Joe Dyer
506 Norwood St. SW
Lenoir, NC 28645
Email: Joe Dyer

Joe Dyer was appointed in January 2005 to serve with the Presbyterian Church of Sudan (PCOS). He is assigned to work with the Presbyterian Relief and Development Association (PRDA)of the PCOS, which provides support for Sudanese refugees in Kenya and in south Sudan. In his role as consultant, Joe helps build capacity among the Sudanese staff so that they'll become more proficient in delivering services to the Sudanese people. This is especially important in view of the impending peace accord and repatriation of Sudanese refugees.

Prior to joining the PC(USA) as a mission co-worker, Joe logged six years of experience working in Sudan with Sudanese refugees from the two Sudanese states of Western Equatoria and Eastern Upper Nile. He began working with Samaritan’s Purse in 1998 as a project administrator and logistician, and since 1999 he has been working as a field director of Servant’s Heart, a small Christian development agency. He has also worked with Voice of the Martyrs.

Letters from
Joe Dyer

• July 2005
• April 2005
• February 2005

After a short-term assignment in Sudan with Samaritan's Purse in April 1998, Joe decided he wanted to spend his life serving God in Sudan. “I was struck by their completely impoverished lives,” he writes, “but even more by the dignity and courage with which they conducted themselves. Some of the most devout and determined Christians I know are Sudanese and other Africans.”

Joe tells a story of how God speaks to him: “It was May 2003. I was walking back to our base compound and passed by two boys sculpting toys out of mud. One had made an airplane and the other had done a fair imitation of our Land Rover. I was impressed by the accuracy of their work, but it hit me that these little guys were not much different than boys in the United States. Children in Sudan have dreams just as our children do. They also have the mental capacity to realize their dreams, just as our kids do. What the Sudanese kids need is opportunity.”

Prior to hearing a call to serve in mission, Joe worked in sales and marketing for 22 years in the furniture industry in North Carolina, first with Kincaid Furniture of Hudson and then with Cochrane Furniture in Lincolnton.

Joe is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Lenoir, North Carolina.

Birthday: June 16