the development of Rwandans.
“Believing in God is not just about words but about actions.”
President Kagame reminded the leaders of the church of the need to learn from the mistakes of the past.
“There are different paths that lead you to God but there is only one God…we are all going in the same direction. The same applies to our nation, we may be different but we are all working for the development of our nation.”
Sharing his insight on the current challenges faced by Rwanda, President Kagame told the participants.
“We have overcome many challenges and we will overcome what we are going through today…we will continue to uphold the truth, value ourselves and stay true to who we are. The more someone denies you your right, the hard you must fight for it…challenges should not make us stronger and more determined to work hard for a better future.”
President Kagame concluded his address by thanking ADEPR members for their work to uplift Rwandans and urged them to continue working to achieve self reliance and the betterment of Rwanda.
ADEPR church is the largest Pentecostal association of churches in Rwanda, with a parish representation in every sector, ADEPR has 1’514 pastors and 1’000’000 members. With 70 nursery schools, 160 primary schools, 45 secondary schools and 36 technical schools, ADEPR has made substantial contribution in the field of education as well as health and social development. To date, its adult literacy programs have trained over 400,000 adults earning ADEPR the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize in 2001, 2005 and 2012.