Songs of praise echoed through the village of Dwani, South Sudan, as hundreds of believers gathered to celebrate the dedication of their newly rebuilt church.

“With joy and thanksgiving we have met here today to consecrate and dedicate this building to God, and for the glory of His Name,” Pastor Anthony Powgo said. “Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we consecrate this building to almighty God.”

The new sanctuary, rebuilt with assistance from Samaritan’s Purse, is a testimony to God’s grace and the faith of believers who survived Sudan’s brutal civil war.

Dwani village became a recurring battleground during the war, as rebel forces resisted attempts by the Sudanese government to stamp out Christianity and force the people to submit to Islamic sharia law. The church and the village were burned to the ground, forcing many to flee into the rugged bush country of Sudan or to refugee camps in Uganda.

Sadly, those who fled to Uganda became victims of a violent rebel force called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Savage LRA troops attacked refugee camps by night, terrorizing the people and robbing them of the limited United Nations food rations they had.

“Some were killed, many more were kidnapped,” lamented a Dwani Church member named Peter. “The worst victims were the little ones, ages 10 to 12. They were taken as slaves and were never seen again. They took our young women and defiled them.”

When a peace agreement was reached in 2005, people slowly returned to Dwani and began rebuilding their lives from the ashes. Samaritan’s Purse stepped in to help believers in Dwani rebuild their church.

Christians in Dwani helped clear the land and gather local materials like sand and stone to be used in the building process. Volunteers made hundreds of bricks with a hand press, and worked with a Samaritan’s Purse construction crew to build the walls of the new sanctuary. Every family felt that they had hand in the construction of their new church home.

On dedication day, a woman named Mary shared her joy.

“This church has transformed lives and restored hope for many people,” she said. “The church has a plan to reach the entire community through education, by opening a nursery and primary school. These will aim at raising up leaders, teachers, and doctors from among those who are God-fearing and upright.”

A youth leader named Moses was excited about the number of young people who have started coming to church.

“The number of worshippers increased from 80 to 250 every Sunday,” Moses said. “Youth alone make up more than half of those coming. Children now have their own service. Sunday school now threatens to reach 150 every Sunday, and this poses new challenges for training Sunday school teachers. The number of converts is also climbing. The challenge we face now is training up leaders and following up on converts to build them up spiritually and morally.”

The challenges of dealing with a growing congregation filled with young people are welcome in any church, but especially in Sudan. Pastor Powgo thanked God for His provision and placed the Dwani congregation in His hands for the future.

“From the days of old the Lord has been touching the hearts of His people, creating in them a desire to build or set aside holy places for worship,” he said. “Eternal Father, watchful and caring, our source and our end, all that we are and all that we have is Yours.”

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Samaritan's Purse , Sudan , Sudan Churches Project , Giving Praise for a New Church