When Cush4Christ began its ministry in South Sudan in 2005, the region had been engulfed in civil war for decades and the future was very uncertain. A fragile peace worked out by the United Nations provided a window of opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed and to take root in many lives in and around Aweil. From the beginning, Reformed Presbyterian missionaries knew this window of opportunity could slam shut at any time, so great prayer and efforts were given to ensure that, if that window closed, God would have established churches and ordained South Sudanese pastors, elders and deacons to continue the work well beyond the time of our missionaries’ service.

In January 2011 a referendum was held to see if the citizens of that region would vote to create the Republic of South Sudan. Many worried that the very act of the referendum might return the country to civil war, but God maintained the peace and allowed a new country to emerge. A government comprised of representatives of various tribes began the awesome task of building a nation. The common goal of independence from the Muslim-controlled Republic of Sudan was enough to bridge temporarily the hostilities that had existed between several of the South Sudan tribes. However, no resolution was sought for those longstanding issues.

In mid-December 2013, after South Sudan’s president dismissed several cabinet members, a coup attempt was made and violence again erupted. Old rivalries were rekindled, and much political positioning was to be seen and estimates of more than a thousand deaths have been reported, with tens of thousands displaced.

We eventually decided to bring our remaining missionaries out of South Sudan to see if some truce could be instituted that would allow reentry.

Despite the temporary departure of RPCNA missionaries, Christ’s churches around Aweil continued to meet and proclaim the Word of God. Those men that God raised up to shepherd His people are a living testimony of the genuine call God has placed upon them and the gifts He has provided.

Our prayer is that God will preserve the peace in South Sudan and allow His church to continue to grow and firmly root itself in His Word. We also pray that God would use His people in that land as agents of reconciliation among the tribes of South Sudan. We pray for old hostilities to end, and that repentance and forgiveness might be observed, further demonstrating the transforming power of Christ to lead the new nation.

—Matt Filbert