Evangelism Meetings in South Sudan Draw Hundreds to God’s Word

More than two hours before sunset on July 12, hundreds of people found their place in the stands of the Juba Football Stadium in preparation for another evening of the Homecoming evangelistic meetings in Juba, South Sudan.

From July 6 to 20, the two weeks of meetings in the capital of that eastern African nation are crowning months of preparation and Bible studies with hundreds of interests and drawing scores of others who expressed a desire to start studying the Bible.

In the first week of the meetings, the guest speaker was Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The meetings coincided with the celebration of South Sudan’s 13th anniversary since it became an independent country in 2011. As part of the celebration, Wilson, his wife, Nancy, and other regional Adventist Church leaders participated in a banquet, where he had the opportunity of sharing special remarks with South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit and other government officials.

After July 13, Anthony Kent, associate director of the Ministerial Association at the General Conference, took over as the keynote speaker of the afternoon meetings.

“People are excited to hear the Word of God and are answering to the altar calls every evening,” Wilson said before the July 12 meeting. He explained that every evening, he made a point of making an altar call targeting a different group of attendees. While on Wednesday, July 10, Wilson made a general call for people to commit or recommit to God, on Thursday, July 11, the emphasis of the call was on people who have been studying the Bible for months in preparation for the Homecoming series and baptism.

On Friday, the focus would be on calling those who had never answered to God but now had a desire to study the Bible, Wilson announced to regional church leaders before the July 12 meeting. “The focus in this case is not on immediate baptism but in starting Bible studies in preparation for a future ceremony,” Wilson said.

The July 12 meeting was also the first that Kent attended, as Wilson introduced him as the speaker for the second week of meetings. “Pastor Kent is a man who loves the Word of God,” Wilson told the crowd. “You don’t want to miss it. I can assure you that you’ll be blessed.”

Several church choirs introduced the July 12 evangelistic meeting. Thanks to a powerful sound system, their voices could be heard from outside the stadium. Before the study of God’s Word led by Wilson and, as she had done every evening during the week, his wife, Nancy, gave a brief health talk. Her July 12 presentation dealt with the importance of rest. “God created us with the need to rest,” Nancy Wilson said. “When we don’t take time to rest, our physical and mental life is affected. Our productivity decreases, even when we seem to work more.”

After Ted Wilson’s presentation, and when the sun had already disappeared over the horizon, he appealed to attendees to take their commitment to God seriously. “If you have postponed your decision until now, today is the day,” he said. “God is inviting you to say, ‘Lord, I want to study the Bible; I want to get ready to become part of your church.’ ” Dozens responded.