Southern Sudan Celebrates Successful Struggle for Survival

2011 EDITION 3

PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 SOUTH AFRICA

ISSN 1018 - 144X

SOUTH SUDAN CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL STRUGGLE for SECESSION Victory Over Sharia 9 July 2011 marked a monumental answer to prayer as South Sudanese celebrated their successful struggle for self-determination and secession from the Arab North. It is a victory against the oppressive Sharia law of the National Islamic Front government of Sudan.

Date With Destiny This date with destiny marked the culminative effect of many years of intensive prayer, worldwide publicity, international pressure and missionary partnership with courageous persecuted Christians in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains.

Independence The longest war, in the largest country in Africa, has concluded with an independent and free South Sudan.

Approximately one third of Sudan's land surface has seperated into a new and independent state.

Celebrations in Juba The main celebration events took place in the capital of South Sudan,

Juba. This involved a Declaration of Independence, a Flag Raising Ceremony and Parade. The flag of South Sudan is a six coloured flag, which was the official flag of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army.

The new National Anthem was chosen through a nationwide competition and the new Coat of Arms bears an image of the African Fish Eagle. A new currency, the South Sudan Pound has been introduced.

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In this Issue

South Sudan Celebrates Christians Targeted in Nuba Mountains 20 Years of Biblical Worldview Seminars in Africa Great Commission Course Loziland for Christ New Resources for Missions

government of Sudan. The CPA provided for the people o f S o u t h e r n S u d a n to exercise their right to selfdetermination through a Referendum which was held in January 2011. 98.83% voted in favour of Secession.

A New Country in Africa th South Sudan has become the 55 country in Africa and the 196th country in the world. The official name is the Republic of South Sudan (RSS). Salva Kiir Mayodit was sworn in for a four year term as President of the new Republic of South Sudan. A transitional constitution came into force. The

Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly has reconstituted as the National Legislative Assembly.

Self-Determination The independence on 9 July concluded the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005, signed by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army and the

Violence in Abyei Some critical areas in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement remain unresolved, such as the final status of the oil-rich Abyei province, which is afflicted by violence from the North.

The arrangements for the Nuba Mountains people of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile, who want to be part of the South, have yet to be resolved.

Dr. Peter Hammond www.frontline.org.za

Wounded SPLA veterans march in the Independence Day celebrations in Juba.

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CHRISTIANS TARGETED in the NUBA MOUNTAINS Under Fire Christians in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan have been targeted by deadly air strikes and ground attacks.

Muslim militia shouting "Allah Akbar" opened fire at congregations gathered for worship.

Shot in Cold Blood At Kadugli, on 8 June, Nimeri Philip Kalo, a Theological student, was accused of being a Christian and shot dead in front of horrified bystanders.

This took place close to the gate of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which is meant to be ensuring "a peaceful transition" after South Sudanese voted to secede. In January the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for independence.

Churches Burned On 8 June, Muslim militia set fire to the Episcopal Church of Sudan and Sudanese Church of Christ buildings in the capital of South Kordofan, Kadugli.

Christian Murdered On the same day, Adeeb Gismalla Aksam, a 33 year old bus driver, whose father is an elder of the Evangelical Church in Kadugli, was murdered by a Muslim mob shouting "Allah Akbar!"

Tortured for Christ Another Christian was arrested by government of Sudan forces and accused of being against Islam. He was tortured and severely beaten in his own home.

Church Property Looted B i s h o p Andudu Adam Elnail o f t h e Episcopal Church of S u d a n Diocese of Kadugli reported that church property was looted by government forces and Muslim militia.

Jihad Declared The governor of North Kordofan, Mutasim Mirghani Zaki Eldeen, has declared Jihad (holy war), on the people of the Nuba Mountains. Most of the Nuba are Christians. Hundreds of military vehicles, many towing artilery, converged on Kadugli, indicating that a major offensive is imminent. Refugees have claimed that Arab militias are "killing anyone who is Black". As one aid worker described it: "The government thinks that all Black people are opposition supporters and are therefore targets."

Aerial Bombardments Churches are being directly targeted by aerial bombardments. Tens-ofthousands of civilians have been displaced, fleeing the bombardments and terror attacks. The UN estimated that 60,000 civilians have been displaced fleeing the latest upsurge in violence.

Violence in Abyei South West of the Nuba Mountains, in the contested border region of oil-rich Abyei, fighting has erupted between the military forces of the North and South. Many farmers have been displaced and forced to flee to the South.

describing the situation as "ethnic cleansing" and "absolute carnage."

Egyptian UN "peacekeepers" have been accused by many Nuba as biased towards their Arab tormentors and complicit in targeted assassinations within UN Displaced camps.

Pray for Christians Suffering in Sudan Please join with us in fervent prayer that the sufferings of our Christian brethren in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains become known to the church worldwide and that the persecutors be exposed and opposed.

Let us pray that peace with justice be firmly established in an independent South Sudan. Please also pray for the Frontline Mission teams dedicated to serving South Sudan.

"Cush will submit itself to God." Psalm 68:31 Dr. Peter Hammond is the author of Faith Under Fire in Sudan. Dr. Hammond has travelled throughout the war devastated Nuba Mountains, an island of Christianity in a sea of Islam, showing the Jesus film in A r a b i c , proclaiming the Gospel, training pastors and evading enemy patrols.

Ethnic Cleansing Mission and church contacts are FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA FAX: (021) 685-5884 Web: www.frontline.org.za

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20 Years of Biblical Worldview Seminars in Africa This year Frontline Fellowship celebrates 20 years of conducting Biblical Worldview Seminars in Africa.

The BWS teaches and equips Christians to critically analyse competing ideas and to stand firm in the Faith. The Summit trains participants to know what they believe, why they believe it, how to defend it in argument, and most importantly how to win friends, neighbours, and fellow students to Christ.

discussion groups, P.T. every morning (except Sundays) problem solving skills, survival skills, and outreaches in local communities. This included door-to-door evangelism, mass literature distribution, one-onone personal evangelism, spiritual surveys and open air evangelism in nearby communities.

Participants for the latest Summit came from as far afield as Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, the United States of America and from all over South Africa.

Our participants got a close up look at nature, as, within minutes of arriving, a large baboon came charging into the dining area, went straight to the fridge, opened it and pulled out a jug of milk which he proceeded to drink. He then went and helped himself to the sugar bowl on the coffee table! On a number of other occasions the baboon came back to help himself to people's

Participants of the BWS wrote: “Very well organised with excellent, thought provoking lectures and fun activities”; “A very thorough presentation of practical issues that Christians must confront and deal with”; “An active, interactive total immersion into the importance of the need for missions”; “Highly challenging and highly informative”; “Packed, time well filled, challenging and intriguing lectures”; “My faith has grown, my outlook has changed,

lunch. Nobody was hurt, but it did create quite a lot of excitement every time Jimmy came to visit!

The BWS programme included a wide range of lectures and activities including Bible Drill, Just a Minute debating skills games, adventure activities, team building exercises, Public Speaking and Debating Workshops, self-defence classes, archery and air rifle training, 4

FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP NEWS 2011/3

my attitude has changed and my goals have changed”; “I have learnt an amazing amount from every lecture and made great friendships”; “Excellent!! Very intense, fun and uplifting.”

Great Commission Course As participants of the B i b l i c a l Wo r l d v i e w Summit headed back for their homes, those who were part of the Great C o m m i s s i o n C o u rs e moved into the second phase of the three-week Course with a mountain climb. Most of this was undertaken at night.

Each of the GCC participants also took part in night hikes, night time street outreaches, a work party at a nearby Mission station and ministry on a Christian Community radio station.

The next day the GCC participants were conducting a Prayer Vigil, placard protest and side walk counselling outreach outside the Marie Stopes Abortuary in Cape Town. Numerous “customers� were urged to choose life and evangelistic discussions, counseling and prayer ensued. This was followed up by outreaches in Muslim areas. On Sundays GCC participants were ministering in

different churches. Along with missions' lectures, each day participants were involved in outreaches, including at railway stations, at traffic lights, in shopping malls and in a local prison.

Celebrating South Sudan's Secession Among the many highlights of the Great Commission Course was the celebration of South Sudan's successful struggle for secession. On Saturday, 9 July, Sudanese Christians in Cape Town joined us for a special supper and evening meeting to praise God for this wonderful victory and monumental Answer to Prayer.

FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA Email: admin@frontline.org.za Web: www.frontline.org.za 5

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Loziland for Christ Transport With over 15,000km travelled on our mission trip, the need to stay alert on the roads was evident. Overturned trucks on the sides of the roads and huge potholes eating away at the tar, makes one all the more cautious when travelling. While travelling through Zimbabwe we were in the process of overtaking an 18 wheel truck when two of their tyres exploded!

Thankfully God's hand of protection was on us and we managed to come away unharmed.

Caring for the Elderly En route we were able to provide Boxes with Love to an old age home, in Zimbabwe. The boxes contained food, toiletries and literature. In Zambia, we visited an old man who only had one leg. On our previous mission we were able to supply him with a wheel chair.

This time around we could give him blankets, a mattress and tarpaulin to cover his leaking thatch roof.

Rural Outreaches In western Zambia is a very rural people group. Some of them have been reached by the Gospel but only to a small extent. When challenged on what they believe in, a common response is a salvation based on works.

“I am a Christian because I pray”, “God will let me into Heaven because I do more good works than bad”, or the inevitable: “I have always been a Christian” are common. During our outreach we were able to visit different rural clinics to conduct some Surveys and opportunities for Evangelism were many. Under trees and next to water wells we were able to proclaim the Gospel. Not only did we have the opportunity to spread the Gospel in a straightforward, uncompromising way for people to understand clearly, but we had excellent times for teaching as well. Questions such as the doctrine of Baptism and what is considered wrong

reactions radical and both reactions that could shape people's eternities.

with sexual immorality were asked of me. I had a great time teaching from the Word of God and the hunger for knowledge and discipleship was made very clear from the interest displayed by the people.

Film Evangelism The Jesus Film has been translated into more languages than any other film in the world. Once again The Jesus Film was used as an outreach tool to Lozi speaking people. At one time there was a traditional ceremony happening on the other side of the village. But more people were attracted to come and see the Jesus Film than to go see the traditional ceremony! There was a crowd of between five to six hundred people watching the film. After the film another Gospel Message was given, with an altar call. There were some who were mocking, some who were opposing, and there was a group of people who were genuinely interested. The people who were interested put up their hands when the invitation to repent and follow Christ was given and as they were praying the mockers got louder. This did not deter the people from praying, instead it provoked them to pray even louder until they were making their commitments to follow Christ at the top of their voices. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Completely opposite reactions to the same Gospel presentation were evident, both

Encouraging Leaders At the various villages where we visited and evangelised, we were able to speak to the leaders and encourage them. The churches in the rural areas are under spiritual attack from the enemy in the form of cults, sects and false religions stealing the people away from the Truth. The leaders of the churches all had similar questions and similar problems, mainly regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics and some other small sects, as well as the ever present threat of witchcraft. So many Christians are afraid of witches and demonpossessed people.

Leadership Training In the central and eastern parts of Zambia we were able to do leadership training. Many of the problems that the leaders face are in the form of cults and false religions. We managed to conduct four leadership training seminars in central and eastern Zambia alone.

Praise God for keeping us healthy and safe, giving us favour with authorities in the various villages. Pray that the leaders in the rural areas will stay strong in the Lord and stand against the false religions threatening them. Pray for the seeds sown during outreaches.

Pray that we will have opportunities to go back and do follow up ministry especially in those remote areas where others are not willing to go.

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the Heavens.” 1 Chron.16:25-26 John Clifford

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FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA FAX: (021) 685-5884 Web: www.frontline.org.za