Contact: Rachel Elwood, Media Relations, World Gospel Mission, 765-671-7255, mediarelations@wgm.org 

MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- To transform the hearts and lives of people in South Sudan: that's the vision of a small group of missionaries, Kenyans, and Sudanese who form the team behind Mango Ministries. In August 2009, this team gathered to launch this new initiative to one of the worst-off areas of the world.

"The injustice, the poverty, and the suffering the Sudanese have experienced is staggering," said missionary Joy Phillips.

While it is easy to get stuck on how bad life is for these people, Phillips says the team, "can see what God must envision for the Sudanese--villages at peace with their neighbors, healthy children reaching their educational potential, abundant harvests and food for all, days of productivity for all able-bodied men and women, and vibrant churches where the body of Christ reaches those in need."

Mango Ministries, an outreach of World Gospel Mission (WGM) and the Africa Gospel Church, focuses on assisting mission hospitals, training church leaders, and promoting community health and development. Multidisciplinary and multicultural teams utilize a community-based, participatory approach.

"We want to empower communities in South Sudan to live with dignity and with the hope of Jesus Christ," said Dennis Johnson, vice president of International Ministries at WGM.

The Mango Ministries team works with communities to identify problems and develop action plans that tackle the issues--issues like health, clean water, agriculture, income generation, justice, and more. "We will be there to facilitate the process and help offer training and input as requested," Phillips explains.

This new and growing outreach welcomes volunteers and short-term missionaries with a wide variety of skills. To view of list of volunteer ministry positions with Mango Ministries, click here.

About World Gospel Mission
World Gospel Mission disciples believers to become missions-active Christians. As an interdenominational missionary organization, WGM partners with individuals, small groups, college groups, and churches to intentionally address the physical and spiritual needs of individuals and communities. Learn more here.