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Sudan
Welcome to Sudan! Despite decades of unrest, the people of Sudan retain a culture of hospitality towards outsiders. Sudan is a land of stark extremes, from desert to rain forest, from Islam to Christianity, from the teeming metropolis of Khartoum or Port Sudan to the quiet nomadic camps scattered across the desert. One hundred thirty-four separate languages are spoken there, with Arabic serving as the common language of government and business. Above all, it is a nation of people who are known and loved by Jesus Christ. Sudan is the largest nation in Africa and home to over 30 million people, five million of whom are refugees struggling to survive. Since 1985, approximately two million have died due to war, genocide, and famine. Ministry VisionBy faith, SIM sees God bringing His peace and mercy to Sudan. We see Sudanese Christians growing toward maturity in Christ. We also see many southern Sudanese children going to school with the health and living conditions improving for the war torn areas where refugees and displaced people are coming home.Current SIM MinistrySIM's ministry in North Sudan includes supporting Gideon Theological College in Khartoum where almost all the church leaders of Sudan Interior Church and Sudanese Church of Christ are trained; translation of the Scriptures (currently in two languages: Dinka Padang and Mabaan); ministry to street boys; supporting indigenous evangelistic, church planting, and discipleship ministries; running a guest house for church workers; and witnessing among the majority Northerners. Under the banner of Rebuilding Southern Sudan: Church and Nation, SIM's ministry efforts include primary school teacher training, evangelism and church planting, discipleship and church leadership training. By faith we are stepping into the creation of a secondary school, medical ministry—clinic, primary health care and community health workers training and provision of clean drinking water in January 2007. Resettlement of pastors and agricultural training are also part of our vision for this coming year. SIM's Partner ChurchAs of 2005, the SIC (Sudan Interior Church) has 111 fully organized churches in the North and about 168 developing churches or preaching points. The largest church district is that of Khartoum with 30 churches. The Bible training institution in Khartoum is called Gideon Theological College. About 130 SIC churches are organized in New Sudan, also known as South Sudan, with another 25 refugee churches in Ethiopia and Kenya. Unreached People GroupsSeventy-three people groups inhabit Sudan. Less than 20% of the population is reported to have any affiliation with a Christian church. History of ChristianityRoman Catholic missionaries began work in Sudan in 1842. Today the Catholic church is the largest church in Sudan. The Anglicans (Church Missionary Society) entered in 1899. From 1916 onward, tens of thousands were converted. Presently the Anglican Church is the second largest church in Sudan. In 1900 the United Presbyterians initiated work in both the north and the south. From their work, the Presbyterian Church in the Sudan emerged in the south, and the Evangelical Church of the Sudan (which was linked with the Egyptian Coptic Evangelical Church) emerged in the north. Sudan United Mission (SUM) opened work early in the 20th century, founding the Sudanese Church of Christ. The Africa Inland Mission entered in 1949, forming the Africa Inland Church. SIM entered the country in 1937. Work began among the Mabaan, Uduk, Dinka, Jum Jum, and Koma peoples in that order. In 1964, however, missionaries of all agencies were expelled from the south as the civil war escalated. By 1970, SIM had only five missionaries in Sudan, all in the Khartoum area. They helped to provide liaison for other missions who were forced to leave entirely. Meanwhile they instructed believers in the Scriptures. Many were southerners taking refuge in the northern city. After the war ended in 1972-1973, an agreement allowed missionaries to engage again in limited activities in the south. SIM workers returned to the Upper Nile Province in 1978. They helped in relief, primary health care, agricultural and development work. In February 1984, due to increasing political disturbances, all SIM ministry in the south was again suspended, and the few remaining missionaries moved to the SIM headquarters in Khartoum. In 1986, 38 SIM-related churches, known collectively as the Sudan Interior Church (SIC), existed in Sudan. These churches were located among three people groups: the Dinka, with their main centers at Melut and Renk along the White Nile, the Mabaan based at Doro and the Uduk based at Chali, both near the Ethiopian border. An additional 20 developing churches or preaching points were also established. In 1987, however, the civil war spread into the areas in which SIC churches were functioning. As the people fled in every direction, they re-established churches in the towns of the North where they settled temporarily. Some were displaced to the far south of the country where they established churches near the border with Uganda. They crossed as refugees into Kenya where they established one church and into Ethiopia where they now have 14 churches. A good number of SIC churches functioned at that time even though it was difficult to gather statistics or identify locations. Some of these churches were "discovered" only recently. Between the North and South, including some of the Sudanese refugees in other countries, 255 fully organized SIC churches are in existence. These churches are composed of about 51,000 baptized members with 29 pastors and 39 evangelists. |
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