AN upcoming church for born-again Christians in Gulu Municipality has been banned.
The decision to close down the one-month-old church in Layibi division, known only as Pastor Toya's Church (the man who started it), was reached during a division council meeting last Tuesday.
The division LC3 chairman, Walter Odong Wee-Yoo, said the church had unique prayer times, which had aroused a lot of questions.
"We wonder if this is a true Church. These people start their worship at 8:00pm and stop at 1:00am every Friday.
"We came to learn of it after the they had conducted these kinds of prayers four times," Odong said.
He said the night prayers were a security threat to the division and the district as a whole.
Odong said, "They are also disturbing the night rest of the residents in surrounding areas with their loud music and promoting the spread of HIV/AIDS among the youth who take advantage of the night prayers."
Odong said the greatest worry of the division was in relation to the Kanungu incident, where hundreds of believers were burnt to death.
"These people may be waiting to get many people attracted to their church and carry out a Kanungu-related incident.
"This is why we, as leaders, have come out to stop it," Odong added.
He said the church leaders would have their equipment confiscated and handed over to the police if they continued with the night prayers.
"Let them begin day prayers when they have erected a permanent building," Odong said.
He advised Christians against blindly following churches.