From the time news of Reverend Canon Antoine Rutayisire’s retirement ran in the ears of many Christians, a great number of them praised him for his wise counsel and service.

The preacher and counsellor to many in the Anglican fraternity who retired from his leadership on June 4, was gifted with a brand new Toyota Fortuner 2023 as a sign of gratitude from Christians, with many giving testimonies on the lessons they learned from his leadership.

According to Sam Nkurunziza, the parish council chairman at St. Peter’s Remera Parish, Rev. Rutayisire’s main principle was to spread the gospel and message of Jesus Christ, which he did marvellously and brought many people to Christ.

"During his time, the church grew in numbers and in spirit. He was adept at caring for his followers, as he followed up and supported Christians in diverse ways, particularly spiritually and morally,” Nkurunziza noted.

He added that many Christians were in church, but were oppressed by family trials, financial issues, and other problems. However, Rutayisire counselled and mentored them, which kept them hopeful.

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Nkurunziza said that Rutayisire trained Christians at church to become evangelists, and offered them a platform to practice, and most importantly, he practiced excessively in his role as a pastor.

"Rev. Rutayisire also reunited families that were on the verge of breaking and spearheaded infrastructural developments in Giporoso. When he joined St Peter’s Remera Parish, the area was underdeveloped as the buildings around were old, and the church was very small. He took the lead as a senior pastor and engaged Christians to transform the area,” Nkurunziza said.

Nkurunziza further explained that the new church that was recently inaugurated can accommodate 2,100 people with enough offices for the pastors and other staff.

He also pointed out that Rutayisire left the church in a condition that everyone was proud to be a member.

The Christians who were able and gratified to contribute to the fundraising for his gift came to the conclusion of buying a brand new car, as they were certain that Rutayisire would still move around serving God, yet his car had become old.

Fundraising the money took his followers about three months, though they decided not to reveal how much the car cost.

"We kept the fundraising process to ourselves as the parish, but it went public, and other people who love him joined us to celebrate him. It has been a full week of Christians honouring and applauding Rev. Rutayisire’s good work,” Nkurunziza said.

While delivering a message from Christians during his retirement ceremony at St. Peter’s Anglican Church of Rwanda, Janet Nkubana, the chief fundraiser of the car, said Rev. Rutayisire served the Lord and the church above himself, gladly, tirelessly, and faithfully and with a great passion for his congregation.

She also noted that he planted seeds of hope, love, and faithfulness in their lives, and truly made a difference in many lives, adding that he showed hospitality, and offered encouragement to many without discrimination.

"As the story of your life opens to its next chapter, may the Almighty God bless you and watch over you. May God grant you peace always, and may the God of abundant joy shower you daily with great appreciation from all of us,” the Christians’ message, read by Nkubana, concluded.

James Kazubwenge, the Chairman of Fathers’ Union at Anglican Church of Rwanda Kigali Diocese, Remera Parish, praised Rutayisire as a God fearing man and a true Christian because he has embraced Godly values in his life.

He emphasised that the reverend lives the gospel of Christ that he preaches, and his faith has shaped his leadership style.

"I know Pastor Rutayisire as a truthful man, he speaks and stands for facts no matter the situation. He has good interpersonal skills and all the people he worked with can attest to this, from the senior leadership team to cleaners. He treated everyone with respect and listened to them,” Kazubwenge said.

He also said that Rutayisire ensured that his decisions aligned with what he believes in. "He wouldn’t make any decisions that would contradict his faith. He lived an exemplary life in terms of conduct, and never misused church funds or got involved in any immoral behaviour.”

While describing Reverend Rutayisire’s attributes, Kazubwenge noted that he is a transformational leader and brought change and transformation.

He called the pastor a visionary and risk-taking leader and a decision-maker who is open to criticism and never takes offense when challenged with positive criticism.

"Reverend Rutayisire empowered people he worked with and gave them space to work as Christians. He believes that people have talents that God gave them and he assisted in nurturing them. He is not a selfish leader because he hates taking all the credit for whatever achievement, but appreciates everyone’s role,” Kazubwenge said.

He noted that he will always remember Rutayisire as a true servant of Christ, worth emulating for his passion for Christ, his desire for people to know Christ and turn away from sin, his selflessness in serving others, his prayerfulness, and his love for people, and bearing no grudge.

According to Ruth Mukabaranga, a member of the Mothers’ Union at EAR Remera Anglican Church, the reverend is an intelligent and transformative leader who always strives to see the church grow holistically without forgetting its surroundings.

She further said the reverend has walked with the congregation on a journey of development and has the compassion to improve the welfare of the needy.

"He found us in a small church where half of the members would pray from outside. Now, we are in a super executive church that accommodates more than 3000 people. There was a terribly muddy and dusty environment near the church which he dealt with during his first project dubbed ‘Bye-bye Cyondo’,” Mukabaranga explained.

She added that Pastor Rutayisire established 40 days of prayer and fasting which brought spiritual growth among Christians and commitment to the Lord’s work, in addition to crafting a conducive environment for both spiritual and commercial activities.

"He also organised the church in structures where every group had a belonging, for instance, Mothers’ Union, Fathers’ Union, and Youth Union, and also established a strong pre-marital counselling framework.”

His car is expected to be in Rwanda, from Dubai, in about three weeks.