A group of young volunteers and local church members have finished constructing the first Seventh-day Adventist church building in war-torn south Sudan, according to Beat Odermatt, president of the Adventist Church in the region. The church was built by a group from Outpost Centers, Inc. (OCI), an international lay organization headquartered in Apison, Tennessee, United States, that supports the work of the Adventist Church. The OCI team, all under age 30, worked closely with local Adventists who provided onsite labor, bricks, rocks, and sand.

While there are other temporary Adventist churches made of mud and thatch in Sudan, this is the first church made with “permanent” construction materials, says Jabel Busl, who led the church-building team.

“This church building is a testimony to what today’s young people, and older people for that matter, can accomplish with faith, perseverance, and some hard work,” says Michael Ryan, Global Mission director for the Adventist world church, who visited the new church site earlier this year. “Many of us take a church building for granted; yet for so many others, a church building is a dream. Once they have one, it becomes a focal point for the community of Adventist believers.”

According to Odermatt, some 35 church members attend the church each week, along with 30 to 40 visitors. The newly constructed church, made of hand-made brick, is located in the village of Bar Olo, along the main road between Maridi and Mundri in Western Equitoria.

Construction of a second church is already underway. For more information about Global Mission, visit www.global-mission.org.