Gordon Skopnik, director of Serving Christ (https://servingchristorganization.org/) has been engaged in working in South Sudan and neighbouring countries together with various partners since 2003. The initial contact with South Sudanese refugees was through a local ministry in Kitchener, ON called Welcome Home with International Teams. After meeting this incredibly vulnerable community, a trip to South Sudan was organized to help orphans and widows. From there the program grew into a ministry of Church Planting, Social Economic Development, Clean Water, Trauma care, and more.
South Sudan emerged from one of the longest civil wars in Africa to declare its independence from Sudan (the North) in July 2011, becoming the newest independent and fully UN recognized nation on the Globe. The people of South Sudan began a new journey of building their lives and communities around a common foundation to become one people and one nation.
Sadly in December of 2013 terrible fighting broke out once again, this time between the tribes in South Sudan itself and then again in 2016 until now. Many people have been killed and millions displaced.
Refugees in South Sudan have witnessed incredible violence, fled their homes, and suffered immensely with the lack of food, clean water, and shelter – not to mention the grief, trauma, and loss brought on by the war.
Background:
The South Sudanese were not the only ones displaced. As a ministry we had to relocate to Northern Uganda wher 1.5 million of those refugee’s now live. It also lead us to develop in the Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. The ministry and service of Avant Ministries, ‘Serving Christ’ (https://servingchristorganization.org/) has been to bring sustainable development to grassroots communities through a unique model of Church Planting, social economic empowerment, social integration, and programs for trauma care.
In January 2017 we (the leading organization, Avant ministries, guests, and national leaders) gathered as 7 Sudanese leaders and others from different geographical areas, with various denominational and tribal affiliations and planned how we could most effectively reach South Sudan for Christ. In unity we decided to gather believing and trustworthy leaders from the different camps to take the church planting training, with the goal of then training others. Over 13 churches were planted in the various refugee settlements.
Up to 2025 1000’s of participants have been trained for the 4 module Church Planting training of trainers program. We have now graduated hundreds of students through this training.
As mentioned we have moved back into South Sudan, Congo and other locations, the participants are taking the training back to their own countries, promoting it’s full content.
The training includes: character building, leadership training, trauma care, peace and reconciliation, social economic development, and life (community) skills development – to mention a few. The training is done in 4 modules throughout the year and empowers the “church” to plant churches where there is yet no church!
So we graduated many people, and of those participants that graduate we honour them with a certificate and a 465 page manual and outlines to multiply this movement.
