The first time I met John Garang was at the Presbyterian mission printing press in southern Sudan. A tall, lanky young man, he was pedaling a stationary bicycle that "powered" a small press. His gangly height and piercing eyes set in a jet-black face instantly revealed he was a Dinka, Sudan's largest ethnic group. His Presbyterian mentors, Rev. and Mrs. Lowery Anderson, had led him to Christ and taught him the operation of the press, which turned out gospel pamphlets, Bible studies, and teaching materials.

Developing as a Leader in the Midst of Civil War John showed leadership qualities back in 1965, but I couldn't have dreamed that one day he would be Sudan's Vice President. Between the time at the press and the day he became VP, John joined the southern resistance movement that protested oppression by the Arab North.

The government expelled all missionaries from the South during the 1960s. Many had to evacuate on short notice. Over the following decades, SIM workers prayed and ached for the believers among the Dinka, Mabaan, Shilluk, and Uduk who were caught between northern and southern forces. Meanwhile, SIM headed up ACROSS, a consortium of agencies that brought relief to displaced refugees. John Garang was a leading spokesman for the needs of the southern peoples.

On January 2005, Garang brokered a ceasefire that promises autonomy within Sudan for six years, after which the South has the right to hold a referendum on secession.

Sudan's New Vice President On July 9, John Garang was sworn in as Vice President of Sudan. Three weeks later, as he was returning from a visit with neighboring Uganda's President, his helicopter crashed. All on board died. Refugees camping around Khartoum and other cities rioted, adding to the 2 million (mostly southerners) who had died as a result of the civil war.

"A charismatic leader, a confident of presidents, a folk hero to many," reported the international news magazine, The Economist.

"A visionary leader and peacemaker," stated US President George Bush.

Meanwhile, some of us know him as the press operator who once helped print gospel tracts, then went on to lead his southern countrymen in their struggle for peace.

For information about SIM's new work in South Sudan, visit Rebuilding South Sudan: Church and Nation