The 30th of July 2023 will indelibly be inked in the history of this blessed country for undeniably, something monumental happened at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) showgrounds in Lugogo, Kampala.
For three hours and twenty minutes, Apostle Grace Lubega and his team dared to believe and clap themselves into the record books for Jesus. With 3 hours and 20 minutes, a new record was set shattering the previous one that stood at 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Yes, it required resilience and tenacity but there was no scope for drawing back once the trumpet sounded. Men and women, young and old, they all knew the goal: clap nonstop for Jesus without vocal noises, musical instruments, or mechanical aid.
In the UMA multipurpose hall, hundreds of official participants clapped for Jesus; in the overflow tent and parking lot, thousands more praised, danced, and prayed as they cheered on their team; across the world several others in homes, hotels, and livestream centers joined in via live video feed in a show of solidarity.
It might take a while to fully unpack the spiritual implication of what Apostle Grace and his team delivered but there’s no denying that God was in it. For instance, one would have expected the energy level of the participants to drop as the clock ticked yet this was far from reality; the participants clapped at the same intensity, if not harder for the duration of the challenge. This they did with joy and sheer delight on their faces as they clapped in unison.
Yet all said and done, the singular purpose Apostle Grace and his team took on this world record challenge was to glorify God. In his words, “if there’s anything we can do to give glory to God, we will do it! If someone ever asks what the longest applause in history was for, let them discover that it was for Jesus.”
As we await the official communication from the Guinness World Record team, there is no denying that this was more than just clapping for three hours and twenty minutes but a message to the world about the Lord Jesus in whom we believe, trust and hope.
