A group of Seventh-day Adventist women send their greetings to the world church after the Saturday (Sabbath) worship service at the Juba Football Stadium in Juba, South Sudan, on July 13. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]
Juba Football Stadium was the venue for the Homecoming series in South Sudan.
July 22, 2024 | Juba, South Sudan | Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review
The scorching sun did not prevent hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist church members, guests, and Bible study interests from finding a place in the stands of the Juba Football Stadium in Juba, South Sudan, July 13. Planned from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day, the Sabbath worship service included congregational singing, offerings, a musical concert of several church choirs, a discussion of the Sabbath School lesson, and the preaching of the Word of God.
The Juba Football Stadium was the venue selected for the first week of the Homecoming evangelistic meetings in Juba. The soccer stadium, which was built in the 1960s, recently underwent major remodeling after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) decided to fund the project as part of its Forward initiative, which seeks to support and develop soccer in non-traditional places.
General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson invites those who still needed to surrender to God to do it right away, committing to study the Bible in preparation for baptism.
[Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]
The July 13 service was translated into Arabic. While English is the lingua franca of most South Sudanese, many speak Arabic, including its Juba and Sudanese variants. Also, South Sudan has an estimated 60 aboriginal languages, including those representing major indigenous groups such as Dinka and Nuer.
A children’s choir welcomes guests and church members to the worship service through song. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]
Wilson’s message once more appealed to the various groups among those seated in the stands. All those who were ready for their baptism a couple of hours later were invited for a special prayer. At the same time, Wilson made a special point of focusing on those who had not yet committed to Jesus. “If you feel God is calling you, please come so I can pray for you,” he told the crowd. “Tell the Lord you are ready to start studying His Word. Tell Him that you want to get ready to be part of His church. Give Him your life today.”
Singing about the hope that believers have in Jesus, a church choir inspires the hundreds who attended the July 13 worship service at Juba Football Stadium. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]