Field Partner: Paul*

Meet Paul*

In the past 17 years, he’s been imprisoned 12 times for his faith. Abducted and beaten to near death three times. Isolated, deserted by family and friends. “If it is a hardship and trial, I have experienced it,” Paul says.

“Paul” isn’t his real name, but it’s the most fitting alias for this Christian pastor who was born into an extremist Muslim family.

A different type of God

In 2004, war made Paul flee from his home country of Sudan. While displaced and deeply committed to Islam, he came across a religious text that felt somewhat familiar yet drastically different. The God portrayed in this book was one of love. A God that encouraged you to serve others more than yourself.

A missionary in an Ethiopian refugee camp helped Paul make sense of this book he came to realize was the Bible. For three straight weeks, the missionary shared the gospel with Paul until he and his friends saw the problems of Islam and embraced the light of Jesus.

“Coming from that background to the light of Jesus Christ…there’s a big difference. Total hatred to total love. Total darkness to total light.”

Sunday gathering with Ecclesia Ministries

Paul with his son

Members of Ecclesia Ministries singing “I have decided to follow Jesus”

Persecuted but not abandoned

Like Paul in the New Testament, coming to light led to an immediate and radical change. He started sharing the Good News of Jesus in the refugee camp, where he saw many of his friends accept Jesus. But others stood against him — beating him, falsely accusing him, and imprisoning him. The persecution only fueled his faith.

While in prison for an entire year, Paul preached the gospel. Some of the very men who persecuted him would come to know Christ as their savior. The Bible showed him how to share truth and love with others, but he still needed help in learning how to grow for himself.

Once released from prison, Paul went to school to better understand the Bible. The learning and community better prepared him to pursue his new calling: to advance the gospel in his home country of Sudan. Persecution and unrest drive him into different regions at times, but wherever Paul goes, he’s committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

“Even in the middle of persecution and hardships and trials, God has been with us. We experience his presence whether we are in prison, whether we were abducted, whether we were beaten in our bodies, he was with us.”

The door is open in Sudan

Over the past decade, Paul has seen more than 200 house churches start around the Darfur region of Sudan. Their network of churches is known as Ecclesia Ministries (EM) and is led by three men: Pastor Paul and his brother Pastor Silas*, and Timothy*. They each desire for all of Sudan to have access to the gospel, but they know that takes strategic partnerships.

EM wants to develop and equip Muslim background believers through sound biblical doctrine. They want to see people who don’t follow Jesus come to know him and establish healthy biblical communities in areas previously unreached by the gospel.

“God’s plan is already there and the door is open. People are receptive. As long as we continue sharing the gospel people are drawing to Jesus.”

To maximize their opportunities in unreached areas, Paul and EM are partnering with Known to propel their work of training leaders and provide greater access to God’s Word across Sudan. Known is proud to join where God is working in Sudan by partnering with Pastor Paul and his community of churches. Together, we can play a part in seeing God bring others from darkness to light.

Pray with Paul as they: