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42-468: The church was founded in 1984 in Kampala by Canadian missionaries Pastor Gary Skinner and his wife, Marylin. Initially, it operated out of Kampala's Imperial Hotel before the leadership took over a disused cinema which was renamed The Centre. Today, Watoto occupies its own purpose-built campus in Kampala and earns £13.3 million a year. Watoto's main church is dubbed Watoto Church Downtown and has expanded over

84-839: A Letter to the Russian people in which he advocated criminalizing "the public advocacy of homosexuality". On August 30, 2013, in response to anti-LGBT legislation in Russia , Lively wrote an open letter addressed to Vladimir Putin saying, "You have set an example of moral leadership that has shamed the governments of Western Europe and North America and inspired the peoples of the world." Lively appeared on Russian television channel Russia-1 's documentary titled Sodom in September 2014. In March 2009, Lively, along with evangelical activists Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge, arrived in Kampala to give

126-478: A January 2011 profile, Lively "has not changed his view that gays are 'agents of America's moral decline,' but he has refocused his approach to fit his parishioners in Springfield, Massachusetts ", and "is toning down his antigay truths and shifting his focus to helping the downtrodden." Kevin E. Abrams and Lively co-authored The Pink Swastika (1995). Abrams and Lively state in the preface that "homosexuals [are]

168-718: A fifty-city tour of Russia and other former Soviet republics, sponsored by Ledyaev's church, which had roughly 200 congregations and a regional TV channel. As Lively traveled from the Baltics to Siberia, he pressed officials to outlaw the "public advocacy of homosexuality" and urged officials from passing anti-discrimination laws. Eight of the nine countries he visited eventually weighed nationwide bans on "homosexual propaganda," and five (including Russia) either have bills pending or have since passed them into law. Lively takes partial credit for this development and calls Russia's gay propaganda ban his "proudest accomplishment." In 2007, Lively wrote

210-425: A former vice president of Uganda, owns a home in the area. Ntinda has an upscale shopping mall called "Capital Shoppers City", with a supermarket, banks, shoe stores, a restaurant, and a cake-making business. Surface and underground parking are available, along with armed security. The following points of interest are located in or near Ntinda: Scott Lively Scott Douglas Lively (born December 14, 1957)

252-763: A nuclear bomb against the gay agenda in Uganda.'" The talks inspired the development of the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act , a private member's bill , proposed in the Ugandan parliament. The bill, submitted in November 2009, called for the death penalty in some cases, and was harshly criticized in the international community. Lively expressed disappointment that "the legislation was so harsh." "Lively says he recommended an approach rooted in rehabilitation, not punishment, and says an anti-gay bill being considered by

294-526: A series of talks to Ugandan lawmakers before the drafting of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Lively was born and raised in the town of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts , the oldest of six children. He became an alcoholic at the age of 12, an addiction he explains as a means to cope with an unhappy family situation. When Lively was 16, his father was committed to a mental institution, never to return. After graduating from high school in 1976, Lively spent

336-704: A series of talks. "The theme of the event, according to Stephen Langa, its Ugandan organizer, was "'the gay agenda —that whole hidden and dark agenda'—and the threat homosexuals posed to Bible-based values and the traditional African family." Lively gave a lengthy presentation to members of Uganda's parliament and cabinet, in which he laid out the argument that the nation's president and lawmakers would later use to justify Uganda's anti-gay crackdown; namely that Western agitators were trying to unravel Uganda's social fabric by spreading "the disease" of homosexuality to children. "[T]housands of Ugandans, including police officers, teachers and national politicians", reportedly attended

378-517: A spokesman for the Oregon Citizens Alliance and worked on the anti-abortion ballot measure for the 1990 United States midterm elections . In 1991, Lively, together with Oregon Citizens Alliance, shifted focus from abortion to homosexuality citing the "rapid advance of that agenda in Oregon". In 1991, Lively assaulted Catherine Stauffer, throwing her against a wall and dragging her across

420-459: A third of the delegates present, exceeding the minimum requirement to appear on the ballot for the primary election on September 4, challenging fellow GOP incumbent Charlie Baker . Lively lost the primary to Baker, with Lively receiving 36.1% support (98,214 out of 271,990 votes cast) and Baker the remaining 63.9%. In 1988, Lively began campaigning against abortion in Portland. In 1989, he became

462-682: A week in members' homes to share in fellowship. Watoto Church has a leadership structure, with the Church Council at its apex. It is the overall policy organ of Watoto Church and all its ministries. The council is responsible for strategic policy decisions as well as the management and smooth running of the church. It is made up of the Pastoral Team, the Elders' Team and the Deacons' Team. On 3rd February 2023, in an emotional service, Gary and Marilyn Skinner,

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504-477: Is also regarded by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group . Susan Ryan-Vollmar, a communications consultant and a former newspaper editor, wrote on the day after the September 2018 primary that Gov. Baker's "unspoken strategy for dealing with Lively throughout the primary was to ignore him." Neither was there, she said, a significant "local outcry" against Lively's candidacy. According to

546-620: Is an American activist, author, and attorney, who is the president of Abiding Truth Ministries , an anti-LGBT group based in Temecula, California . He was also a cofounder of Latvia -based group Watchmen on the Walls , state director of the California branch of the American Family Association , and a spokesman for the Oregon Citizens Alliance . He unsuccessfully attempted to be elected as

588-552: Is listed in the Southern Poverty Law Center's "Extremist Files", which describes him as "actively propagandizing against LGBT people since the early 1990s." Abiding Truth Ministries has been listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay hate group. Lively has, in turn, accused the SPLC of "hypocrisy and anti-Christian extremism". The American Family Association , the California branch of which Lively has directed,

630-432: Is responsible for the spiritual oversight of the church and its membership. Their approach to ministry is holistic and hence, the fruit thereof is an enhancement of the whole man - spirit, soul and body. The deacons' team is responsible for the physical needs of the church. Their responsibilities include: The elders' team is responsible for governing the direction of the church, guarding its doctrines, and together with

672-540: The Alien Tort Statute . The lawsuit accused Lively of violating international law by conspiring to persecute the Ugandan LGBT community. This first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleged that Lively's actions over the previous decade, in collaboration with some Ugandan government officials and Ugandan religious leaders, were responsible for depriving LGBT Ugandans of their fundamental human rights based solely on their identity;

714-496: The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a Uganda-based coalition of LGBT rights and advocacy groups, could move forward. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor rejected the defendant's jurisdictional claims to dismiss the case, ruling that the plaintiffs were on solid ground under international and federal law and that First Amendment arguments were "premature". In December 2014,

756-528: The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected another petition to dismiss the case. In the summer of 2016 the case continued and a summary judgement hearing before Judge Ponsor was scheduled for September 14, 2016 in Springfield, Massachusetts . In June 2017, Ponsor dismissed the case due to lack of jurisdiction, citing the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. Lively

798-644: The governor of Massachusetts in both 2014 and 2018 . Lively has promoted a hardline anti-gay interpretation of the Bible, been involved in the ex-gay movement , and been staunchly opposed to LGBT rights . In 1995, he co-authored The Pink Swastika , a book claiming gay people were prominent in the Nazi Party and were behind Nazi atrocities . He has called for the criminalization of "the public advocacy of homosexuality" as far back as 2007. Widely credited as an engineer of Uganda 's Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 , he gave

840-553: The 1960s and 1970s, Ntinda was a small trading center with a few shops, a farmers market, and several housing estates for employees of the East African Railways . After the regime changes in the country in the 1980s, Ntinda became attractive to the well-to-do, and upscale residential neighborhoods began to spring up in the area. One such residential neighborhood had so many Uganda Cabinet Ministers taking up residence that it became known as "Ministers Village". Gilbert Bukenya ,

882-621: The Church is to Celebrate Christ and care for the community. The vision states that "We are an English-speaking, cell based community church, celebrating Christ, growing and multiplying, as each one reaches one touching those around us with the love of Jesus bringing healing to the cities and the nations."The church is fast growing and it already has a campus in war-torn South Sudan , Watoto Church Juba . The church has an average congregation of 37,000 people who also meet in smaller cell groups. Each cell comprises about 7 to 10 members who meet at least once

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924-477: The Gospel and speak my opinion about the homosexual issue." Pam Spees, a staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights , said, "This is not just based on his speech. It's based on his conduct. Belief is one thing, but actively trying to harm and deprive other people of their rights is the definition of persecution." On August 14, 2013, an American federal judge ruled that the case against Scott Lively, by

966-507: The Ugandan Parliament goes too far", even though he himself is not opposed to criminalizing homosexuality: [M]y advice to the parliament was to go the other direction from what they did to actually go on a proactive positive message promoting the family, promoting marriage, et cetera, through the schools, and that if they were going to continue to criminalize homosexuality that they should focus on rehabilitation and not punishment. And I

1008-527: The Walls , which the Southern Poverty Law Center has dubbed a hate group . Lively spent the summer of 2006 lecturing at Latvian universities and meeting with lawmakers, and preached at Ledyaev's New Generation church. During Lively's speaking engagements, he claimed that Western activists (backed by the European Union ) were trying to infiltrate Latvian society and spread homosexuality, particularly to children. After his trip to Latvia, Lively then embarked on

1050-436: The best decisions of my life. I also cited the policy in some U.S. jurisdictions regarding marijuana. Criminalization of the drug prevents its users from promoting it, and discourages non-users from starting, even while the law itself is very lightly enforced, if at all. On March 14, 2012, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a federal lawsuit against Lively on behalf of a gay rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda, under

1092-571: The capital city of Uganda . Ntinda lies in Nakawa Division , one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala. It is bordered by Kyambogo to the east, Nakawa to the south, Naguru to the west, Bukoto to the northwest, Kigoowa to the north, and Kiwatule to the northeast. This location is approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala's central business district. The coordinates of Ntinda are 0°21'18.0"N, 32°36'52.0"E (Latitude:0.355004; Longitude:32.614437). During

1134-501: The choir remained stranded overseas, all of them eventually returned home safely. Watoto Church adheres to the biblical standard of sexuality recognising that it is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within the confines of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage relationship. Watoto Church is in favour of pro-family legislation that reflects and preserves this biblical standard providing security for all members of society. Watoto Church remains committed to providing help to anyone grappling with

1176-463: The conference. Lively and his colleagues "discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys, and how 'the gay movement is an evil institution' whose goal is 'to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.'" He asserted that the 1994 Rwandan genocide "probably" involved gay men whom he referred to as "monsters." Lively wrote days later that "someone had likened their campaign 'to

1218-504: The floor of a Portland church, at an Oregon Citizens Alliance event she had been trying to film. In 1992 he was found liable for damages in excess of $ 31,000. Lively is the president of Abiding Truth Ministries , a conservative Christian organization based in Temecula, California which is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay hate group . In 2006, Lively met with Latvian pastor Alexey Ledyaev to form an international anti-gay organization called Watchmen on

1260-407: The founders formally stepped down from their 40-year role as team leaders of Watoto Ministries. The Skinners before a fully packed church, knelt down and washed the feet of their successors, Julius and Vernita Rwotlonyo. Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo is the current team leader of Watoto ministries, assisted by various campus pastors and other ministry leaders. The pastoral team, led by Pastor Edward Mwesigye,

1302-673: The lawsuit alleged that this fell under the definition of persecution under international law and was a crime against humanity . Lively was to answer the allegations under the Crime Against Humanity of Persecution. He has portrayed the Ugandan LGBT movement as " pedophilic " and " genocidal " and linked it "to the Nazis and Rwandan murderers". Regarding the allegations of violating international law, he said, "That's about as ridiculous as it gets. I've never done anything in Uganda except preach

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1344-414: The moral and sexual issues of life. For this reason, Watoto Church has received criticism for its stance on homosexuality. See Scott Lively to visit and the 2014 Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act allegedly arose as a result of the conference. The act was however repealed by Ugandan courts Ugandan court strikes down anti-gay legislation Ntinda Ntinda is a location in northeastern Kampala ,

1386-695: The next 10 years "drifting around the United States, often homeless, sometimes sleeping under bridges and begging for spare change on street-corners." Lively has stated in his autobiography : "I visited every one of the 48 continental states and logged over 25,000 miles by thumb, bus and train in my wandering. I didn't learn to drive a car until I was 25." Lively states that he became a born-again Christian on February 1, 1986, while staying at an alcohol treatment facility in Portland, Oregon , of which he has said, "It

1428-407: The organisation. Watoto currently operates 3 villages for orphaned children. These are home to more than 3000 children. Watoto Church produces an annual Christmas cantata . And a gospel drama play every four years known as Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames . The shows are a mixture of live performance music, dance, scripted drama, sounds and lighting effects. Historically, the cantata has run through

1470-419: The pastoral team, provide direction and authority within the church, encouraging and empowering members of the congregation to do what God has given them the ability to do. Watoto Church is home to Watoto Child Care Ministries , a ministry that assists vulnerable children and women in Uganda and which is best known for its Watoto Children's Choirs that tour internationally, proselytizing, and raising money for

1512-504: The preservation of the liberties of those who desire to keep their personal lifestyles private. Marriage-based culture served humanity very favorably during the centuries when homosexuality was disapproved but tolerated as a sub-culture in America, England and elsewhere. It has obviously not fared well in the decades since the so-called sexual revolution kicked open Pandora's Box and unleashed both rampant heterosexual promiscuity and "Gay Pride" on

1554-412: The true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities." The premise of Lively and Abrams' book has been criticized as a "pernicious myth", "utterly false", "a flat-out lie", and several historians have questioned Abrams and Lively's claims and selective use of research. Lively is married to Anne Gardner and has four children. In 2020 Lively claimed Donald Trump lost

1596-599: The week before Christmas. During the COVID-19 pandemic , the church was criticised for going ahead with a tour by its internationally renowned children's choir. According to the then Uganda's child affairs minister, the Internal Security Organisation needed investigating Watoto church for alleged breaches of child labour laws. Seven members of the choir and seven adults on the tour with the children contracted COVID-19, but all recovered. Although 80 other members of

1638-435: The world. In March of this year I had the privilege of addressing members of the Ugandan parliament in their national assembly hall when the anti-homosexuality law was just being considered. I urged them to pattern their bill on some American laws regarding alcoholism and drug abuse. I cited my own pre-Christian experience being arrested for drunk driving. I was given and chose the option of therapy which turned out to be one of

1680-643: The years across the city with Watoto Church Ntinda , Bweyogerere , Lubowa , Kyengera , Kansanga , Bugolobi and Entebbe .The church has also expanded across Uganda with Watoto Church Bbira in Wakiso District , Watoto Church Suubi in Mpigi District , Watoto Church Gulu , Watoto Church Laminadera in the then Gulu, now Omoro District and Watoto Church Mbarara in Mbarara City , Jinja , Juba in south Sudan and more recently Watoto Nansana . The vision of

1722-539: Was a miracle which completely removed my desire for alcohol and drugs—something I had been unable to do for myself over several years of a desperate futile struggle to find some way to freedom." Lively was an independent candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in the 2014 election . He ran again as a Republican candidate in the 2018 election . At the Massachusetts Republican Party's state convention on April 28, 2018, he received support from nearly

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1764-448: Was very disappointed when the law came out as it is written now with such incredibly harsh punishments. Lively has stated that he will endorse the bill if the death penalty is removed. In March 2010, Lively wrote: In my view, homosexuality (indeed all sex outside of marriage) should be actively discouraged by society—but only as aggressively as necessary to prevent the mainstreaming of alternative sexual lifestyles, and with concern for

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