Update from Dane Smith
The Episcopal Churches of South Sudan and Sudan, where the recent military coup may have rendered Christians once again vulnerable, deserve our strong support. The following news only highlights the importance of our relationships, our advocacy, and our prayers.
In the AFRECS E-blasts we continue to bring you stories of resilience. Over the next several months we are highlighting the voices of our Board members as they recall why, after decades, their call to serve the people of the Sudans still motivates them. We ask you, our readers, to share your stories. Email to richard.j.jones@comcast.net.
The Washington Post led off Monday’s edition with “Fading Hope in South Sudan.” It describes the experience of a Nuer father whose village was burned and wives were raped by “government allied” forces in 2014. He walked north with his family to a UN base in Bentiu which became a displaced persons camp for 108,000, South Sudan’s largest. UN troops stood in guard towers to protect against invaders. This year he discovered the guard troops had disappeared, replaced by a mixed police force of the two groups involved in the original fighting. That happened because emerging violent hotspots around the country caused the UN peacekeeping force to regroup, reducing numbers at the IDP camps. He and his family had until recently been receiving daily food from the World Food Program. Since lack of funding forced the WFP to cut rations last month, he has begun eating one meal a day so that his kids have enough, but their hair now has an orange tinge, tell-tale sign of malnutrition.
The Post describes a coincident loss of hope — and interest — in South Sudan on the part of the international community, occasioned by the spectacle of continuing inter-communal violence, vast government corruption, and severely dysfunctional administration. My former colleague in the State Department Sudan Envoy’s Office, Cameron Hudson, has described the international disenchantment with assistance: “We owned it before, and we don’t want to own it any more.” The U.S. has designated neither a new ambassador for Juba nor a new special envoy for South Sudan. (A flock of Biden ambassador nominations have been blocked in the US Senate.)
In this appalling situation, South Sudanese churches have continued to function, giving hope to the people and building peace. Archbishop Justin Badi Arama convened November 11-14 in Juba the Provincial Synod of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. The theme was “Building the Church on a Strong Foundation.” New foundation-building leaders are emerging, such as Rev. Isaac Ephraim, recently consecrated Bishop of Ezo, a remote diocese of 18,000 parishioners on the border of the Congo and the Central African Republic. As Leslie Siegmund of St. Francis Episcopal of Great Falls Virginia writes below, the new bishop took the diocese immediately into a strategic planning exercise “to see the church and the community united and transformed spiritually, economically, socially, politically and environmentally protected.”
May our continued witness to the suffering of our brothers and sisters inspire others to offer what aid and assistance they are able. As we are inspired by the many projects and their leaders that continue in spite of great obstacles. At this time of Thanksgiving, we invite your financial support so that our work and that of our partners may continue.
Executive Director
Join Us in Being Present
Throughout the long years of conflict the people of the Sudans have endured, the message they have imparted to us, their American friends, is….do not forget us….remember us….pray for us…do not abandon us. We endeavor to keep the connections alive through our work with AFRECS. We can offer our presence whenever we are able to travel. We offer our witness to the ongoing struggles. We offer our testimony to what we have seen and are seeing. We advocate for just policies and actions. We aim to provide material support as we are able.
We asked our Board members to reflect on why they stay connected. To ponder the question Marc Nikkel, was famously asked: Why Haven”t You Left? (Marc went to the Sudan in 1981 and brought with him a commitment to peace and reconciliation. Marc was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in the Chapel of Bishop Gwynne College in 1987, and spent the remainder of his life living among and loving the people of South Sudan.)
Here is the first in a series of those reflections. You also stand with the people of the Sudans and we invite your reflections. Join us in maintaining and strengthening the connections that offer hope.
My Visits Established Bonds of Affection and Appreciation
By The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones
On my first trip to South Sudan, I attended a Partner’s Meeting in Juba. I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and dedication of the partners – many of whom had dedicated their lives to this work. I left with a personal burden to share and support the extraordinary work of the Episcopal Church in South Sudan and Sudan.
On my second visit, I was privileged to attend a Bishop’s Retreat in Yei led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and Bishop Frank Gray. During one of our breaks, I met Micah, then the Bishop of Terekeka. Bishop Micah shared his experience of personally founding his diocese by walking into an area north of Juba, finding the tribal chief and personally sharing the gospel. During that testimony, a man appeared who had been crippled from birth. Micah laid hands upon him and a dramatic healing followed. Word of the healing spread like wildfire. The chief and then others burned their idols and were baptized. A congregation was founded and more and more people were led to faith. Ultimately a new diocese was established and Micah became their bishop. I left with a renewed appreciation for personal evangelism and a genuine love for the Church in the Sudans.
On my third visit, I led a retreat for the House of Bishops in Juba. That experience stands out for me of one of the greatest privileges of my episcopate. I shared my faith with people of extraordinary faith and was blessed in return. That retreat preceded the Provincial Synod in which Daniel Deng Bul was elected for a second five-year term as Archbishop. My affection for the bishops in the Sudans continues to this day.
David Jones is a member of the AFRECS Board of Trustees
Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Bishop Micah
by Daniel Lasuba 22 Jul 2019
Retired Bishop Micah Laila Dawidi of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Diocese of Terekeka* died in Juba on the 17th July 2019. Bishop Micah Laila was the champion of the Christian faith who served God with complete humility. He was a dedicated servant who served the people of God in different capabilities and responsibilities within the ECSS.
In the 1980’s he served as the Principal and Head Master of Episcopal Church of Sudan Juba Model Primary school, where as a child I attended my kindergarten and primary education. Late Bishop Micah Laila had a special attention to education as a key tool to ensure better future for the children in our nation. Through his leadership Late Bishop Micah instilled in us the importance of valuing education, he instilled in us discipline to love and serve God. Many of who he taught today are responsible people in different fields of life, and still holding dearly the values of all the things he taught us.
Late Bishop Micah Laila was a champion of peace, human rights and love for South Sudanese. During the struggle while he was the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Juba. Bishop Micah stood for the fundamental rights of the people of South Sudan in the face of evil deeds perpetuated against them. He stood against oppression, persecution and inequality the least among others to mention. Late Bishop Micah Laila was a courageous leader who spoke the truth with love without fear or favor, he stood for what is right and just. Late Right Reverend Micah has been one of the leaders who had always advocated for peace and the unity of the people of South Sudan, where he always reminded people that true peace comes from God because Jesus said “I am the Prince of Peace”.
He was a man full of humility and he loved engaging with people. He was easily accessible, I vividly remember as a young pupil at Juba model his office was always open for any pupil.
I consider he was a special gift from God to the Episcopal Church of Sudan and South Sudan and to the Republic and the people of South Sudan.
Note:
Terekeka, covers about 4,000 square miles, is also home to the Mundari ethnic group, whose members are known for their reliance on the Ankole-Watusi, a species of large cows with long, curved horns. The capital of the state of Terekeka is the city of Terekeka located on the western bank of the Nile River. The town lies approximately 53 miles north of Juba, the capital and largest city of South Sudan.
Prayers
Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for the wonders of your creation. Thank you for the beauty of this world, for the wonders of life and for the mystery of love. Increase our insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We remember all the people in this world who live with injustice, terror, disease and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us eliminate our cruelty to our neighbors. Strengthen our resolve to simplify our lives and to care for our Mother Earth so that all may live in health.
We pray especially for the people of the Sudan and of South Sudan that they may continue to pursue peace and justice and that we may continue to be present for them.
South Sudanese refugees find home, and church, in Syracuse
By JESSICA MUNDIE
October 21, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/
This undated photo provided by Garang Achiek in October 2021 shows members of the Diangdit Episcopal Chapel congregation with the Rev. John Crosswaite, center left, former canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, in East Syracuse, N.Y. The congregation is made up of refugees from South Sudan who pray in their native language, Dinka. (Garang Achiek via AP)
(RNS) — On the corner of East Avenue and West Yates Street in East Syracuse, New York, sits Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The quaint building, with its bright white exterior and cherry red doors, is the home to not one, but two distinct congregations. The first, a modest parish of 25 Americans, meets early on Sunday morning, and the other, a group of South Sudanese refugees, in the midafternoon.
Diangdit Episcopal Chapel has been worshiping out of Emmanuel Church for three years. The congregation is made up of refugees from South Sudan who pray in their native language, Dinka. Their success has been fostered by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York and a local interfaith resettlement agency that found them a place to hold services and supported their integration into the community.
Shortly after arriving in the United States, the few men who were relocated to the Syracuse area began meeting at University United Methodist Church, said Garang Achiek, senior warden of Diangdit Chapel. On Sunday afternoons, they would sing worship songs and pray in Dinka after the 10:30 a.m. English service at the church was finished.
“They didn’t have any family here,” said Abiei Gai, Diangdit Chapel secretary. “So, they decided to get together and come up with a church.”
There is a large Episcopalian community in South Sudan, said Gai. In 2011, when the country seceded from Sudan, the larger Episcopal Church of Sudan was split in two, creating the Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. According to the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, the Episcopal Church is the second largest in the country, behind the Catholic Church.
After a year, the group moved to St. Paul’s, an Episcopal church in downtown Syracuse, where group members could worship in a church of their own denomination, said Achiek.
While they were at St. Paul’s, American pastors joined them on Sundays to preach and lead services, said Gai. But in 2014, one of their lay readers, the Rev. Mother Amuor Garang, traveled home to be ordained in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. When she arrived back in the United States, she began leading services in Dinka.
The refugee congregation, which at the time was known as Malek Chapel, spent more than a decade at St. Paul’s. Many of the first men to arrive in the United States got married and started families there, said Gai. The congregation grew to more than 50 members and they began a Sunday school for the children and a Dinka school, to teach new generations their native language.
In 2018, a conflict arose between the two parishes surrounding the use of space, which left the congregation looking for a new home. Members contacted the Episcopal Dioceses of Central New York, which began the process of finding them a new space as well as setting up a program for their integration with a new parish in the area.
When finding a new home for this congregation, Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe was intentional about finding a church that would understand the mutual agreement over the use of space, which led her to Emmanuel Episcopal Church in the fall of 2018.
“When they moved to Emmanuel, I wanted to set them up with the best chance for success,” said Duncan-Probe.
With the help of InterFaith Works, a faith-based resettlement agency based in Syracuse, Duncan-Probe started a program called Building United Communities, funded by a United Thank Offering Grant, designed to facilitate dialogue between predominantly white churches and refugee congregations that share their space.
This program has helped “identify common areas of conflict and ways to be more intentional about building community through differences,” said Duncan-Probe.
When Diangdit first started worshipping out of Emmanuel there was some skepticism throughout the congregation that it would be welcomed by the mostly white parish. But, through potlucks and gatherings organized by Building United Communities, the two congregations got to know each other and began to foster a relationship.
“We would cook Dinka food, they would cook American food, and we would just get together and talk,” said Gai.
“We’ve been very happy to have such a lively and vibrant congregation using our space,” said the Rev. Gerard Beritela, the priest at Emmanuel Church. As a welcoming act early in the relationship, Beritela said members of Emmanuel decided to change the sign outside of the church to include the services held in Dinka.
As the group was settling into its new home at Emmanuel, members were also beginning the canonical transition into the Episcopal Church of the United States. Among the many steps in this process, said Gai, was choosing a name for their church. After much discussion, they settled on Trinity, an ode to Trinity United Church of Christ of the American civil rights movement, and which in Dinka translates to Diangdit.
It took a year, but at the 151st Diocesan Convention in late 2019, Diangdit was officially recognized as a mission chapel of the Diocese of Central New York. Its status as a mission chapel means it receives support from the diocese as it continues to grow, but with the hope that one day Diangdit will be able to sustain itself, said Duncan-Probe.
“The story of Diangdit is a story of finding your way home,” the bishop said. “We’re much stronger and much more capable as a community because they are part of us.”
The future of Diangdit is in the hands of the youth, said Achiek. The congregation is young — most families in the parish have five or six children. Leaders hope to set up a day care program and a tutoring program for struggling students, and to expand the Dinka school.
While Sunday services do not get as many worshippers post-COVID-19 as they did before — they now average 30 people — members still hope their children will learn and carry on the Dinka language.“It has always been about preserving our language through prayer,” said Achiek.
South Sudanese Diaspora Organize Relief Drive for Upper Nile Flood Victims
by Richard J. Jones
Residents of the Upper Nile region say they cannot remember any flood as devastating as the waters that have ruined crops and dwellings since early October this year.
Southern Sudanese living in the USA have responded by raising $4,000 so far from small donors within their community. Their target is $10,000.
Kwathi Akol Ajawin and his wife Abuk Ajak, members of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, Virginia, and longtime promoters of cooperative efforts in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, reported, “Our 14 years old son gave $25 from his bonus.” They are encouraging friends and local churches to consider sending a donation.
The vehicle for the relief effort is a non-profit organization founded in July 1999 called Pashodo Community Mutual Assistance Association, a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Their president is William Attilio Ator of Texas. Moderators are Kuol Farag and Tipkwan Ajawin in Des Moines, Iowa, and the treasurer is Bumano Awin. The name “Pashoda” (also spelled “Fashoda”) refers to the village of residence of the traditional Shilluk king. Another name of the Shilluk people is “Chollo”. Details at their website: http://thepcmaa.org.
With a pledge of $75,000 from Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church is also undertaking relief assistance. Details: Mr. Jokino Othong, Emergency Coordinator, Caritas – Diocese of Malakal, Phone 211916693700, Othongjokino@gmail.com
A woman leads a child through high water in Pakwar, Upper Nile State, in early October.
We are deeply that grateful that contributions from you, our supporters, continue to nurture AFRECS in expanding our impact. You make a difference in the essential peacebuilding work of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, so needed in these challenging times. We hope you will consider taking a moment to consider a gift for our work with the people of the Sudans and to offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302.This issue of the AFRECS E-Blast was compiled by Board member Anita Sanborn.