Sudan – Afrika's biggest country
with 94 people groups who have not
heard the Gospel yet
Sudan has in all 241 people groups, and out of these 94 tribes are
considered unreached when it comes to the message about Jesus. We work
actively in the province of Darfur, which has traditionally been 100%
Muslim. Out of the unreached people groups in Sudan, 50 live in Darfur.
If we can preach Jesus to all the areas of this province and see living
Jesus fellowships growing up among all the people groups here, then more
than a half of the unreached groups in Sudan will be reached. We
already have active preachers from some of these groups and many living
believers in Jesus, but the people group as a whole cannot be considered
reached yet.
No other land in Africa has so many various tribes and people groups who have never heard the Gospel as Sudan. One of the reasons is that it has hardly been possible to work as missionaries in big parts of the land - partly because of the civil war that went on for more than 20 years between the north and the south of the land. There has also been quite a strict Islamic rule for many years, and during the 20 years of the civil war the partly Christian south of Sudan became really destroyed and more than 2 million people died. Apart from that, over 4 million escaped from the camps in the south - most of them to the capital, Khartoum, but many to the west of Darfur, Egypt and other countries in the world.
Cease-fire took place in 2003 when peace negotiations between the north and the south began. The deal was made in 2005 and it has been relatively peaceful after that although there have been many smaller war episodes. This peace has created new possibilities to reach the tribes which live in the south of the land as well as in the most of northern Sudan. After the coming of peace Jan Ernst Gabrielsen has been travelling to both the north and south of Sudan 3 to 4 times a year in order to have bigger meetings and teaching for evangelists, pastors and church planters. Last year he started leader training under the auspices of Maxwell's organization, Equip, in many places of the country.
Jan Ernst Gabrielsen was part of starting the Pentecostal movement in Sudan in 1977, and together with the national preachers they registered Sudan Pentecostal Churches. Today this movement is one of the biggest and fastest-growing in Sudan, with more than 400 local churches, and is an active mainstay in the Christian Board of Sudan.
Already in 2004 there came an inquiry from the province of Darfur about coming there in order to hold leader seminars and meetings for the few Christians who were there. Most of them were refugees from the south of the country who had come there during the 20-year-long civil war. There was a small church in the town of Nyala, but little Christian work apart from that. Jan Ernst Gabrielsen held the first in history Christian leader conference in Darfur in the autumn of 2004. After that he has held many seminars and meetings here, in addition to supporting many native church planters. Today there are 5 growing churches that come just from Sudan Pentecostal Churches in the town of Nyala, and many in other towns and villages in Darfur.
No other land in Africa has so many various tribes and people groups who have never heard the Gospel as Sudan. One of the reasons is that it has hardly been possible to work as missionaries in big parts of the land - partly because of the civil war that went on for more than 20 years between the north and the south of the land. There has also been quite a strict Islamic rule for many years, and during the 20 years of the civil war the partly Christian south of Sudan became really destroyed and more than 2 million people died. Apart from that, over 4 million escaped from the camps in the south - most of them to the capital, Khartoum, but many to the west of Darfur, Egypt and other countries in the world.
Cease-fire took place in 2003 when peace negotiations between the north and the south began. The deal was made in 2005 and it has been relatively peaceful after that although there have been many smaller war episodes. This peace has created new possibilities to reach the tribes which live in the south of the land as well as in the most of northern Sudan. After the coming of peace Jan Ernst Gabrielsen has been travelling to both the north and south of Sudan 3 to 4 times a year in order to have bigger meetings and teaching for evangelists, pastors and church planters. Last year he started leader training under the auspices of Maxwell's organization, Equip, in many places of the country.
Jan Ernst Gabrielsen was part of starting the Pentecostal movement in Sudan in 1977, and together with the national preachers they registered Sudan Pentecostal Churches. Today this movement is one of the biggest and fastest-growing in Sudan, with more than 400 local churches, and is an active mainstay in the Christian Board of Sudan.
Already in 2004 there came an inquiry from the province of Darfur about coming there in order to hold leader seminars and meetings for the few Christians who were there. Most of them were refugees from the south of the country who had come there during the 20-year-long civil war. There was a small church in the town of Nyala, but little Christian work apart from that. Jan Ernst Gabrielsen held the first in history Christian leader conference in Darfur in the autumn of 2004. After that he has held many seminars and meetings here, in addition to supporting many native church planters. Today there are 5 growing churches that come just from Sudan Pentecostal Churches in the town of Nyala, and many in other towns and villages in Darfur.
