Across Sudan

Program Description:
Our vision is:
To see children whole in body, mind and spirit, ministering to others, empowered by the Holy Spirit, using their God given gifts and bringing others to Him.
Presently, our main focus is training leaders working with children.
Program Activities:
Currently, training of Sunday school teachers (SST’s) is our main activity. We work with 13 church congregations in Yei; some teachers have dropped out of the training, which was fully expected, leaving the committed core.
We don’t work solely with SST’s. It is essential that pastors understand children’s place in God’s kingdom. This is so that they (the pastors) can effectively support the SST’s, and seek to include the children in church activities, praise and worship.
We also take devotions once a week at the Diocesan Nursery school in Yei; it is encouraging to see the relationship growing. We share work with other programmes where possible. We have a project with SLC and with radio, and are also working in Boma through the PAP (Participatory Awakening Process), helping churches and communities in their response to children and their needs.
We are involved with students in YTTC (Yei Teacher Training College) and hope that over the years Children’s Ministry will help the students in many areas as they prepare to be teachers and influence the lives of their pupils.
Child protection is something that we are getting more involved within the community; we need to be advocating for our children as well as teaching them.
Mission & Vision Connections:
Across is focused on biblical transformation. For too long, the Church, all over the world has neglected its children. It has not cared for them, discipled them, or helped the family and community to ground the children in the faith to which they have been born. This has meant that children grow with habits that are not Christ like, and they do not know differently. The task is then to practice and demonstrate a Christian way of living, even though changing our ways is so hard. By helping children grow in EVERY area of their life as Christ would want, communities are biblically transformed.