Category Archives: Pastor Training

Kuj Family, Ministry, Pastor Training

A Visit from the Coppedges

It was a joy to host the Coppedge family, missionaries from Arua, Uganda, for a new story telling training.  Billy has visited us many times but only came with his wife and 2 oldest children once, over 2 years ago.  Since then they have added twin girls to their family and it was our pleasure to have them all come for a short visit.  For them as a family to engage in ministry together was also special.

Our kids asked us for days leading up to the visit WHEN would they arrive!  We don’t get a lot of  ‘young’ visitors, so this was an all round special time for both families.  We really thank God for this family, for enduring despite the hard work to pack up four young children for a trip into the bush and for being willing to go wherever the Lord sends them.

Billy was a facilitator for the Simply The Story training through Mango Ministries and World Gospel Mission.

Pastor Training

Pastors’ Graduation

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Graduating Pastors

By Ted Miyaki

I have been a week in Tonj. The days accelerate and what seemed like a long time to be here is already almost passed. Probably because the days are so full – even the “down” days.

One of the main reasons for my coming was the pastors’ graduation from the Bible School. What a celebration of God’s faithfulness and a lifting up of Jesus’ name! Local and regional officials from churches and government came. How nice to be greeted by the deputy governor “in the name of Jesus Christ”! I was particularly touched when he describe how the ministry has helped Tonj…he was nearly in tears.

The pastors are a remarkable bunch. All 1st generation believers from pagan backgrounds (one was groomed by family to become a witch doctor). Most were saved during the war as it scattered men in the army to far regions where they received the Gospel and in turn brought it back home or to wherever they were assigned. Many of them were made pastors and leaders with no Bibles, no training, and some with only second grade education. One said he used to just tell the church amusing stories since he knew nothing of the Word of God.

So their appreciation for three years of going through the entire Bible was incredible. Part of the length was due to the fact that all had to learn English so they could read the Old Testament (no OT in local language). Their grasp of the centrality of the Bible in Christian faith and practice is remarkable. In meetings with the pastors, they kept thanking and thanking IDAT, their teachers and the supporters back in the US. You would have thought they had been given a million dollars – in their minds probably more than that.

More than what they learned about Scripture, I was impressed and inspired by their testimonies of how the Word of God and the school changed their LIVES. One, a former soldier, said he was a fighter (he was as big as Michael Jordan) always “boxing” people. He was his own god – now Jesus is his God and he is a lover. Another testified how much he loves his wife now and he wants to help other Sudanese men love their wives – that was pretty sweet coming from a guy who was at least 6′ 4″!

They are SO eager to go out (some have already planted churches in outlaying villages) to teach, preach and disciple. I was honored to be able to pray with and for them, to send them out in Jesus name.

I was especially humbled to meet the main teachers over the 3 years, servant-teachers, a missionary couple who have served in foreign fields for almost 40 years. They love the pastors like their own sons, and they endured so much to graduate them (35 started, 13 finished). Theirs was truly a labor of love. They have inscribed letters of Christ on the hearts of these men. The pastors could not stop thanking Joe and Nancy. May God richly bless them as they must move on from Tonj.

Ministry, Pastor Training

Sudan Church History

Prof. Dr. Bernd Brandl teaching students

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14

IDAT Bible school opened two weeks ago. The Bible school students were privileged to have a professor of Church history who visited them for two days. Prof. Dr. Bernd Brandl had come all the way from Germany.

Church history for Africa dates back to a few decades after Christ was risen when some of the disciples came to North Africa, to places such as Alexandria in Egypt. Churches were established and later the gospel spread up the Nile river to a region around the present Khartoum.

Later these places were conquered by invading armies that scattered and destroyed the congregations. The churches died partially due to isolation from their mother churches and lack of strong leadership, this being a good lesson to learn for present day church leaders.

Ministry, Pastor Training

Bible School Update by Losee’s

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“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16

Nancy

My husband and I are excited again to be here in Tonj to teach the pastors. They were at the airstrip to meet us when we landed.  Monday, our first day of class, began with a song as I entered the classroom and then we prayed together and thanked the Lord Jesus Christ that we were all back together again.

We are finishing Manual 10, the last manual of the BTCP Curriculum, Missions Evangelism Discipleship. Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in the classroom since we started the Bible School three years ago. Part of the daily lesson was for the student to prepare and orally give his personal testimony.

I was privileged to listen to all of the pastors’ personal testimonies of how they became born again. It was truly awesome to learn that everyone of them are “first generation” Christians. Each pastor said that their parents were not believers, they were idol worshipers and involved in witchcraft. The wonderful part was that when they became a Christian and were baptized they returned to their homes and witnessed to their families and their families accepted Christ and they too became believers and were baptized. I was reminded of how the Philippine jailer and “all his household” was saved in Acts 16:25-34.

Joe

My husband, Joe, and I are teaching four sessions each day, starting at 9:15am and ending at 5:30pm. The pastors are there each morning ready to start with smiles on their faces and with a song to greet us.  We are so blessed to be a part of this training of the pastors.  We truly thank IDAT for the awesome work they are doing here in S Sudan and that they have allowed us to be a part of it.

Joe and Nancy Losee

Ministry, Pastor Training

Santino his heart for Maloney

Buuk

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” – Habakkuk 2:14

Pastor Santino has been preaching in Malony for a period of about four months. He is very excited of the outcome and how the people of Maloney are responding positively to the gospel. He have about sixty members in his church. He made one of them secretary and the other a treasurer. The chief of that area gave out the land for the church. The most interesting thing is that the chief  is not a believer in God, or witchcraft.  Santino has been mentoring two people who have a heart for winning souls in Maloney. These two are primary school teachers who have been helping him with evangelism in the evening  after school.

Santino goes from house to house to evangelize the people. He also goes about in the area wherever he can find people to witness to them the gospel of Christ. Every Wednesday when the medical team goes to Maloney outreach he goes to preach to them. The people of Maloney love God and and they also are willing to learn more about the word. He preaches to the sick and prays for them because they believe in the healing power of God.

Santino gave me a testimony of a certain member of his church who had leprosy. He got saved in a Pentecostal church in Wau and was also baptized. When he came back to his village there was no church, preacher or any spiritual leader. He back slid and his leprosy worsened. He then met with Pastor Santino who prayed for him and he gave his life to Jesus again. He believed that God is going to heal him. Santino prayed for him and the leprosy started to heal. He is one of the witnesses in Maloney that God is a healer.

Buuk

Santino wanted to go home to check on his family for two weeks before the school opens. The headmaster of a neighboring school who is also a member of his church requested him to stay for one more week.  This touched his heart so much and he felt like crying seeing how these people are hungry for the word of God. He believes that God has sent him and he has given his  heart for the people of Maloney.

Fifteen members of his church can read both English and Dinka. Fifteen can read Dinka and little bit of English. They requested well wishers to support them in getting Bibles so that they may be able to read and understand God’s word. They are hungry for the Gospel and what they have learned  by Santino’s preaching and they want to move a forward by learning more about the word of God for spiritual maturity.

The Headmaster of Pawel Primary School, sometimes called SalvaKir primary school, requested Santino to be teaching Christian Religion Education (C.R.E) in his school, for what a favor from God.

Please pray for Santino that God would continue to give him encouragement through the challenges. That Santino would be able to reach those who are still held captive by witchcraft and other traditions that do not glorify God.