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Wells for Churches “This congregation has known over 58 years of war! Full of sorrows, tears, and pain!” declared Pastor Simon. “But God is here to wipe away those tears and end our sorrow and our pain!”

With those words from their pastor, a new church was dedicated in the village of Mundu, Sudan. People cheered, jumped to their feet, clasped hands, and rushed to the front of the sanctuary, praising God.

Joyous celebrations like this one are spreading across southern Sudan, as Samaritan’s Purse continues our efforts to replace church buildings destroyed by government forces during Sudan’s long civil war. Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, our teams have worked alongside Sudanese believers to construct more than 285 churches.

“Our community united with God and with Samaritan’s Purse,” said Pastor Moses of the rebuilt Wuji Church. “That’s why we have this church building.” During the war years, the church and the village were burned to the ground twice, and many people were murdered by invading troops. Survivors escaped to the rugged bush country, hiding from soldiers and surviving on little more than leaves and roots. Today the new church in Wuji stands as a symbol of renewed hope and unity. “We now have a church that cannot be destroyed easily,” Pastor Moses said. “We are one in Christ.”

The significance of the Sudan Church Rebuilding Project was witnessed firsthand by Dr. Bill Frist—heart surgeon, medical missionary, and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader—who accompanied Franklin Graham to visit Lizira Church in the town of Yei.

“What I realized is that the rebuilding of these churches is much more than rebuilding a facility in which to worship, as important as that is,” Dr. Frist said. “It is a restoration of hope, a rebirth, not just for the congregation but for the entire community.”

Rebuilding the Church in Sudan involves more than construction. To replace pastors and evangelists martyred during the war, Samaritan’s Purse has established a Bible school in the Nuba Mountains, where students are trained to preach the Gospel and plant churches in Arabic-speaking communities. We also worked with churches in southern Sudan to distribute 260,000 Bibles in six languages and to set up more than 10,000 Bible-reading groups.

Christians in Sudan know what it means to stare death in the face and live. It’s given them an eternal perspective on this passing life.

A church leader who spoke at the dedication of a rebuilt sanctuary in Yei defined the mission of Sudanese believers when he said: “We now have a beautiful building, but we bring people not to a building, but to Jesus Christ. When we die, let’s leave behind more than a nice building. Let’s leave behind a legacy that makes people say, ‘Surely, that person knew Jesus Christ!’”