New Fast-Tracked Bible Degrees

Abanoub Isaac with NBIC says the school, which follows the Anglican Diocese of Egypt, is growing. They are offering more classes and programs for Sudanese people in Egypt. One program with tremendous growth is a one-year Bible degree that offers coursework on church planting, missions, and understanding people from different backgrounds.

This streamlined Bible training is crucial for Sudanese churches which are exploding with new Christians but lack trained pastors.

(Image courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels)

Isaac says, “They have new believers every day. But they don’t have equipped ministries or pastors. They have to make [people] pastors in church without even reading the Bible one time. So, they don’t have any leadership skills, any biblical knowledge. So just he is good with people, knows the big message of Christ, but he can’t discipleship or make a Bible study, or anything else in the church – just worship.”

The one-year course begins with five months of studying in Egypt. This is followed by two months of practical ministry in Sudan and then a final five months back in Cairo. At the end of this intensive year, students are ready to go back to Sudan for good to lead their churches.

The program has been very successful. The first year they received 50-55 applications and the next year 90 people applied. During the first two-month practical training in Sudan, pastors were leaving their congregations in the hands of the students because they were so prepared.

However, even with the successes and growth of NBIC, they have had significant barriers to overcome.

Meeting Challenges Head-On

Isaac says one issue is that education has been poor in Sudan because of the war. Even identifying good candidates for leadership can be difficult. Many people just don’t have significant prior schooling.

Additionally, the war has continued to foster deep feelings of tribalism. The years of struggle make it difficult to get the church to come together over tribal lines.

“Actually, we faced a lot [the accusation] that we are racist against some tribes,” Isaac states. “Even we don’t know the tribes! We are not putting anything in our applications [about] which tribe you are from. But when we choose people to do something because we see that they have potential, they relate this to the tribe, not the potential of the people. So we faced a lot this accusation that we are racist [against some] tribes.”

NBIC is working to equip leaders from every tribe to combat these accusations in addition to their stated goal of training qualified leaders.

Join in Prayer

Training refugees to minister in war-torn areas is challenging work and Isaac asks for prayer. Unity among the tribes and Church at large is a major prayer request from NBIC.

“We [are] trying to give them lot of perspective. We have teachers from all over the places: Sudanese, Egyptians, some foreigners come. We give them retreats in Coptic places when they have worship nights and the Bible was read with like, six or seven different languages to make them know how important unity is.”

Please also pray for Sudanese Christians who are facing practical problems including racism, the cost of living in Egypt, and families who have been separated.

Header photo courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.

Many of the pastors, directors, and workers at the conference work in challenging areas, including northern Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For countries in this region, it can be challenging to conduct street work ministry. Working with teams like Every Home for Christ allows World Missionary Press booklets to be distributed in closed areas.

Helen Williams with WMP says that despite persecution, jail time, and loss of family members, the workers keep on going and sharing the written Word of God.

While at the conference, Williams met with a young woman from Namibia whose husband was a WMP contact and national director.

Despite his passing in an accident a few months ago, Williams says, “I was just so blessed by her spirit

The One Africa Conference encouraged partners from several countries. (Image courtesy of WikiImages on Pixabay)

and by her willingness and by her friendship.”

“She was his partner in ministry, and she came up to me and thanked me for our prayers, hugged me, and told me that she’s going to continue the work. She’s going to do the paperwork and keep the office going,” says Williams.

“The ministry will take over and provide another director, but she’s going to stay with the work. We have a container in process and a language project in process, and she’s going to pick it up.”

Williams also met a coordinator from Angola who sent a sudden request a few months ago when the northern part of Angola had opened up for more outreach.

Williams met the contact early in the trip when he approached her and thanked her for the materials WMP sent him.

“This is the Lord’s plan, and we were able to respond. He came to us, and we were able to respond and get it there,” Williams says.

Another blessing was the opportunity to meet with a new coordinator from Zambia. As the previous one had too many other responsibilities, he knew that WMP was looking for another Zambian contact.

“His son and his son’s wife came up to us, and he said, ‘I can do this. I want to do this,’ and they were so excited,” Williams says.

Williams met with them and went through the expectations and logistics process, and says meeting them was the Lord’s time.

Ministry partners were grateful to WMP as they work to provide the Word of God in small booklets.

“It is just a unique piece of literature, and they know that literature in Africa is vital. They have the internet and they have digital and all of this, but the written Word is still well received and needed,” Williams says.

Please pray for those on the ground and praise God for their consistency and faithfulness. Pray for the Word to change villages and cities and to disciple believers.

WMP can print a booklet for $0.06 apiece, so even a small donation can bring the Word to somebody. Please pray over financial and logistical needs to be met as WMP works to fill orders during a transition time.

Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press.

Three-quarters of all refugees in Egypt come from Sudan, which has tripled the total refugee population in just two years. Bonita, with the Nuba Mountains Bible Institute in Cairo (NBIC), says that most of the refugees they encounter are single mothers with children.

“The husbands didn’t come with them, either to protect our land back in Sudan, or maybe they were killed in the war,” she explains.

Learn more about NBIC here.

Single moms struggle to survive

(Photo courtesy Speak Media Uganda/Pexels)

Legal barriers make it hard for refugee moms to secure gainful employment in Egypt. “[Companies] have to have 10 Egyptian employees for every foreigner that they want to hire, so it’s hard to keep that ratio,” Bonita says.

With hungry mouths to feed, many refugee moms find work wherever they can. “Most of them work under the table and just get cash in hand,” Bonita says.

“They’ll work cleaning somebody’s house or they’ll work cleaning somebody’s business, or making tea for them, or running errands.”

This kind of work often reinforces harmful stereotypes. “There’s a lot of racism in Egypt,” Bonita says.

“In all the old movies, all of the servants in the homes were dark skinned, so anybody dark skinned is looked at as ‘less than’ and lower. Every day, they’re traumatized by racism in the streets.”

To meet these needs, NBIC and its partners offer purpose and the hope of Christ through an intensive, year-long women’s program that meets weekly.

“It focuses on psychological awareness, spiritual and theological training, and leadership training, so it’s quite a broad program and covers different aspects of their lives,” Bonita says.

The women’s program also “equips them to train others and to serve their community,” she adds.

In addition to the women’s program, NBIC offers a three-year refugee assistance program that meets twice a week, as well as an intensive annual program that meets four days a week.

Restoring dignity

NBIC also meets the unique needs of Sudanese women. In 2024, “a lady came from the [U.S.] and did a series of workshops on women’s health [and] that really empowered women to have a little bit more control over their bodies and their health,” Bonita says.

(Photo courtesy nomso obiano/Pexels)

Rape and sexual assault are frequently used weapons of war in Sudan. Last year’s workshops “encouraged the community to support and embrace women, even if they’ve conceived because of rape… instead of the community rejecting them,” Bonita says.

“Women are coming that are pregnant, but not because they want to get pregnant at all.”

The workshops helped Sudanese women realize their unique value in God’s eyes.

“She (the presenter) really integrated the Gospel into that, and how Jesus gave us life through His water and His blood, and women have an opportunity to be like God in also giving life through water and blood,” Bonita says.

“That really gave dignity to the women and helped them to see that, ‘I am made in the image of God, and I get to be like God in a way that men don’t.’”

How to help

Ask the Lord to surround refugee moms with His comfort and peace. “A lot of them have families still in Sudan that are suffering, and they get news of relatives that have been killed and things, so it’s really challenging,” Bonita says.

“Pray for all the (refugee) women who are single moms in Cairo. They have three, four, or five kids, and they’re trying to make a go of it on their own.”

Pray that Sudanese refugee moms can find strength in the Lord. Bonita says, “All of our students have a real heart to serve their community, and yet they have to work really hard just to provide for their family and for their kids.”

Header image is a representative photo depicting Sudanese refugee women and children. (Wikimedia Commons)

Benita with the Nuba Mountains Bible Institute in Cairo (NBIC) says, “Now with the war, there’s huge increase in refugees, 900% in Cairo, and a lot of them are single moms with kids.”

Many husbands stayed behind to defend their land, were killed, or couldn’t escape. These women now face overwhelming needs — especially in education.

Cairo, Egypt (Photo courtesy of Ahmed Ezzat via Unsplash)

“They haven’t had almost any opportunities for education in Sudan beyond maybe basic elementary,” Benita explains.

To help, the ministry offers a one-year program for women, meeting one night a week. It focuses on psychological awareness, spiritual growth, theological training, and leadership development.

The goal, says Benita, is simple: “It equips Sudanese women to train others and to serve their community.”

However, many challenges stem from family struggles. “In Sudan,” explains Benita, “maybe only the man worked and the woman was able to stay home and focus on kids and household responsibilities.”

In Egypt, the situation is reversed. Refugees cannot legally work, so many take informal jobs. Women often find cleaning work more easily — and sometimes earn more than men. This shift disrupts traditional family roles. “That creates tension oftentimes in the marriage,” says Benita.

When husbands eventually reunite with their families after months or years apart, new strains appear. “Then if the husband can come to Egypt eventually, then he’s been estranged for a long time, and that takes a while to sort that out, and he hasn’t been involved really in raising the children.”

Moreover, amid war trauma, family conflict, and uncertainty, children often drift toward gangs or other dangerous lifestyles.

South Sudanese woman (Photo courtesy of Speak Media Uganda via Pexels)

That’s where the ministry steps in again, offering teaching and guidance to families and community leaders.

“We also have one of our staff teach about what’s the difference between what is our tribal practices around marriage and what’s actually the Bible, and help them to pick those apart,” Benita shares.

The ministry also educates women about their health and supports survivors of wartime rape — restoring dignity through God’s truth.

Pray for Sudanese people displaced from their homeland — that they find healing and hope in Christ’s love. Pray for the women to experience dignity, peace, and wisdom in the embrace of their Creator.

Header representative photo of two women (courtesy of Ab Pixels via Pexels).

Any truce would be a vital first step toward ending the war that erupted two years ago, triggering a severe humanitarian crisis. Today, famine is widespread, millions are displaced, and more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Flag of the Rapid Support Forces
(Wikimedia Commons)

“This conflict, there is no reason for it,” Ibrahim Adam with the Darfur Christian Association says.

“This conflict must be stopped, and the ceasefire must take place as soon as possible.”

The U.S.-led ceasefire effort aims to lay the groundwork for lasting political dialogue once the immediate humanitarian crisis is brought under control. Adam says Darfur’s believers need to be involved in those conversations, rather than hiding in the background.

“As Christ’s ambassadors, we are the peacemakers,” Adam says. “We need to be integrated into the Sudanese society; we need to show up, especially on the public issues.”

Find your place in the story

Pray first for the war in Sudan to come to an end. Secondly, pray for wisdom as Sudanese Christians weigh next steps. Speaking out in an Islamic environment carries risk – but so does staying silent.

“We’re experiencing conflict because in the age of public issues, we left it to them to decide on our behalf. If we were there in the decision-making, this ongoing conflict was avoidable,” Adam says.

“That disagreement that happened between two belligerents, it was possible that we [could] manage it without reaching this level.”

Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften hearts at all levels of government, including among the two warring factions.

“We believe that the heart of government officials, presidents, and kings is in the hand of the Lord,” Adam says.

“Pray that God will control the hearts of those political leaders in order to soften their hearts and see the suffering. Then the nation will experience peace.”

Header image depicts IDPs at a food distribution center in North Darfur circa 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)

According to one analyst, peace talks in Washington, D.C., give the RSF militia political cover to commit atrocities. Pastor Ibrahim, a Sudanese pastor, tells MNN, “The peace negotiations [have] always been up and down, and always end negatively.”

The United Nations and regional actors call for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher. Civilians have no access to food, water, or medical supplies, and aid workers are unable to reach them.

More than 260,000 people – including 130,000 children – have been trapped under siege in El Fasher for over a year. “Things are beyond government control,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“It’s a mess everywhere in Sudan, and there is a lot of pressure.”

Attributing pressure to Islamist non-military sources, Pastor Ibrahim voices concern about ceasefire resistance within Sudan. “They will not take it easy, that’s really the fear,” he says.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

Sudan’s silver lining

Believers throughout Sudan suffer alongside their Muslim neighbors. In some cases, the Church is at the top of the radicals’ hit list. “The Church always is in the middle of the persecution,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“[The] RSF, when they came to Khartoum, one of the places they attacked immediately was the Church.”

Yet hope remains. “The Bible tells us in the Book of Acts that persecution has been one of the elements of the growth and the extension of the Church,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“We can testify and tell [of] the number of unreached people who are responding to the Gospel today [compared to] the times of peace.”

Pray for strength and endurance for Sudanese Christians.

“The most important prayer is that the Lord enable the churches and the ministries to stand firm and to be bold, and then seek God’s guidance and protection,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

Pray also for unity. “When we face difficulties from outside and we are divided inside, that makes it harder,” he adds.

Header image depicts a Sudanese combatant with G3 rifle. (Photo courtesy of Steve Evans/Wikimedia Commons) 

“We hope that something is happening. We will pray for that. But in [the] real scene, the war is intensified, even with drone [or] with air bombardment,” says Reverend Tut Kony with Greater Reach, Inc. 

Case in point: The reopening of the main airport in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, was postponed last week due to a surge of drone strikes from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary. It would have been the airport’s first opening since the war began in April 2023.

The two-and-a-half-year conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced about 12 million, and left 30 million in need of humanitarian assistance. It’s considered one of, if not the worst, humanitarian crises in the world today.

(Photo of Khartoum, Sudan courtesy of Ammar Nassir via Unsplash)

“The bigger problem is that people are dying without hearing the good news,” says Kony. “Our church planters are around. They are in the [IDP] camps. But the problem is that they will be targeted by those who are against the gospel. They can also be killed [by] crossfire.” 

The desperate need for food is both a daily struggle for Christians and an open door for ministry. 

“In Islam side, they [Muslims] see a lot of war, a lot of atrocities,” says Kony. “But from Christian side, who they considered their enemies, they are seeing they are coming with food. They are risking their life to bring food for the needy people.” 

If you have supported the gospel work of Sudanese believers, Kony thanks you.

“With your help, we have seen light coming out from the darkness. We have seen a lot of people coming to Christ when the atrocities [are] happening, because [through giving aid] we are able to show the love of Christ,” he says. 

Sudan’s population is 93 percent Muslim and less than 1 percent evangelical Christian. Pray that that will change!

“The bulk of people who are attending [church] here, they are Christian-background, but some of them are from [a] totally Muslim background, [who have] dedicated their life and consecrated to be ministers and pastors,” says Kony.

As you pray for Sudan, Kony asks that you focus on “the emerging church in Darfur, in [the] Nuba Mountains, in Blue Nile and even the far north. They need a lot of prayer. They need courage so that they can testify [to] their faith.”

Header photo courtesy of Aladdin Mustafa via Pexels.

Two years of civil war have forced nearly 12 million people from their homes. Over four million have crossed into neighboring countries as refugees. John – a Gospel worker focused on Sudan – partners with church planters in the region.

A recent medical outreach brought much-needed care to Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. Although his organization* primarily focuses on disciple-making and church planting, “We went to the Lord, and it became obvious that this (medical outreach) was an opportunity,” John says.

“We saw God do an amazing thing.”

Healing and hope for Sudan’s displaced

The medical outreach began as an answer to prayer. “Our organization sits in full view of the suffering of Sudanese refugees, and we were just praying and praying for these people day after day,” John says.

(Photo courtesy of John)

One day, “out of the blue, we were approached by an organization saying, ‘We have a ministry of providing medications purchased in the U.S. at a greatly reduced price, and we’d like to do something to help the Sudanese,’” he continues.

“Several organizations worked together, and the [agreement] was, ‘We’ll secure the medications and ship them to where you are, and you figure out how to get these to the people that need them.’ We were able to receive the medicines and air freight them to the areas where we had access to refugees,” John says.

“In one location, the doctor and nurses saw 1,000 children in eight days.”

Last week’s pop-up clinic focused on children with cholera, while an earlier outreach provided antibiotics and blood pressure medicine. “We were able to give them medication for several months, because a week wouldn’t help them that much,” John says.

As doctors and nurses met medical needs, church planters helped refugees process trauma. “Islam doesn’t offer anything in these settings,” John says.

“In this suffering and deep despair, they’re not finding comfort or answers or hope for the future, only a question – If I die tomorrow, [where will I go?] The Gospel gives assurance and hope.”

Now that you know, how will you respond? Ask the Lord for guidance, and then wait on Him for answers. Consider partnering financially with John’s organization here.

“When we seek to do that on a deeper level in prayer, then the Great Commission is a natural response,” John says.

*Ministry name withheld for security purposes.

Header and story images depict pop-up medical clinic serving Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. Photos courtesy of John. 

Days of heavy rain triggered landslides in the Marrah Mountains, reportedly leaving only one survivor. The scale of the debris and the disaster’s remote location limit information. Civil war, raging between rival militaries since 2023, further complicates recovery efforts.

“The area hit by the landslides is also a hub for displaced families fleeing the fighting,” says John, a Gospel worker focused on Sudan.

“They were trying to escape that (fighting) in El Fasher. They went up to this area, and now [there is] a landslide.”

Authorities say between 300 and 1,000 people were killed, but the actual death toll could be higher.

John’s partners fear the worst as attempts to reach their friends go unanswered. “Even though it’s an Islamic area, there are house churches that have been planted over the years,” John says.

“We know there are some Christians among [the affected people.]”

Pray for wisdom and discernment as church planters determine how they will respond to this disaster. John’s organization supports frontline Sudanese church planters throughout the Islamic nation.

“We’re not a relief organization, but because of the network of believers on the ground, getting $200 someplace has a huge effect,” John says. “We’ve done targeted relief in many, many places.”

(Photo courtesy of Spoken Worldwide)

Pray that Sudanese Muslims will find truth, comfort, and peace in Jesus Christ.

“I have met so many Muslims that, in their desperation of finding inner peace and hope, had God meet them in a dream. So many Muslims have come to Christ without someone leading them,” John says.

Frustration with Islam leaves many Sudanese open to the Gospel, he adds.

“The whole nation is in trauma, and that trauma cuts to the core,” John says.

“These are non-Arabs, but they’re still Muslims, so they’re trying to deal with the fact that ‘The Koran says we’re brothers, and yet, here’s my brother trying to kill me, take my land, drive me from my land, because I’m not Arab.’”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Franklin Peña Gutierrez/Pexels.

A prominent human rights group accuses Sudan’s army of torturing people to death through “execution chambers.” Meanwhile, cholera has now spread to every state in Sudan, claiming at least 1,000 lives since January.

Additionally, famine-like conditions are deteriorating in refugee camps. Around 25 million people – nearly half of Sudan’s population – are facing severe hunger, while 3.5 million women and children suffer from malnutrition.

A Gospel worker we’ll call John says, “The situation continues to get worse.”

Refugees wait for water distribution. (Photo courtesy of Robert Stansfield/Department for International Development via Wikimedia Commons)

Yet hope remains. People are turning to the Lord as they encounter the peace only He can offer.

“One of the guys that I work with, who was an imam [and] became a Christian, he says, ‘In my lifetime, I never believed that I would see a Muslim come to know Christ. And then in the space of a year, I’m seeing them lead 50 to Christ,” John says.

With help from John’s ministry, which remains unnamed for security purposes, new believers from Muslim-majority Sudan learn how to share Jesus and start churches.

“We have about 26 teams: 15 are inside Sudan, and 11 are in refugee points outside Sudan. They’re all leaders we have trained at our school; [350] Muslim-background believers from 65 tribes,” John says.

“We’ve been working in Darfur for a long time. Many of the house churches that were underground in Darfur are displaced, and they’re now in Chad.”

While church planting is the believers’ primary focus, they offer limited aid whenever possible.

“We’ve given them training; we try to give some support,” John says. “We did a feeding program in Chad, just the 100 most vulnerable in three camps. We were able to feed for two months and give tarps for shelter. That’s all we could do.”

In recent weeks, the leaders held biblical trauma healing workshops, and 150 Muslims came to the Lord. “Satan wants hope to be contraband, because it is hope that removes the control of the enemy; it removes their power over a person’s life,” John says.

“Help cannot be brought without hope. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that makes a person whole on the inside.”

Ask the Lord for mercy. Pray He will introduce millions in Sudan to the peace only Christ can offer. Then, support the efforts of John’s organization here.

Header image is a representative photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA.