Seventy Facilitators Trained in Biblical Literacy and Discipleship Program in Wau Diocese.

Andrew Apiny Macham.

From Monday 12th - 17th March 2012, Samaritan’s Purse International Relief conducted a five day training workshop and trained seventy people at The Good Shepherd Cathedral in Wau for mission and Evangelism. The participants were drawn from 29 parishes built by the Samaritan’s Purse in different Archdeaconries of Wau Diocese. 

       

The aim of the Biblical Literacy and Discipleship Program is to empower and equip the church leaders and send them out for evangelism. The specific target of the Biblical Literacy and Discipleship Program is that, each person should disciple at least twenty-five persons per church. Only then the world can be evangelized and transformed into Christianity. In an interview with one participant, Marko Deng Mapal said, “I am happy for this training it, because it reminds us of our mission as Christians to reach people with the gospel of Christ to follow Jesus as their personal savior. Above all these we were taught how to raise up children as God fearing and help them grow up with Christian values. The materials were designed in such a way that they are really targeting children of 4-15 years of age.
Since we are commissioned to go, Jesus commanded us to go, preach the Kingdom of God and make disciples, we are the church, and the church is a community to the ends of the earth. After attaining this training I believe that we have all the necessities for evangelism to reach people with the Gospel of Christ effectively. Once again, this refreshment course reminds us, because people easily forget what they have learnt after some time, with this, we are able to do well in the field. But without this there will be lower productivity, this is why I am happy about the training.”

Luke Runyon the Samaritan’s Purse Ministry Program Manager appreciated the participants for their commitment to learn and willingness to go and teach others with the Gospel of Christ. He said, “Evangelism in South Sudan is very weak, research indicated that the churches suffer erosion to their congregations, emerging churches are suffering high erosion rates due to lack of evangelism, film and radio have a dismal track record due to a lack of Biblical teaching principles and again evangelism. This country needs grass roots evangelists who could evangelize indigenous people in their own language, we are foreign ministries who cannot evangelize effectively, we are only doing the converting without follow up, but you! You can follow all the procedures of evangelism, that is to focus on new converts, involve them, build them up and continue monitoring and mentoring them. With this, you will have better membership of churches than simply event oriented ministries”.

In the closing ceremony his Lordship the Rt. Rev. Bishop Mosses Deng Bol read the Matthew 9:3-38 where Jesus Christ said that the harvest is plentiful. But the laborers are few. Pray for Laborers”, Bishop Moses said, “My fellow Christians we don’t need to pray for laborers while you are here, the discipling of the nation is our mandate; there is no excuse or time to waste; we are under an obligation to multiply daily. Christianity is like a moving river. If it stops flowing then it stagnates and becomes a dirty pond of mud, mosquitoes that other harmful creature will find their way into. We don’t want to be in such a scenario as this. We must multiply and continuing growing each day, but who will do this? It’s you people, and there is no question of who will go? The problem today in my understanding is not that there are not laborers to go and do the work of evangelism but a lack of commitment. Please take this knowledge seriously and use it profitably and productively. Remember in the end each one of us will stand before God and give an account to God of what he/she has done with the knowledge he/she has acquired here.”