6 The pressing needs of the Church:

a) Commitment to Jesus to increase despite aching needs and terrible suffering

b) Unity that transcends tribal boundaries and battle lines

c) Recovery — many churches, villages and towns in the south have been destroyed and rebuilt several times

d) The provision of physical needs

e) Vision for the future

7 Sudanese Christian leaders have achieved so much against all the odds

8 Ministry challenges for the Church:

a) Muslim majority

b) Khartoum may now have 13 million inhabitants

c) The Nuba Mountain peoples, an island of non-Muslims in a sea of Islam

d) The SPLA, the southern army, had a bad record for atrocities, but since front-line-trained chaplains were appointed a large number of soldiers have become believers

e) Children and young people. There are few southern children who have had opportunity for education

9 Less-evangelized peoples are many

a) Darfur Province in the west which was Christian a millennium ago

b) The Beja on the Red Sea Coast were famed as the 'Fuzzie Wuzzies'

c) The Nubians of the Nile valley are an ancient people with great kingdoms who were Christian for 1,000 years

d) The nomadic and semi-nomadic Baggara tribes

10 Missionary activity on the part of expatriates has steadily decreased,

a) The few Christian agencies still able to carry on in the north

b) Input to the south where the Khartoum regime is not in control

c) The reopening of the land so that outside aid may be given to help the battered Church

d) The calling and preparation of indigenous and expatriate workers to evangelize the many peoples of the north

e) The health and protection of missionaries serving in dangerous areas

11 Christian help ministries:

a) The Bible Society has done much to supervise translation work and distribute Scriptures

b) Bible translation — still a major need

c) Christian literature is in short supply

d) The JESUS film has been extensively used and maybe half of the northern population has seen it

e) Christian radio. Impact is diminished by lack of batteries or hand-winding radios

f) GRN has produced recordings in 120 languages and dialects

Politics

Joint Egyptian and British control 1899-1956.

Religion

The constitution offers some religious freedom, but in practice those freedoms are arbitrarily abused.

Churches in Sudan

Missionaries from Sudan

65 in 5 agencies to 7 countries

Missionaries to Sudan

260 in 30 agencies from 20 countries

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Geography

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Area 2,503,890 sq.km. Africa's largest country.

Population (2000) 29,489,719 +2.07%AGR

Capital Khartoum 10,000,000.

Peoples

Arab 45.2%.

Non-Arab 54.8%.

Literacy 46%; functional literacy nearer 33%. Official language Arabic. All languages 132. Languages with Scriptures 7Bi 15NT 12por 19w.i.p.

Economy

Enormous agricultural and mineral resources but largely unexploited because of war and decay of the communications network. HDI 0.475; 142^nd/174. Public debt 95% of GNP. Income/person $290 (0.9% of USA).

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