 Reprint from The Layman, July/August 1998 Exiled Sudanese prince trains Christians for return to homeland By Parker T. Williamson The Presbyterian Layman Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Haruun Ruun, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya, traveled thousands of miles to see his friend, William Vanderbloemen, pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Ala. The two had met earlier in the year when Vanderbloemen was in Africa on a pastors' training expedition. Ruun ministers to survivors of a vicious civil war in nearby Sudan, his native land. Sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its partners in the Africa Inland Church, Ruun serves the New Sudan Council of Churches. His council is "new" because the war that has ravaged his land has made it almost impossible for Christians in the north and south to share ministry with one another. Sudanese Christians, primarily in the south, are under siege. Islam by force An alliance between the Sudanese government and Islamic fundamentalists appears bent on destroying Christian faith in the country. Sudanese in the north are Arabs or Arab-oriented Africans. Many are Muslims, and they believe that the only way to unify their divided country is to force Islam on all its inhabitants. Supported by the government, they have burned churches in the south and, quite literally, crucified Christians. In southern Sudan, the majority of the people are Africans, and they tend to identify with southern Africa where the predominant religions are Christian and animist. From a human perspective, the odds are against them. It is against the law for Christians to convert members of the Islamic faith to Christianity. Conversely, pastors who convert to Islam are offered food assistance, jobs, cars, multiple wives, and other perks from community authorities. Missionaries who teach practical skills, e.g., farming, health care, education, are welcomed into the country by the government, but not evangelists. An arm for a life Ruun says God allowed him to lose his right arm in return for his life. The accident happened when he was a boy living in southern Sudan, a long way from medical care. By the time he arrived at a hospital, gangrene had set in and an amputation was required. The accident caused a political and religious crisis in Ruun's family. His father was a prominent chief of the three million-member Dinka tribe as had been his grandfather, and Ruun was next in line. His mutilation undermined that accession. The Dinka people would not submit to a one-armed chief. How could God have allowed this to happen to Ruun and his family? Some blamed Ruun's father, for he had become a Christian. Could the sins of the father have been visited upon his son? Shamed by his impairment, the young prince pondered his future. Tragedy and opportunity Two British businessmen took pity on the boy, and in 1968, they brought him to London to be fitted for a prosthesis. While Ruun was in London, Islamic fundamentalists swarmed upon his family's village. Ruun's father, 19 members of his family and all other prominent leaders of the Dinka tribe were killed. Government officials looked the other way. The boy was told to stay in London, out of harm's reach. Soon Ruun became fluent in English and earned a first-rate education. Recognized for his bright mind and growing faith, he found doors opening to him in the United States where he earned a diploma in biblical studies, BA and MA degrees in Christian Education at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina, and a Doctor of Ministry degree through an extension program of Columbia Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 'God had a purpose for me' Ruun no longer wonders why he lost his arm. "God allowed me to lose my arm so I could be out of my country at the time of the massacre. God sent me away so I could learn English, learn how to teach the faith, meet mission-sending churches, especially the Presbyterian Church (USA). God was preparing me to train Christian leaders in the Sudan."
Ruun believes that since evangelistic missionaries are not allowed to enter the country, the greatest gift we can give Sudanese Christians is to provide training opportunities for their leaders, equipping them to minister to their own people. Specifically, he has in mind Bishop Birecht College in northern Kenya, within 200 miles of the Sudanese border. An education at Bishop Birecht College provides training both in Bible teaching and in the skills needed for a person to excel in a secular trade. Students are Sudanese Christian exiles living in Kenya. They come from rapidly growing churches in the southern Sudan whose people are so poor that they cannot support a pastor financially. Equipping Christian leaders with marketable skills enables them to sustain themselves while serving Sudanese congregations. Further, Sudan's needs for workers with agricultural, health care, construction and other skills is so desperate that persons so equipped are welcomed into the country. A gift of land Ruun's dream took a giant leap toward reality when Bishop Birecht College received a gift of land from Kenyan President Daniel Arop Moi. Moi is an evangelical Christian, a churchman and a member of the African Inland Church. The land that he gave the college is strategically located, near the Kenyan, Ugandan and Sudanese borders. Already, supporters, including volunteer work groups from churches in the United States, have helped the college build a chicken house whose protective tarp is attached to the structure with bottle caps rather than nails. Thirty head of cattle graze on college land. Bananas, maize and sweet potatoes are numbered among crops grown on the property. The plan is for the school to support itself locally by selling eggs, beef, and produce. Partners in Christ The Session of Memorial Presbyterian Church will assist Ruun's ministry by establishing a special fund for scholarships and equipment. Bishop Birecht College needs a truck, a tractor, a couple of tillers and other gardening equipment. $7,500 is needed to purchase materials to build a dormitory that can house 20 people. $700 will underwrite the cost of one student for a full year of study. |
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