by Jay Parsons
If you, like many American Christians, struggle with the biblical command to have an urgency to share the Gospel, perhaps a trip to Sudan could do you some good.
You see, in Sudan, there’s no “it can wait.” There’s no “it’s no rush.” It can’t wait. There is a rush. There is a very limited, very definitive open window to openly share the Gospel in Sudan. And Prestonwood Baptist Church is on the front lines.
Sudan has been ravaged by civil war. Between 1983 and 2005, the country knew nothing but war. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. Millions more lost their homes and any means of making a living. You’ll find very few men in Sudan between the ages of 35 and 65, because most have been either killed in battle or isolated as refugees elsewhere.
But in 2005, the two factions agreed to a temporary peace agreement that will last until 2011, when southern Sudanese will vote on whether to become an independent nation. There’s concern that war may break out again around that time.
So there is, in fact, a very open but very short window for Christians to spread the Good News in Sudan. Prestonwood has partnered with e3 Partners to support church plants, Christian education, missionaries and humanitarian efforts.
“While this window is open, we have to act quickly to equip as many leaders as possible with tools and training to establish healthy, reproducing churches throughout Southern Sudan,” said Mike Congrove of e3 Partners.
Prestonwood is supporting e3 Partner’s Bible School in the city of Kajo Keji, Sudan, which has 56 students who will be deployed as church planters across southern Sudan. The graduates work closely with eight indigenous Baptist missionaries. The missionaries enter towns, share the Gospel, disciple new believers, plant a church, and then send would-be leaders to the Bible School. The graduates return, take over the churches, and the missionaries move on to another town and start the cycle over again. One cycle can take several years.
Short-term mission trips from Prestonwood help support the local churches, the Bible school and the missionaries. Americans go there to help build clean water wells, teach children, address medical needs, and to help Sudanese start businesses. Most trips last 10 to 12 days.
“Some tribal leaders aren’t receptive to us,” said Joshua Rolf, Minister of Missions Moblization. “But when you go there to build water wells or bring medical teams, they’re a lot more receptive because we’re meeting their physical needs.”
Prestonwood member and businessman Mark Jordan has been the catalyst for Prestonwood involvement in Sudan.
Jordan will be leading his fourth trip in August with a team of 17 church members. On his first trip there, the Lord gave Jordan a great passion for the Sudanese.
Jordan spread his passion for Sudan to others at Prestonwood. In the past two years, Prestonwood has given $60,000 to support e3 Partner’s mission efforts in Sudan. And this summer, Prestonwood children gave more than $20,000 through their Vacation Bible School Sudan offering to support children’s education and nursery programs.
Sudan is a very poor country, a third the size of the United States, Sudan. Today, we have that opportunity, but the window is limited. with few paved roads and little running water or electricity. The nation’s development has been stunted by civil war, which in turn has led to devastating problems with AIDS and an impure water supply. Because of the wars and because of radical Islam practiced in one of the main factions, Christians had no safe opportunity to minister to the broken in
“A lot of the people we reach are groups who’ve never heard the name of Jesus,” Rolf said. “You’re dealing with people who’ve never had the opportunity to be presented with salvation.”
