Our History
We are grateful to God for sustaining the work of our Mission for well over 100 years. We come from a long line of courageous and passionate saints who have risked much to bring the truth and light of Christ to those who had not yet heard. Praise the Lord, there are millions in previously unreached places who now serve Him because of the the Spirit's work through the men and women of our Mission. And yet, many still have not heard. There is work to be done...
Sudan United Mission (SUM)
Sudan United Mission was birthed in 1904 out of Karl and Lucy Kumm's passion to bring the gospel to the unreached peoples of the Sahel region of Africa. They dreamed, prayerfully, of a line of mission stations stretching from the Niger River in the west to the Nile in the east. The books below tell the story of the work of the Mission as the men and women God had called stepped out in faithfulness.
Half a Century of Grace
by J Lowry Maxwell
The official history of the first fifty years of Sudan United Mission, Half a Century of Grace is both a personal and a historically rigorous recounting of the Mission's work in the Sahel region. It tells of the work of the British Branch in Nigeria as well as the other national Branches stretching across the Sahel.
Karl Kumm: Last of the Livingstones
by Peter Spartalis
The last in a long line of missionary explorers, Karl Kumm's exploration of the Sahel paved the way for mission work across that region. In Karl Kumm: Last of the Livingstones, historian and SUM missionary Peter Spartalis takes a critical look at Kumm's life and work and answers criticisms of Kumm's methods.
Facing the Challenge
Written by SUM missionaries for the Mission's centenary in 2004 and updated in 2012, Facing the Challenge is a detailed historical account of the missionaries' faithfulness and the Lord's blessing during the first century of the Mission's life. Free copies available by contacting the Pioneers office.
From Hausaland to Egypt
by Karl Kumm
In 1909, Karl Kumm undertook an epic trek from the Niger River in Nigeria to the Nile River in Egypt to determine where and how to establish a line of mission stations to halt the southern movement of Islam. From Hausaland to Egypt is the story of that trek.
Lucy Guinness Kumm: Her Life Story
by Henry Grattan Guinness
Lucy Guinness Kumm was a bright flame for the Gospel, snuffed out too soon. Known for her passionate writing, which fanned the fire of mission zeal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lucy's legacy lives on. Lucy Guinness Kumm: Her Life Story was written by her father, Henry Grattan Guinness.
SUM Australia & New Zealand
Samwiil of Sudan
by Roy Conwell
When expatriate missionaries were expelled from Sudan in 1962, Pastor Samwiil Jangul Angollo was left to shepherd the fledgling Sudanese Church of Christ on his own. SUM missionary Roy Conwell tells the story of this faithful servant, who was used of God to do mighty things in Sudan.
Sudanese Church of Christ: A Very Brief History
by Keith Black
SUM missionary and Patriarch of the Sudanese Church of Christ Keith Black shares a brief history of God's faithfulness to His mission in Sudan.
Saints and Patriarchs
by Keith Black
Recounting God's guidance and provision over a lifetime of mission, Keith Black shares his story of family, mission and, above all, the faithfulness and glory of Christ in all things.
To the Nile and Beyond
by Peter Spartalis
Missionary historian Peter Spartalis tells the story of the Australia/New Zealand Branch of SUM - their pioneering ministry in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains, and the trials of mission in a place of unrest.
Further Reading
Other books about SUM missions and related topics, many of which were written by SUM missionaries.
History of the Church of Christ in Nations (1904-2013) edited by Mrs Nanwul Gutip
The Guinness Legend by Michele Guinness
The Road to Freedom by Mollie Tett
Mountains and Molehills by Bill and Mollie Tett
Crescendo of The Cross by H. G. Farrant
A Stranger Came by Jean Hamilton
From South Africa to Nigeria by Gordon and Lesley Russell
In Rebel Hands – the story of Joel Doba
The Lonely Lake by Jean Hamilton
God's Will for the Mountains by Ellen Crocker
Tales of the Sudan by D.N. MacDiarmid