Chad, a French-speaking country of 12 million inhabitants, is characterized by two distinct regions : the Muslim north which is more associated with the capital city of N’djamena, and the more «Christian» south which is centered around the second largest city of Moundou (half a million habitants).

As a result of trips by two small teams of brethren, it is now possible to give a more complete description of the churches of Christ in the southern part of Chad. From the 30th of October to the 8th of November, Steve Worley and Barry Baggott from the USA and David Nassa, Jean Boido, and Pierre Rimorbé, Chadian Christians, traveled from Figuil on the Cameroonian border to the area between Lai and Sarh in the eastern sector. During the first week of December, Ken Wilson and Doyle Kee entered the country from Garoua, Cameroon, with Daniel Djonga, a Chadian brother. They went east as far as Kelo and left the country on a bush trail out of the village of Fordoumaye. The second group had planned to go as far as Sarh but because of a civil war and martial law in place over this eastern sector of the country, they had to stop at Kelo.

More churches were found than expected. There has never been foreign missionaries of the churches of Christ working in Chad. There are, however, several national brethren who have been trained in various Bible schools in French Africa who have worked to increase the number of churches.

The first church established in the south was in Pala. A Chadian brother, Djonra Nation, was converted through a World Bible course in the Cameroon and then moved to Pala. There are now two churches in Pala and two or three others in villages out from this center. Bible school graduates, Antoine Bondo and Antoine Kandauo, are working in the two churches in the city.

Another group of churches were found further to the east in Sarh, the third largest city in the country. Some contacts were followed up by Chadian brethren and another Bible school graduate, Gabriel Haï-teito, originally a World Bible School convert in Bangui, moved from Pala to Sarh to work with this beginning restoration movement. There are now eight to ten churches in neighboring villages associated with the Sarh church. A converted denominational preacher from Sarh, Amine Pordanga, is now in a Bible school in the Ivory Coast.

Between Kelo and Sarh is an area around Ter and Dono-manga. A Chadian brother, Pierre Rimorbé, converted and trained in Nigeria, initiated a work in that area. Besides the churches in Ter and Dono-manga, there are three others in villages out from these centers.

The southern area is a populous region which forms a triangle with Pala to the west, Sarh to the east, and the larger city of Moundou as the southern point of the triangle. On the west-east line, besides the churches in Pala, Ter, and Sarh, there are two churches about 60 miles north of Pala. Nation Djonra moved to Fianga and has a church meeting with him. A farmer, Jean-Robert Krestoin, started a church five miles from there in the village of Fordoumaye.

The need in southern Chad is for a reinforcement of existing churches with printed teaching materials, French World Bible courses, and Bibles. Two cities should be targets for establishing new churches. Kelo, on the west-east line of the triangle, is a hospital center and is on the only paved road in the country which goes from the capital, N’djamena, in the north and the second largest city of Moundou in the south. There are many WBS correspondence course students in this area. The Wilson/Kee  team was able to teach two days in a Bible school of the Evangelical Church of Chad (the EET). All of the Bible school students wanted to enroll in WBS courses, as did others to whom they talked.

Moundou should probably be the priority target for new work in the south. It is a large central city of the south and the terminus of the paved road coming from the north. There are a few contacts there but no known New Testament church. Just to the northeast of Moundou is the city of Doba. There is a church there of about 50 members who meet under a mango tree in the compound of a retired military man, Jean Mouaramba. To the south of Moundou is an important border town, Goré, with the Central African Republic where a number of WBS contacts have developed among the custom officials.

Southern Chad is a less developed country than its neighbor, Cameroon, to the west. With only one paved road to the north, transportation is difficult. The two teams found no opportunities for emailing. It has, however, a more «Christian» influence than the Muslim north. Contact with the people is easy and hearts seem receptive. The major influence is still animism, but the region is moving to a more Christian perspective of life.

For more information about missions in Chad, contact Barry Baggott (bbaggott2002@yahoo.fr  or Doyle Kee (Thekees@bluewin.ch).