Pastor John Kerim Fabiano grew up in a refugee camp and in Lohutok, South Sudan. John began attending Lohutok Primary School in 1996 and began attending high school in 2006. He completed a Bachelor of Theology degree at Scott Christian University in Machakos, Kenya. Currently, John and his wife Raphael Night Stella live in Torit, South Sudan, which is the capital of Imatong State and close to the border of Uganda. They are blessed to care for Chirino Hawue, sisters Juliana Ihari and Nancy Hilomo, Cecilia Hiyama, and Esther Day, who are all orphans.

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In 2004, John attended a yearlong Bible School training in South Sudan called Bible Training for Pastors and Church Leaders (BTCP). After this training, he gave his life to Christ for transformation and felt the deep call to shepherd and disciple the church in South Sudan. He decided to further his studies in theology in Kenya, and God provided a scholarship through the mission organization Africa Inland Mission (AIM). John is passionate about sharing his spiritual gift through teaching God’s Word—as it is written in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” He is a minister with Africa Inland Church and is involved with training church leaders, youth ministry, trauma healing, and translating the Bible. John empowers church leaders to be strong and to practice integrity as they establish their churches in South Sudan.

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John enjoys reading, listening to the news, and establishing strong relationships and helping others grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally in Christ. Before knowing Christ, John described his life as “horrible,” but now he has a passion for discipling fellow Christians.

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Ministry: Africa Inland Church—Torit, South Sudan

Africa Inland Church—South Sudan was established in 1949 by missionaries from Africa Inland Mission. The Church’s mission is to train local church leaders, church elders, women leaders, youth leaders, and Sunday School leaders to grow their churches and to influence their communities for the good. Africa Inland Church serves in rural areas and towns in Imatong State (South Sudan). They host leadership conferences to train new pastors and regional seminars focusing on pastor stewardship, peace building, and reconciliation. John is a teacher and a trainer at Africa Inland Church. He has a vision to mobilize South Sudanese leaders to engage with their congregations and to encourage them to be salt and light within their communities, in order to transform broken lives of believers.

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John loves partnering with Catalyst For Africa, especially for its emphasis on building and growing relationships. CFA Founder Michael Mozley taught seminars to John and the other pastors and leaders of Africa Inland Church, which had a great impact on their lives. The personal impact of those lessons, according to John, is a greater capacity to have integrity, to be a good steward, and to be responsible within society, which are Catalyst For Africa’s Core Values. South Sudan is still experiencing conflict, and John and the leaders of Africa Inland Church—South Sudan need Catalyst For Africa to continue restoring broken lives caused by war.