Brief History

Operation Nehemiah Missions International Inc, formerly known as (Operation Nehemiah for South Sudan/ SSCCA) came into existence on July 31, 1993 after peaceful demonstration at the United Nation in NY City organized by William Levi with the help of friend, South Sudanese in exile and Christians from his Congregation, Beth Israel Messianic Congregation in Garfield, NJ, and surrounding community. The peacefully rally was organized to protest the persecution of Christians by Islamic regime in the Sudan where the United Nations remain indifference.

On October 15, 1993 Operation Nehemiah Mission was incorporated as U.S. based Not- for- Profit faith Christian relief and development organization in the State of NJ. to address the plight of the Sudanese Christians.

William O. Levi is the CEO, Founder and President of Operation Nehemiah Missions since 1993.William was born and raised in the South Sudan. He came from a 14 member family. He was raised in African Messianic Jewish home who believes in Jesus. He is unwavering dedicated Christian family man, a husband, a father and a leader with a servant heart to serve Jesus Christ.    He left his family and country in1985 due to Islamic persecution of Christians in the South Sudan.  The Lord took him through Egypt, Turkey and France before arriving to the USA. He came to the United States in 1988 due to religious persecution in His country. In 1992, he graduated from New Jersey Instituted of Technology with BS in manufacturing engineering. In 1993, He relinquished his engineering carrier to answer God’s calling in his life to be the voice of the persecuted church in his country. Some time late June in 1993, after 6 months coming out of engineering school, God spoke to him from the book of Nehemiah after he saw a disturbing picture of a little girl from the South Sudan on the cover of a magazine. He wept, prayed and fasted for the sins of his people just as Nehemiah did.  God challenged his faith to take the cause of rebuilding the lives of families, widows, orphans, and the down trodden in his native country, the Sudan which was entering its 11 years in a war of religious persecution. This was the beginning of his long journey to see the hand of God in accomplishing the work he promised He will bring to completion through him. William Levi is also the author of the book “The Bible or the Axe.” He and his wife Hannah have four children. Hannah is a dedicated homemaker and a full time mother. The Levites make their home in the rolling mountains of the Berkshires in western MA.

At its conception, Operation Nehemiah has four major vision focuses to address the plight of the persecuted church in the Sudan which includes:

1. Spiritual restoration of the Christian community in the Sudan and refugees camps in Uganda and Kenya

2. Education program of young Sudanese children in exile who have lost almost 2 decades of schooling

3. Medical programs to help address the problem of illness among the Sudanese refugees.

4. Agricultural development - to address the issue of food production and nutrition among the Sudanese refugees in the camps.

5. To be a voice for the voiceless people in the Sudan here in the USA.

Our Mission: We are US based non-profit Christian relief and development ministry serving the suffering church  and war striken people from all walk of life  in the South Sudan. We exist to extend the Gospel and the Church as we build, equip and support Sudanese in reestablishing their homeland. We accomplish our mission through creating opportunities for displaced families, widows, orphans, pastors and people from all walk of lives to return to their homeland. We provide them with hope through sharing the Gospel of Christ and meeting their physical needs such as medical supplies, entrepreneurship, water supplies, shelter, and farming and Gospel Radio Broadcasting for spiritual growth, health information and community outreach.

Our Vision: Operation Nehemiah serves as a voice for the Suffering Church and the marginalized people of the Sudan. We follow the example of Nehemiah the Re-Builder in rebuilding broken communities, families, widows, orphans and churches that have been suffering persecution.  

Our Values: The compelling force driving our work is promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings people to repentance and eternal salvation. This serves as the criteria for the success of any of our efforts. We believe that a person’s dignity is enhanced through meaningful work, education and Christian discipleship.

Our Distinctive: We are primarily an indigenous mission. 98% of our staff are South Sudanese Christian nationals. Our staff has a burning desire to take an active role in the rebuilding of their nation and to establish a “City on a Hill” in the New Sudan. We believe that self reliance is best promoted through partnering with indigenous leadership.

Our Focus: Our primary focus is to prepare Corom, a village in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, and New Sudan for the return of people who were displaced by 23 years of the war of religious persecution in South Sudan. We are intent upon establishing a community that will provide people with the opportunity to rebuild their communities, their families, and to grow in their faith. Focus: Our primary focus is to prepare the area in and around (Beth Israel , a village in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, New Sudan for the return of people who were displaced by the war.

Our programs: 

1.The Nehemiah Trumpet Call Gospel Radio

2. The Nile  Beth Israel Messianic congregation…

3. Healthcare & Agricultrual development

4. Repatriation and Water drillling projects

5. Nehemiah Polytechnic Institute  and Internet accesss

6. Tile and Brick Making Machines.. 

In December 1993, William Levi set up a board member, an office, and newsletter, a bank account, mail box and the Nehemiah Trumpet Call to get the word out and raises awareness about the plight of the suffering people in the South Sudan

In 1994 William Opened up overseas offices headed by South Sudanese nationals in exile in Uganda and Kenya designed to gather vital information concerning the plight of the Sudanese refugees in Uganda and Kenya and those who are internally displaced inside the South Sudan in the territories control by the Sudanese people Liberation Army. 

Rev. Michael Longwa was appointed to head the Kenyan Office in Nairobi, Kenya. His role was to go directly inside south Sudan and gather information from the war zone and transmit it to the USA for public education and fund raising to help the people.

 The Ugandan office was headed by Rev.  John Moi. His task was to oversee and gather information regarding the plight of the Sudanese refugees in Uganda and report their needs to the main office in the USA.

While here in the USA, William began unprecedented tour of the USA, speaking in churches, governments, schools, and radio stations and printing articles in major newspapers such as New York Post, Los Angeles Time, Newark Start Ledger, Wall Street Journals, Jerusalem Post, Christian and Jewish newspapers regarding the plight of the Sudanese and the mission of Operation Nehemiah.

Background & History of Our Administrative Offices

Since it’s incorporation in 1993, the domestic main office of Operation Nehemiah has been housed in various rental properties located in New Jersey and Massachusetts. The Mission’s founder, William Levi, began the ministry with a vision to build a family integrated mission that could be efficiently operated out of a home office setting. This reduced overhead expenses and created an environment conducive to active family and community involvement.

Over the past 14 years of ministry, Operation Nehemiah has been blessed by the Lord with exponential growth, both in the Sudan and the United States. It has become apparent that in order for the ministry to continue facilitating effective outreach, the U.S. main office must be relocated from its current rental site to a purchased, permanent facility.

The following is a brief overview of where the ministry has been,  and the direction we plan to pursue in the future.

• 1993-1998. Operation Nehemiah began ministry in a donated 7ft x7ft spare room housed within the Beth Israel Messianic Congregation in Garfield, NJ.
• 1. Coordinated the shipment of $2 million worth of relief supplies into Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan.
• 2. Conducted numerous local community action and educational events.
• 1998-2002. Administrative office was relocated to a renovated 20ft x10ft garage behind William Levi’s personal apartment rental in Rutherford, NJ.
• 1. Shipped 1.5 million in relief supplies
• 2. Employed two American and 10 indigenous Sudanese and Ugandan staff in fulltime ministry.
• 3. Coordinated eight U.S. led short term mission trips into Northern Uganda.
• 4. Mission Founder and volunteers began to engage extensively in speaking tours across the United States, reaching Churches, government agencies, Schools, and radio/T.V stations.
• 2002-2003. William Levi married the former Hannah Kirkman and relocated to The Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts. Operation Nehemiah was established in a home office within the Levi’s rented 3 bedroom houses in Richmond, MA.
• 1. Established a mobile medical unit and solar radio station in Northern Uganda
• 2. Built and opened the “Nehemiah Polytechnic Institute” in Adjumani Refugee settlement, Uganda.
• 3. Raised $500,000 in cash and material donations for program support in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan.
• 2003- July 2004, Ministry Administrative office was moved to Cheshire, MA due to the sale of the Richmond property in late 2002.
• July 2007 -Present, God answered William Levi’s prayers and finally his vision to have family integrated ministry came to pass. This pass July, The Lord provided them with their dream home in Lanesboro, MA where Operation Nehemiah is now permanently housed and managed within the Levite’s home.

Since the ministry moved from NJ to MA in 2002,   Operation Nehemiah and the Levite’s family have seen a tremendous growth and achievements. From here, the Ministry has:

• 1. Coordinated 14 short term U.S. led mission trips into Southern Sudan.
• 2. Completed shipment of 5 40 ft sea/rail containers holding over $11milion in relief, medical supply, equipment, and construction supplies bound for Beth Israel, South Sudan.

1. Hosted indigenous Sudanese staff member Dr. Mindra Godwin during month- long speaking tour in New England.

2. Hired additional 13 Sudanese fulltime staff.

3. Received $178,500 grant award to facilitate expanded repatriation program in Magwi County, South Sudan.

4. Completed 3 bedroom mission houses in Beth Israel, South Sudan.

5. Established two churches holding a combined total of 1000 member congregation

6. Established 300ft radio station which can reach 500,000 in the South Sudan

7. Established state of the art Field clinic

8. Repatriate over 100 families from exile.

Our vision for the future:

 The beneficiaries of our efforts are the South Sudanese returning from exile and from internally refugee camps to their villages where they once thrived. We want to see them take hold of their own country and rebuild their families, churches and communities. It is estimated that over 4.5 million southern Sudanese are still in exile or internally displaced in the Sudan. Our rebuilding effort has started in the village of Corom in Magwi County in the Eastern Equatoria State. We hope to impact the rest of the in the coming years. The greatest needs and challenges we face in the South Sudan is the development of a viable infrastructure in anticipation of the return of over 4 million refugees and internally displaced people to their homeland. We are also challenged to provide hope to a people who have been oppressed by a generation of war and neglect. This hope is delivered through the Gospel of Christ and opportunities to earn a viable living. Simply stated, our challenge is to assist in the indigenous people in development of their homeland, without fostering the “Relief Dependency Syndrome” characteristic of so many humanitarian efforts. Our goal is to see Southern Sudan emerge from its years debilitating chaos through creating practical means of obtaining employment, healthcare, education, and Christian discipleship. Although the infrastructure of the country has been devastated, we can see the Lord is doing wonderful things. By His gracious and sovereign hand, the work is moving forward!