GTS History Overview
1985 – Global Outreach missionary Webster Carroll met Pastor Harold Cathey in Nairobi. Cathey then made multiple visits to Uganda on short-term trips.
1990 – Pastor Cathey visited Kakombo, Iganga, and began teaching pastors. The pastors wrote a letter formally requesting Cathey to return to Uganda. The pastor of Kakombo Baptist Church was Wilson Goa, who later became one of the first graduates of GTS.
1991 – Pastor Cathey wrote a return letter to the pastors informing them of his intention to move to Uganda.
1992 – Pastor Cathey moved to Uganda and began Kakombo Pastor’s Training Center with about 75 students. Initial plans with Webster Carroll had GTS to be in Bukaleba.
1993 – The school spent about one year in Bukaleba but experienced many problems.
In November 1993 – The school moved to the YMCA property in Jinja and then to Narambhai Primary School.
1994 – The first part of the current GTS Jinja campus was purchased in Wairaka.
Later in 1994 – GTS moved to Wairaka and began meeting in the house and under a tree. Missionaries Cathey and Pete Gibson built structures with containers and other temporary structures. Plans for the current campus began. About 40 students came and brought their own food. The fees were 5,000/=. The sugar cane and coffee projects were started.
1995 – Luganda and English Diploma classes were started. Classes were taught by Pastor Cathey and national pastors, including Kasadha Moses. Missionary Dorothy Ferris began using the campus to train ladies and started Christian Women Working in Communities (CWWC), which is now under the leadership of missionary Diana Ferrell and national women leaders.
1996 – The initial campus buildings were finished. A large intake of 50 students came. The fees were 40,000/= for day students and 60,000/= for resident students. The missionary David Gladstone began teaching at GTS. More land was purchased for sugar cane production from Mr. Ngobi Mathias adjacent to the existing land.
1997 – A vision was born to begin a one-year certificate extension schools in village churches. These schools started in 1998 and were called Global Bible Institutes (GBI). Kadhaya Geoffrey, Kintu Paget, and Isabirye Peter were the first teachers.
In May 1999 – Three Global Outreach missionary families, the Abendroths, the Fulks, and the Kincaids, moved to Uganda to begin work with GTS. The level of training at GTS began to rise to a USA Bible College level.
1999 – Diploma-level students at the GTS campus numbered about 35.
1999–2000 – The Global Bible Institutes were developed more completely and began expanding in number under the leadership of Todd Kincaid. To date, there have been GBI extension schools in over 20 locations throughout Uganda.
More Ugandan teachers become regularly involved in the GTS and GBI ministries, such as Kintu Paget and Kadhaya Geoffrey. Kadhaya is now the Principal of GTS, and Kintu is the Vice-Principal.
2001 – Harold and Beverly Cathey move back to the United States. Cathey remained as the GTS President until September 2005 and continued to make trips to Uganda.
By this time, GTS had become a team of both missionaries and Ugandans committed to training pastors and church leaders.
Students enrolled in the GTS and GBI come from all over Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Congo.
Diana Ferrell continues to be a vital part of training women in Christian Women Working in Communities at the GTS campus.
2002 – GTS began its first 4th year Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology equivalent courses.
2004 – Missionary Frank Gardner became a part-time faculty member. By this time, Owilli Moses and Kizito Francis were part of the GTS faculty. Owilli also worked as the Financial Officer and Kizito as the Office Manager. Okapete John also became a full-time GBI instructor. The team was then with only one full-time missionary. The faculty and staff were Ugandan.
More land was purchased. GTS currently has 74 acres in 4 locations, most of which is used for sugarcane growing to supplement the GTS budget.
April 2005 – GTS had 89 students, its largest number of students on campus in its Diploma and Degree programs.
May 2005 – GTS had its first Alumni “Old Boys” Conference. The 57 graduates in attendance reported that they had started or helped to start over 300 churches.
September 2005 – John Fulks became the GTS President.
2007 – About 60 men came to be interviewed to join GTS. Thirty-nine were accepted into the Diploma and Degree programs. Eighty-five students attended GTS in the April 2007 term.
May 2007 – The West Nile Diploma Campus in Arua began but closed two years later due to lack of funding.
GTS faculty continued to gain higher levels of education to better train church leaders: Kintu Paget received his Master of Theological Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Kadhaya Geoffrey finished his Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Luther Rice Seminary in Georgia. John Fulks completed his Ph.D. in Missions, New Testament, and Theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Tennessee in December 2011.
GTS also recruited full-time support staff: Otau George (Farm Manager), Buyinza Godfrey (Asst. Farm Manager), Alek David (Purchaser and builder), multiple askaris, and cooks.
May 2013 – GTS Governing Council accepted Dr. John Fulks’ resignation as President and appointed Pastor Kadhaya Geoffrey as its next President. The title “President” was later changed to “Principal.”
June 2014 – GTS was granted provisional accreditation by the Uganda National Council of Higher Education.
GTS continues to grow each year. Currently, it is run by nationals: Kadhaya Geoffrey (Principal); Paget Kintu (Vice Principal); Satati Hosea (Academic Registrar); Waiswa Grace (Adjunct faculty member); Okapet George (Senior GBI Instructor); Ekadu Joshua (Bursar); Namulondo Asha (Librarian); Otau George (Farm Manager); Buyinza Godfrey (Ass. Farm Manager); Ssekanwagi Samuel (Piggery Project Manager); Toyera Joseph (Security guard); and Idera Stephen (Security guard). GTS also hosts several adjunct professors from the USA.
GTS has an eight-member governing council that oversees its operations:
- Adicho Esther (Chairperson)
- Diana Farrell (Global Outreach Representative)
- Nyende Ezekiel (Member)
- Kadama Agnes (Member)
- Wabuyere George (Member)
- Kadhaya Geoffrey (Secretary)
- Paget Kintu (Member)
- Dr. John K. Fulks (Adjunct Non-Voting Member)