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✝️ Ubuntu Family Ministry – Statement of Faith
At Ubuntu Family Ministry, our faith in Christ shapes everything we do.
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We believe in one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — living in perfect unity, the model for true fellowship and the spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because we are” (Matthew 28:19; John 17:21).
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We believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness, healing, and restoration to all who believe (John 3:16).
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We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word, guiding us in truth, compassion, and justice (2 Timothy 3:16).
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We believe that while divorce grieves God’s heart (Malachi 2:16), His love never changes — He is close to the brokenhearted, and every person is precious to Him: single, divorced, widowed, or raising children alone (Psalm 34:18; Romans 8:38 39; Galatians 3:28).
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We believe the church is called to care for the vulnerable — widows, orphans, children, and the oppressed — embodying Christ’s compassion without stigma (James 1:27; Matthew 25:35 36).
These are not just doctrines, but the values that drive our ministry: love, dignity, restoration, and community care.
Who We Are
“God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6).
Ubuntu Family Ministry exists to stand in the gap where the church and community often fall silent — when marriages collapse, spouses die, or families break apart.
While many ministries focus on preparing couples for marriage or counselling them to stay together, Ubuntu steps in where families are left broken, rejected, or forgotten. Guided by our faith, we bring God’s healing and compassion to the widest gaps.
We believe that the spirit of Ubuntu reflects the very nature of God Himself — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in perfect unity. Just as the Trinity shows us that life is found in relationship, Ubuntu reminds us that we are only whole together, not alone.
🎯Mission
To proclaim God’s healing and restoration to families broken by divorce, death, and separation, ensuring no one is abandoned, rejected, or left without hope.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
(Isaiah 61:1).
🌅Vision
To see the church and community embody the heart of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect unity — by becoming a place where the divorced, widowed, single, and children of broken homes are fully embraced, restored, and given dignity.
“That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21).
" Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” – Proverbs 31:8
Family breakdown, Divorce and Marital Separation are Affecting More Families in our Churches than We’re Willing to ADMIT
While we champion family, the painful reality of divorce is often left unspoken in our churches. As a result, our leaders can feel unprepared, and families are left to navigate this difficult season alone, often in silence
Why This Ministry Exists: The Call to UBUNTU
To champion families affected by family breakdown, separation, or divorce, bringing their reality and needs into the light.
This ministry exists to remind the church that healing is found in community, not isolation. Our African identity, rooted in the principle of **Ubuntu—"I am because we are"—**calls us to carry each other's burdens. When the church supports families during their most challenging times, it reflects the heart of God.
Yet, too often, families affected by marital separation or divorce are abandoned and left to suffer in silence within the very place that should be their anchor of hope. Many women and children, instead of being embraced with compassion, face judgment, stigma, and isolation - mainly women- causing them to move to other churches, where they cower silently in shame. Children are forgotten, and they suffer in silence.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners."
A Call to Compassion
Jesus never refused the hurting. He never distanced himself through legalism religious arguments, oppression and sexism, from those crushed under the weight of sin, betrayal, abuse, divorce or singledom. He touched the untouchable. He restored the outcast. He lifted the woman caught in adultery and silenced her accusers.
Our call to the church is to move beyond one-time events and isolated counselling. We must build a true culture of care where families of divorce are embraced and integrated into the whole church body for lasting healing.
My Testimony
I am Shibero Akatsa, and I founded this ministry because I have walked the road of divorce and family breakdown myself. I understand the pain of hurt, isolation from central support, and the journey toward healing. Now, I use my personal experience and professional insight to guide others.
I saw firsthand how churches, often unintentionally, can cause harm, added trauma, through silence, judgment, or inaction, towards often the main victims. Women and children.
This ministry began as a personal cry: “Where is the church when families fall apart?” But it became a collective mission: to walk with the broken, not abandon them.
What This Ministry Offers
We don’t just point to the problem—we offer the Church a path forward.
*Training & Equipping for Church Leaders
Biblically grounded, culturally relevant guidance on how to walk with families in crisis.
*Healing Programs for Divorced or Separated Members
Faith-based group programs like UBUNTU Family Divorce Care, created specifically for the African context.
*One-on-One Strategy & Ministry Support
We help churches develop long-term ministries of restoration for men, women, and children affected by separation.
*Speaking & Awareness Campaigns
Conversations to break the silence, shift the stigma, and bring grace to the forefront.
This is not a Western solution, as some have argued, nor is it a theological rebellion. And neither does it 'encourage' divorce, as some churches believe. This is an African, faith-based call to LOVE and CARE better for the hurting.
UBUNTU.
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" Psalms 34:18
If your church is willing to:
Listen, Learn, Equip itself to CARE with TRUTH and Grace for Hurting Families then :
Email: spht@shibero.com.
WhatsApp (text only):0794950172
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1