At 16, a shy boy named Julius sat in a church in Uganda, a country that carries a unique spiritual legacy in East Africa. Known as the “Pearl of Africa,” Uganda is a nation where Christianity has deep roots, yet prosperity gospel messages often compete with biblical truth. In this complex spiritual landscape, leaders are called to raise up a generation grounded in authentic faith.
The young boy was listening to a preacher whose words seemed to pierce straight through him. Something was happening, something he couldn’t quite name but could definitely feel. Deep in his chest, God’s Word pierced through, and suddenly, the world looked different.
At the moment he fell in love with God’s Word, he boldly believed in God, and a fire was ignited in him to serve the Lord. He made a quiet decision that one day he would be sharing the Word of God with others.
That night, Julius gave his life to Jesus. But it wasn’t just a decision; it activated a transformation. “Something happened in my heart,” he would later recall. “I began to see people with eyes of eternity.”
Julius experienced this encounter with God at Watoto Church, an English-speaking Pentecostal church founded in 1984 by Canadian missionaries Gary and Marilyn Skinner. Watoto means “children,” and under Gary and Marilyn’s leadership, the church lived out its name as it grew into a global ministry known for its extensive social programs for vulnerable women and children.
For the next ten years, the vision God gave Julius at age 16 would sharpen and deepen, shaping the trajectory of his entire life.
God’s Calling
By 17, the shy teenager who had sat nervously in that church was replaced by a young man on fire with purpose. The Holy Spirit had filled him with an overwhelming love for God’s Word. The fear of people that once gripped him disappeared, and in its place burned an unshakeable confidence in God and a fire to serve.
One day, as he sat studying Scripture, Julius heard God speak clearly to his spirit: “You will be sharing my Word.” That prophecy became the north star of his life as he remembered the first day he made the decision inside his heart that he would be sharing the Word of God with others.
But God wasn’t done speaking. Another message came, one that would become the foundation of everything Julius would build: “Treat young people not as they are, but as the great leaders they will become.”
Julius carried these words with him as life took an unexpected turn. Despite the clear call to ministry, practical realities and expectations led him to pursue an engineering degree in the UK. On paper, he was preparing for a career in technology. But, in reality, God was preparing him for something far greater.
When he returned home to Uganda, Julius walked back into Watoto Church and it wasn’t just his coming back to church, but it was his coming back to the mission field.
Leading the Next Generation
Rather than pursuing engineering, Julius became a youth worker at Watoto. He started small by leading a teen discipleship group with two friends who became his peers and mentors. Together, they created a space where young people could encounter God authentically, without pretense or performance.
Julius threw himself into his ministry, passing on to young people the passion for God that had driven him since the age of 17. He gave them opportunities to preach, to lead their peers, to step into roles that society said they weren’t ready for. And he watched, amazed, as they rose to the challenge every single time.
Years passed. Julius’ influence grew. He became a leader not just of youth, but within Watoto Church itself. And then came a relationship that would change everything.
Vision & Partnership
The partnership between Watoto and OneHope didn’t start with Julius; it started with his leader, Gary Skinner, who shared a burning passion for reaching the youth of Uganda.
As Julius grew in leadership at Watoto, Gary began preparing him to take over the church’s leadership. Part of that preparation meant connecting Julius directly with OneHope’s vision and resources. Rob Hoskins, OneHope’s co-founder, began to mentor Julius specifically as he stepped into greater responsibility.
When Bob and Rob Hoskins, the Founder & Co-founder of OneHope, sat down with Julius and began sharing the vision God had given them, something clicked.
“Bob shared about the vision, and I began to appreciate OneHope not just as a program, but as a mission,” Julius remembers. “I began to discover all the resources they brought innovation, design, and tools we had never imagined.”
As Julius prepared to step into greater leadership at Watoto, Rob mentorship and initiatives like Miscio; his understanding of ministry expanded exponentially. Miscio is a global Christian education initiative in Uganda that provides access to internationally accredited higher education through a collaboration between Watoto Church and Southeastern University (SEU) in the US. Through initiatives like Miscio, OneHope wasn’t just providing a curriculum; they were providing a place for innovation and growth.
Building A Movement for Africa & Beyond
Today, Julius leads one of the most dynamic youth movements in East Africa. Watoto Church runs up to 18 campuses with 30,000 to 37,000 weekly attendees, which makes it one of the largest churches in the region, including 2,000 strong and growing young people. But numbers have never been the point.
Julius has built a ministry focused on reaching young people in schools across Uganda. He has launched initiatives like phone-free leadership camps for those critical years between high school and university, creating space for young people to hear God without digital distraction. He’s implemented outcome-based ministry, moving beyond just keeping kids busy to intentionally shaping disciples who will transform their nation.
OneHope programs are now an integral part of Watoto’s ministry. Sunday school lessons and discipleship training courses for children and youth now carry the fingerprints of this partnership.
Lead Today is one of the active programs at Watoto. In partnership with John Maxwell’s EQUIP, OneHope developed Lead Today as a youth development program designed to introduce teens aged 12 to 19 to fifteen key leadership qualities built on biblical principles. Lead Today is training young people to become influencers who lead according to kingdom values.
OneHope also provides Books of Hope, Scripture resources that provide a harmony of the Gospels for children in vibrant, accessible, and contextualized ways that make Bible stories feel personal and alive.
Every resource, every program, every training module in partnership with Watoto and OneHope has become a bridge connecting the next generation to Jesus through His Word.
In 2001, a young boy named Ruvuza Mark arrived at Watoto in need of hope because his mother couldn’t care for him. She did not have enough resources to take care of him, so she made the difficult decision to take him to Watoto Child Care Ministries. After years of intentional discipleship through the Watoto leaders and community, Mark discovered a passion for sharing about Christ through creative mediums. Today, he’s pursuing a degree in Digital Media & Design through Southeastern University’s Miscio program while leading creative production for Watoto’s Youth and Young Adults ministry. Mark uses film and storytelling to share Christ-centered messages across Eastern Africa. In 2025, he contributed to the Africa Film Design initiative, writing scripts that ensured Eastern Africa was portrayed authentically. From adopted child to creative leader shaping how Africa tells its own stories, Mark’s testimony reflects what happens when you treat young people as the leaders they will become.
It’s stories of breakthrough, healing, and young lives transformed that keep Julius going even when the challenges mount, and the weight of it all threatens to overwhelm. Ultimately, there is one primary source that keeps him grounded: “God’s Word,” he says without hesitation, makes him stand firm and truthful to the mission.
Julius’ vision extends far beyond Watoto, beyond Uganda, beyond East Africa.
He carries a dream that some might call audacious, others might call impossible. Julius simply calls it obedience. He has witnessed God move mightily through the overlooked, the underestimated, the too-young-to-matter, and each miracle has stretched his faith to believe for something even greater.
“I believe Africa will lead the world in missions,” he declares. “I believe missions should be part of our DNA as African believers. We have the youth. We have the passion. We have faith. Now we need the structure and the sending.”
Around 60 percent of Africa’s population is under the age 25, making it the youngest continent in the world. By 2030, African youth (ages 15-24) will be 42 percent of the world’s youth population. With a massive youth demographic and 26 percent of the world’s Christians, Africa is poised to become an epicenter for global Christianity.
Under Julius’ leadership, Watoto is seeking to steward the region’s growing population of young people and Christian believers by planting churches, caring for the vulnerable, and now, building a mission infrastructure that will send African believers to the ends of the earth. Julius even dreams of leveraging sports as a vehicle for missions, reaching young people through the universal language of competition and teamwork.
A Calling Beyond Borders
From a shy 16-year-old hearing God’s call to a senior pastor leading thousands, Julius’ journey has been anything but predictable.
Today, Julius isn’t just sharing the Word. He’s equipping an army of young Africans to carry that Word to the nations. He’s treating them not as they are, but as the great leaders they will become.
He’s a leader who refuses to settle for keeping young people entertained when he could be equipping them to change the world.
He’s pursuing a God-sized vision that transcends one church, one nation, or even one continent; a vision of African youth rising up, Spirit-empowered and gospel-centered, to spread the message of Jesus in places where it has never been heard before.
To learn more about Julius’ story and the vision that launched Miscio, check out this powerful video narrative.
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OneHope Team
- 28 Jul 2026
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