Every day, families in South Sudan struggle to meet their basic needs due to conflict, climate disasters, and extreme poverty. Global Brethren Services, a national non-governmental organization registered in South Sudan, is committed to providing food security, emergency relief, education, and spiritual support.
Stories of Hope and Resilience
On a recent visit to South Sudan, we met Nyakuol, a 19-year-old who has spent her teenage years in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp—forced from her home due to conflict and climate disaster. Despite her circumstances, she is pursuing a university education in international relations, dreaming of one day representing the country she loves. May God open those doors for her!
We also met Nyakanitha, a trained midwife who was displaced for the same reasons. Now, she serves her people in the IDP camp, caring for women and advocating for an end to gender-based violence. She hopes to return to her home in Mayom, Unity State, to work with a team of church planters and community development leaders.
Our Team and Future Plans
We are grateful for the leadership of Reverend Athanasus Ungang, a U.S. citizen, originally from South Sudan. He oversees everything we do, including the new Church of the Brethren church plants, training pastors, community development, disaster relief, and soon the building of a headquarters for the ministry.
He is assisted by several faithful servants of the Lord: Utong James, Kerubino Pow, Nyakanitha, and others. In order to grow the capacity of our NGO, we are developing a strategic 5-year plan.
- Holistic church planting and community development: in Eastern Equatoria and hopefully expanding to Mayom, Unity State, or elsewhere as doors open. The next step is to send an exploratory team to make concrete plans for the beginning of this project. All members of the Mayom team are from Mayom.
Community development is part of everything our Global Brethren Services team does. We lead and participate in farming and tree planting, improving food security, providing education, enabling clean water sources, ending gender-based violence, healing trauma and much more. - Training for COB pastors and supporting the growth of new churches in a primarily oral culture.
- Building project management: It may be time to purchase land and build a headquarters near the capital for easier access to different areas of the country. This will require new funds.
- Emergency Relief: With the ongoing political and communal tensions often tipping over into violence and the possibility of the 2018 peace agreement collapsing, and in addition to an already dysfunctional government, there will likely be many emergency situations arising. Our team remains at the ready to help where we can, however we can.
None of this is possible without strong support from the Church of the Brethren, U.S.
Call to Action: You can help!
Prayer support. If you would like to receive regular Global Mission prayer requests, please sign up on the Global Mission webpage .
If you or your church would like to support our work to meet basic human needs in South Sudan, please give online at www.brethren.org/give-South-Sudan or mail a check to:
Global Mission – South Sudan
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
Your support provides many people with stability as they face natural disasters and human-made disasters affecting themselves and their neighbors.
Show the people of South Sudan that we have not forgotten them and that we know they are beloved of God who deserve lives of dignity.
Related news
- Large Emergency Disaster Fund grants go to Church of the Brethren programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed large grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the DRC) providing a six-month emergency humanitarian aid program for families affected by war, and to a program being developed by the Church of the Brethren Mission in South Sudan. Also among recent grants, funding was provided for the Hurricane Helene response of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
- Church of the Brethren staff and leaders meet in Uganda to plan for increased humanitarian needs in South Sudan
Roger Schrock as former mission staff in South Sudan, Roy Winter as executive for Service Ministries and Brethren Disaster Ministries, and I traveled recently to Uganda to meet with South Sudan staff Athanasus Ungang and two of his team members* to consult on positioning for the future in South Sudan.
- Grants support increased humanitarian needs in South Sudan, among other responses to violence and war
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to fund planning for increased humanitarian needs in South Sudan; an aid program by l’Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the DR Congo) for displaced families and refugees in Burundi who have fled the M23 violence; and purchase of medicines and medical equipment for hospitals and clinics serving Palestinians displaced in Gaza City due to the Israel-Hamas war.
- South Sudan journal: A first international trip as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren
My first international trip as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren was to South Sudan from Feb. 1-15. I was fortunate to travel with a group led by Carolyn and Roger Schrock. Here are excerpts from my daily journal of the trip
- There is still time to contribute to the South Sudan Matching Gift Campaign
The South Sudan Matching Gift Campaign that celebrates the Church of the Brethren ministry that is growing in South Sudan is in its last weeks. We are raising funding to help support a variety of projects in South Sudan that include agriculture, community development, theological training, and equipment for ministry.
- Leading Church of the Brethren staff visit South Sudan
In November 2023, the executive directors of the Church of the Brethren’s Service Ministries and Global Mission departments, Roy Winter and Eric Miller respectively, visited South Sudan for six days. During that time, they met with Athanasus Ungang, who is country director of Brethren Global Services, the Church of the Brethren mission project there.
- EDF grants continue Nigeria Crisis Response, send aid to South Sudan
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to continue the Nigeria Crisis Response through 2023 and to support a response to flooding and conflict in South Sudan.
- Emergency Disaster Fund grants fund relief work in Africa and Puerto Rico
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support relief efforts by the denomination’s Puerto Rico District following Hurricane Fiona, and in the African nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda. To financially support the work of Brethren Disaster Ministries, and to give to these and other EDF grants, go to www.brethren.org/edf.
- Global Mission staff released from custody in South Sudan
Athanasus Ungang, Church of the Brethren Global Mission staff in South Sudan, was released from prison this week after a detention lasting more than three weeks. He and other church leaders and colleagues had been held for questioning following the murder of a church leader in May, although he was not a suspect in the case and the authorities did not press formal charges.
- Church of the Brethren staff plan expansion of agriculture and trauma recovery programing in South Sudan
A plan to expand Church of the Brethren agriculture and trauma recovery programing in South Sudan is receiving support from Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Global Food Initiative. A joint allocation directs $29,500 to the work in South Sudan, including $24,500 from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and $5,000 from the Global Food Initiative (GFI).
History/Past information
The Church of the Brethren continues mission efforts in South Sudan. This work is aimed at building up the church presence there, responding to human need, and working for peace and reconciliation through the Brethren Peace Center in Torit
There are many parallels with the start of the Brethren in Europe and the Brethren in South Sudan. The beginning of the Church of the Brethren grew out of a period when there were many wars in Europe. The emphasis on peace grew out of a heartfelt desire for peace on the part of the Schwarzenau eight. As Africa’s newest country, South Sudan has grown out of a period of over 60 years of conflict and war. The South Sudanese want peace and the teachings and service of the Church of the Brethren resonates well with their hope for the future.
The demographics of South Sudan means that there are many youth and children in each community. The first Church of the Brethren congregation in the village of Pacidi is in the home village of Athanasus Ungang, the Church of the Brethren country director for South Sudan. The hope is that many more congregations can be planted.
