Author: AmerFriendSudan

Director’s Update

A group of AFRECS Board members, plus the Episcopal Church’s international policy advisor Patricia Kisare, met last week with State Department officials charged with the Sudans.

On Sudan, they informed us that Assistant Secretary for Africa Molly Phee (former ambassador to South Sudan) is trying to coordinate a four-pronged approach:

1. Ceasefire talks in Jeddah.  That remains the only venue acceptable to the warring parties, the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Strike Force. The US is seeking to broaden sponsorship to include Egypt, the African Union and IGAD (the Horn of Africa regional group).  Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein, ex-Chargé d’Affaires in Cairo, is tasked with putting together the Jeddah talks.
2. Humanitarian Access to the civilian population is very limited and difficult to achieve.  USAID/Sudan is forced to operate out of Nairobi.  Save the Children, CARE, Norwegian Refugee Council and some other NGOs have been able to maintain programming in parts of the country but hope to expand.
3. Civic engagement leading to a Civilian Transition. The US wants to make this inclusive to include Resistance Committees, the Forces for Freedom and Change, political parties, and trade unions, but believes the various Sudanese civic groups must take the lead, working together to hammer it out.
4. Broader international engagement.  So far the UN Security Council has done nothing, but President William Ruto of Kenya has taken the lead for IGAD.  US Horn of Africa Envoy Mike Hammer is playing a role.

On South Sudan, the State team emphasized there was no political accountability, no halting of the sub-national violence directed by Juba-based élites, no transparency on use of oil revenue estimated at $1 billion annually, and no meaningful progress toward credible elections scheduled December 2024.

AFRECS hopes to meet with US Congressional representatives in the near future to press for hearings on both countries.

Duke Divinity School student Travis Williams preaches at a church in Yei, South Sudan while serving as a visiting teacher.

Duke Divinity Students Return to Teach in Yei, by Travis Williams

From May to August of 2023 I lived, taught, preached, and worshipped at Bishop Allison Theological College in Yei, South Sudan. The college had come through a tumultuous year, returning to Yei after years of asylum in Arua, Uganda. Preparing for my teaching, I had read about the war years and spoken to people on the ground. The suffering was nevertheless astounding. More striking still was the resilience. Instead of  disillusioned or broken-hearted staff and students, I met diligent and dedicated disciples. Between the students in my Biblical Interpretation class and those in my Church and Community Development class, we organized first a prison and then a hospital ministry. I saw the group go, in the dungeon-like confines of Yei’s prison, from a cohort of shocked students to empowered evangelists. They preached, prayed, and provided material support to the prisoners and their families, encouraged and appreciated by the prison’s administrators and  guards.

My work was teaching, but my role was learner.  I drew closer to Christ.  I am now directing my research towards ways to encourage other Christians to be as eager as BATC students. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xkL_Rt1rxk1K6IrcChWAfzvQBmU7QU8i/view?usp=sharing

On a weekday morning BATC students and staff gather after completing the Daily Office. (Far L.  Deputy Principal Rev. Cosmas Gwagwe; 2nd from L.: Travis Williams; 5th from L.: Garret Kaiser; wearing green stole: Rev. Lucky James Moses, a student in the  Certificate class.)

by Garrett Kaiser

Shortly after meeting the Reverend Emmanuel Lokosang Charles, principal of Bishop Allison Theological College, I was unexpectedly comforted by a simple prayer beginning, “Almighty and ever-living God.” Such a small phrase, unique to the Anglican family, spoke volumes about the shared grammar of faith that was my lifeline in an isolating cultural unfamiliarity.  In many instances, the language of faith was all that we seemed to have left to offer one another. When old teaching resources in the library reached their termini, and the food stores of the school grew slim, we kept turning to the prayerbook and to the local church. Even if there are words to describe the hardship of the South Sudanese in crisis, there are certainly none that can speak enough of their faith, nor of the tangible presence of the Lord there to meet them. Certain as I am that God directed me to South Sudan, trusting as I was in His promise to stay by me, and sure as I remain that His intimacy never departed me, I am even more confident in saying that God is present amidst the faith of those who are looking for him.

Sudan: Survival and Succor

Friends in the United Kingdom share photographs of Sudanese pastors distributing food aid to people who have fled ongoing bombing and looting, along with peaceful scenes of weekly worship. (https://www.casss.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/UPDATE-AUGUST-SUDAN-NEWS.pdf)

South Sudan: Driven by War Back to an Ill-Prepared Homeland

On September 7 the New York Times  published photos from Bodo and Renk in South Sudan, describing the trek by vehicle, foot, and barge still continuing in August for refugees from the fighting in Khartoum and western Sudan. They have been searching for shelter and survival in Malakal, Juba, and Bentiu.

Women and children at the transit camp in Renk, South Sudan. Many of those arriving here fled their homes and businesses in Sudan and have brought with them only meager belongings. “I never want to go back to Sudan,” one said. “But I know it will not be easy where I am going.”  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/07/world/africa/sudan-refugees-south-sudan.html 

You can help the Episcopal Church of South Sudan assist these people with their non-food needs through a gift to AFRECS – the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans. Please donate today.

South Sudan Basketball Team Qualifies for Paris Olympics

South Sudan is the only African national basketball team to qualify for the Paris Olympics.  The team did so by going 4-2 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup which took place recently in Asia.  South Sudan defeated Angola 101-78 in its final game to clinch its place.

News from the Diaspora

 

Athing Mu Competes in World Track Championships

 

At the World Championships in Budapest last month, Athing Mu, AFRECS’s favorite track and field star, took bronze in the 800 meters.  Mu, the Trenton, New Jersey-born daughter of South Sudan refugees, who was Olympic champion in her event in Tokyo in 2020, has taken on a new coach, the renowned Bobby Kersee, and relocated to Los Angeles in the past year.  She has recently complained of fatigue, which appears to have affected her performance in Budapest.  After a break, she will focus on defending her Olympic title in Paris next year, chasing a new world record. 

From Stone Mountain, Georgia, the Reverend John Aroc shares the sad news of the August death, in Juba, of Awan de Gak.  Gak had been in charge since 1998, along with Ayeil Deng Ayel and Guot Bul Mayuon, and supported by the Wycliffe Bible Translators, of producing a fresh translation of the Old Testament  into Dinka Cham. (https://afrecs.org/?s=Lorelei).

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Reverend Zachariah Jok Char writes:

“Good news which God has done in the Sudanese Grace community: English Services every first Sunday of the month at 11:30….Lake Effect Church renewed its lease…. We are in the process of certifying our church kitchen for public use…Sunday attendance is growing – average now about 80… The number of newborn children is growing… Recently received two families from Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya…  Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Wyoming donated a GaGa Ball Pit for our children to play in…Three Sudanese Grace members are postulants for the priesthood and attending the Academy for Vocational Leadership.”

“July 9 we had joint services with Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, our mother church, followed by a food sale and wonderful fellowship.  Sunday School for younger children has been steady and growing .. just began a teen group… Hosted diocesan regional day camp led by Camp Chickagami staff. Workshops in our building have helped the South Sudanese community to know some of the services available in the city. A couple of our families have started a daycare business.”

In Annandale, Virginia, an All-Day Kids’ Ministry gathering of the Sudan African Fellowship on August 19 included games, college preparation wisdom from current  undergraduates, Bible study on the “I am” sayings of Jesus, and family mental health advice from Dr. Edward Kenyi of Baltimore.

In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, “Belonging” was the theme of a fundraiser announced for September 15 by Elizabeth Aluk Andrea, president of Manitoba Women for Women South Sudan (MW4WSS) and a participant in the 2019 AFRECS conference in Denver.  Senator Marilou McPhedran was guest speaker. The Rotary Club of Winnipeg’s service arm will transmit donated funds to MW4WSS’s partner in South Sudan who distributes daily necessities to returning refugees. (https://www.women4womenmb.ca.)

From Kampala, Uganda, .Bishop Hilary Garang Deng Awer, retired bishop of Malakal, writes that he is continuing to collect data for his doctoral thesis on peacemaking between tribes in the Upper Nile region. His fellow students at Uganda Christian University include Bishop Wilson Kamani of Ibba Diocese and Rev. Abraham Maker and Paul Issa from the Episcopal  University of South Sudan.

Marc Nikkel Day was observed August 27 at Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington, Virginia, during Sunday morning worship attended by Virginia Military Institute cadets, faculty of Washington & Lee University, and one Sudanese family from Roanoke, Virginia.  James Hubbard, who first met Nikkel at Fuller Seminary in California before Nikkel became a missionary in Sudan, recalled his own August 2022 visit to churches in Khartoum, Juba, Terekeka, and Rokon, challenging the congregation to ponder a partnership.  Susan E. Bentley testified to the inspiration she takes from the life of Nikkel and her admiration for the faithfulness of Sudanese Christians resettled  in the Roanoke Valley. Samson Mamour, a 2021 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, celebrated Holy Communion and welcomed students new to town.

Loss of an Eye, by Lawrence  Duffee

A dear friend whom I used to jog with was jogging on the streets of Juba last Friday morning when he was set upon by a gang wielding machetes. He suffered pretty bad injuries and looks like he has lost his left eye. This sort of random violence is a terrible reminder of the situation in South Sudan.

What is the Anglican Alliance?

The next Mission Networking Call will be Wednesday, October 4th with guest speaker the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, General Secretary of the Anglican Communion and former bishop of Kajo-Keji, South Sudan. To be connected to the call, or if you have topic ideas, please reach out to Jenny Grant at jgrant@episcopalchurch.org.

Guest speaker on Sept. 6 was the director of the Anglican Alliance, Canon Rachel Carnegie, explaining her network of churches and agencies as “a vision – not simply ‘development’ but something much richer, more holistic and inspiring…. For example, climate change is leading to more disasters, forcing people (and especially young people) to migrate, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.” https://anglicanalliance.org/

More Than Ever

Dear Readers,

AFRECS will soon celebrate 20 years of advocacy, peacebuilding, education and support for our friends in the Sudans.

Now more than ever, your financial donations, in any amount, are needed to sustain the work of AFRECS in helping to rebuild the loss of infrastructure and equipment suffered by the Episcopal Church in Sudan. Equally urgent is the need to send aid to those areas receiving returning South Sudanese displaced once again by the violence in Sudan.

Our Annual Impact Report highlights our continuing engagement with:

• Trauma Healing Partnership with Five Talents and Mothers Union of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
• The Glow Mission Academic Primary School
• The Episcopal University of South Sudan
• The Sudanese Diaspora
• And connecting with and maintaining relationships with Sudanese and South Sudanese leaders who need to know they are not alone

Now more than ever, The Board of AFRECS invites you to join us.  Please donate today.

This issue was compiled by Richard J. Jones, Anita Sanborn, and Larry Duffee.  We welcome your news, comments, and corrections at anita.sanborn@gmail.com.

Director’s Update

The situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate by the day.  Violence has expanded in Khartoum between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with the latter seeming to gain ground.  Darfur has seen a return to the situation that prevailed almost two decades ago, which led Secretary of State Colin Powell to level a charge of genocide.  In particular the attacks of the Rizeigat Arabs against the Masalit have involved the slaughter of men, women and children.  More than 1 million Sudanese have now fled Sudan to Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and Ethiopia, and a total of 3 million are displaced.   Government is not functioning, and markets and agriculture have been disrupted.  More than 40% of Sudanese are experiencing  high levels of food insecurity.  Health workers and hospitals have been targeted by both sides.

The talks convened last month in Saudi Arabia by the US and Saudi Arabia involving the military parties remain suspended.  Malik Agar, Deputy Head of the Sovereignty Council — and a former leader of SPLM/North from the Blue Nile region — on August 15 called for creation of a caretaker government to end the conflict.  There has been no response from the RSF.

Some well-informed observers have suggested that cutting off arms to the two military forces is essential.  The whole expanse of the Sahel from Mali to Somalia is awash in arms, but the United Arab Emirates remain a source of new arms for the RSF, while Saudi Arabia has close military ties to the SAF.

A recent survey by Forbes named South Sudan the poorest country in the world, as measured by GDP per capita and purchasing power parity.  The flood of impoverished refugees coming from Sudan into Upper Nile and Bahr al-Ghazal regions is a new blow to the economy.

Let the Women Clean it Up

Armies planted land mines in South Sudan; women de-mine, reports the Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2023/0809/Women-make-South-Sudan-safe-one-explosion-at-a-time

Remembering the Refugees

O God of compassion, who said “Out of Egypt have I called my son”, look with pity on the thousands who are fleeing Sudan in fear, and lead them to places of safety and peace.

O Jesus, lover of souls, who fled with your family from the wrath of Herod, be with the refugees of Sudan and comfort them with your presence.

O Holy Spirit, the power of the faithful and the fire of love, stir our hearts for these and all refugees, that our minds may never forget them, our love reach out to them, and our prayers, our alms, and our actions serve to effect their deliverance.

O Trinity of love and power, as you brought your children through water and wilderness to the Promised Land, so bring us through the catastrophes of this turbulent age to the safety of your Kingdom. The glory is yours!   AMEN

Comings and Goings

Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of Khartoum and Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, has been visiting Egypt for medical and personal business.

In Port Sudan, efforts are underway to build a residence for the ECS. Five Archdeacons are living in Omdurman, and many churches have been looted or occupied by the Rapid Support Forces of General M. Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

Abraham Deng Ater, a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, continues to translate into Dinka the Scripture selections for Sunday Eucharists at 3:30 p.m. in St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 6780 James B. Rivers Drive, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 (tel. 770-469-8551), where the pastor is the Rev. John Manyuon Aroch (tel. 404-849-1572).

The principal of St. John’s College in Wau, Philip Abiel Nyok, has thanked the Poole-­Wau Partnership for two years of funds to complete construction of four additional classrooms (including roof, but not yet doors or windows).

Survival is the watchword in Sudan, where people are hungry and extremely worn out by the war that began in April. Nicholas Pande reports from the Anglican Communion Office in London that assistance to refugees is being transmitted through Refugee Egypt, The Anglican Province of Alexandria, and South Sudan Development and Relief Agency (SSUDRA).

Simon Chuang Ayok was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Justin Badi Arama on July 16 at All Saints Cathedral, Juba.

On July 26 in Renk he was enthroned as Bishop of Renk, alongside Bishop John Jal who was enthroned as Bishop of Bentiu.

Photos courtesy of Ajak Manyang, Trauma Healing trainer

Arizona Celebrates Helen Grimwood as Godmother

At their Community Center located in a Phoenix shopping mall, the South Sudan Twic Mayardit Community Association of Arizona recently honored Helen Perry Grimwood and her husband Doug for their two decades of support for Sudanese and South Sudanese immigrants. “Aunty Helen has been a godmother to all in the community, as well as a foster and adoptive mother to some,” said Deng Mayik Atem, executive director of the SSTMCAA.  “Doug and Helen’s adopted son Deng Kang graduated from Arizona State University in 2022 and is now preparing for a career as a physical therapist.”

Arizona is home to over 4,000 South Sudanese and Sudanese immigrants and refugees. Some originally settled elsewhere, then moved to Phoenix.  Helen Perry Grimwood is president of the Sudanese Education Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2005 to help meet educational needs of the Sudanese diaspora living in Arizona. For fall 2023, the foundation is providing scholarship assistance to seventeen students. Helen is a former member of the board of AFRECS.

Many Sudanese families worship at St Paul the Apostle Sudanese Episcopal Church, a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona (527 W. Pima St., Phoenix AZ 85003, tel. 602-253-4094 https://stpaulsapostle.azdiocese.org). Their vicar, the Reverend Anderia Lual Arok, previously served the Episcopal Church in Sudan. Others have found church homes at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where the Reverend Craig Bustrin is rector, and other congregations in Phoenix and Tucson. Every summer children of St Paul’s and St Mary’s enjoy a week at Chapel Rock, the diocesan camp in the cool pines of Prescott.

Deng Atem’s Community Center in Phoenix is open to all African groups to gather and celebrate their cultures. In his desire to bring the people of the South Sudanese diaspora together, Deng publishes Ramciel Magazine, online and in print. Topics range from sports to international managing of the water of the Nile, plus interviews with South Sudan’s ambassador in Washington Philip Jada Natana and Mama Reita Hutson, a local heroine. He also produces South Sudan Music Videos on YouTube. Deng recently published his autobiography, Jumping over the Ram, with a forward by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper.

Where is my Safe Place?

Editor’s note: The bishop of Aweil is Abraham Yel Nhial. The bishop of El Obeid is Ismail Gabriel Abudigin.

Escaping from the urban battlefield of Khartoum, a mother with 8 children trekked 150 miles west to El Obeid in Sudan, then south 200 miles to Aweil in South Sudan, showing up among relatives in the village where she grew up 20 years before. Born in South Sudan, she could not receive assistance as an international refugee.  Her northern-born children were too Arab to be welcomed by relatives.

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/first-person/2023/08/09/south-sudanese-returnees-story-khartoum-their-childhood-home

The Episcopal Church of South Sudan calls for serious preparation for 2024 elections

The Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) Bishops have urged prompt execution of the general elections scheduled for December 2024, in accordance with the agreed 24-month extension.

https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/anglican-bishops-call-for-timely-elections

Thank You!

AFRECS breathes because individuals like you care about the peacebuilding, educating, and empowering work of the Episcopal Church in the Sudans. Parishes and dioceses are also welcome supporters.  Please act on your concern by contributing here ­­­­­­­­­­­­­or send your check payable to AFRECS, Box 3327, Alexandria VA 22302. We are a 501(c)3 corporation, and your contributions are tax-deductible.

This issue of the E–Blast was compiled by Richard J. Jones, Frederick L. Houghton, and Philip Darrow.  We welcome your news, comments, or concerns at anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Forgotten someone’s face or a date?  Back issues of the E–Blast can help. Go to www.afrecs.org/news, scroll down to “E–Blast”, then at the magnifying-glass icon enter a word or a phrase: for example, “trauma healing” or “Morobo”. It works!

Executive Director’s Update

Sudan. The violence has, if anything, intensified, as the RSF has attacked Omdurman and has placed El Obeid under siege.  It is estimated that 3000 have been killed and 3 million displaced, including over 700,000 who have exited the country. In June the RSF and allied militias killed 87 in Geneina, West Darfur, mostly Masalit, buried in a mass grave, as cited by the UN Human Rights Office. The Egyptian Government convened neighboring and concerned governments for a new round of negotiations July 13, but the army and the RSF weren’t present. Meanwhile, talks continue in Addis Ababa under the auspices of Kenyan President Ruto with civil society elements, still boycotted by Gen. Burhan, who claims Ruto is not neutral.  The New Humanitarian summed up the situation: “External mediation on Sudan falls flat.”  There seems to be little prospect that the conflict and the attending violence can be ended in the near future. The International Criminal Court has launched a new probe into alleged war crimes in Sudan. 

South Sudan Election.  On July 4 President Kiir announced that elections would take place in December 2024 and that he would be a candidate. A few days later UNMISS Chief Nicholas Haysom stated publicly that South Sudan is not ready for elections in 2024. The UN has provided $8 million to assist South Sudan in coping with the flow of refugees from Sudan.  The rainfall picture this year, after a fairly wet start, turned very dry in May. Seasonal forecasts predict fairly dry conditions in South Sudan during July to September.  So a repeat of the floods of the last three years appears unlikely. Rain outlook is uncertain.

Episcopal Church of Sudan U.K. church partners have been sending money to ECS in Port Sudan to pay clergy and salaries.  Salisbury Diocese is sending funds for office equipment to help Primate Ezekiel Kondo run the office in Port Sudan.  Christian Aid also is trying to help EDARRA, the ECS development agency, to develop proposals to fund projects where needed in the Province of Sudan.  Bishop Ismail Gabriel Abudigin of El Obeid Diocese reports: “Our situation remains the same, but we have hope that it will [become] alright.  Killing has become normal, and hunger.  No place is secure within the cities, cars are being looted, by force, by lawless forces.”

Episcopal Church of South Sudan.  Provincial secretary Peter Garang Deng reported to the monthly call coordinated by The Episcopal Church’s Partnership Officer Daniel Karanja that the flow of refugees has made the ECSS particularly concerned about the high demand for their housing, food, and sanitation.  SSUDRA, the ECSS development agency, is seeking funds to assist.  It has already started using a grant from Canada’s Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund to provide cash distributions to households in Nyamlei Diocese of Northern Bahr al-Ghazal Internal Province, as well as to pay its Justice Peace & Reconciliation Commission Officer.  SSUDRA is also working with Christian Aid on humanitarian assistance for families in conflict-afflicted Abyei.

Like Water Dripping on a Stone

by Susan E. Bentley

The desert father Abba Poemen said, “The nature of water is yielding, and that of stone is hard. Yet if you hang a bottle filled with water above the stone so that the water drips drop by drop, it will wear a hole in the stone.  In the same way, the word of God is tender, and our heart is hard. So, when people hear the word of God frequently, their hearts are changed.”

Consider. Sit quietly and imagine your heart as stone. Ask God to come as water, as word, to change it. Repeat this exercise often until you see and feel your heart changing. What gift(s) did God give you that changed your heart?

Meeting John Garang in the 1990s

by Frederick E. Gilbert, a founding member of AFRECS

While serving as Director of the U. S. Agency for International Development’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Ivory Coast in the early 1990s, I was invited to meet John Garang at his Abidjan hotel suite. The leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement was seeking financial support from various African governments and organizations. Because I was not authorized to convey commitments on behalf of the U.S. government on matters outside West and Central Africa, I encouraged the affable Ph.D. in agricultural economics to share stories instead.

 Col. John Garang de Mabior (1945-1995) earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Iowa State before leading the Southern Peoples’ Liberation Movement and becoming Vice-President of Sudan.

One of the more interesting stories Garang told me concerned the time he had been made a colonel in the Sudanese Army around 1982. Not long afterwards he stopped overnight at the army base near Kassala on his way to a training course in Port Sudan. After freshening up, he went to the Officers’ Club at about the cocktail hour. He walked up to what he thought was a steward and ordered a drink. The man bowed and went off to the bar. When the somewhat crowded room immediately went silent, Garang knew that something was amiss and that it had something to do with him. He guessed, accurately, that he had mistaken an officer in civilian dress for a servant (an easy thing since suffragis, or servants, usually wear the same white robes and turbans as Sudanese male guests). He decided that the best defense was an offense. So he loudly addressed the mainly Northern officers and told them that if he had made a mistake, he was sorry. But being new, he had no way of knowing who was who, so it was not fair to use his honest mistake to make him look foolish or arrogant. The “suffragi”, none other than General Burmah Nasser, handed him his drink, welcomed him to the group, and apologized for his discomfort. They became good friends.

During the rebellion in the southern region against the government in Khartoum, USAID career diplomat Fritz Gilbert met with SPLM leader John Garang in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (Photo courtesy of Erik Gilbert)

That was only one of the stories Garang shared over our two-or-so-hour conversation. He had an idea that I could somehow help him with his wish that AID would provide medium-term development-oriented assistance in SPLA-controlled areas. After explaining that I had no role in deciding about such matters, I gave him a few suggestions about how the SPLM might make it easier for the U.S. Government to take steps in the directions he desired. Before long U.S. assistance to populations in SPLA-controlled areas moved in the desired directions.

Comings and Goings

A funeral for the Reverend Solomon Mursal, pastor of the Sudanese community in Portland, Maine, took place on July 8.  Six Sudanese pastors, including Joseph Elionai Gindalla and Rose Maragan from Virginia, served as pallbearers, in a ceremony broadcast on the internet. Among the estimated congregation of 1,000 were his wife Asunta, and his sons Ganzi on keyboard and Silas on drums. The Reverend Kwathi Akol Ajawin preached.

 “God is Good”, reports the Reverend Rhonda Parker, Senior Director of Ministerial Formation & Student Life at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. “Bishop Allison Theological College has repatriated from Uganda to its former home in the town of Yei in South Sudan, as of February 2023.” Duke plans to send two students to teach in Yei for ten weeks during the 2023 summer term.

The Reverend Michael Kiju Paul, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Wharton, Texas and member of General Convention’s Task Force on the Sudanese Diaspora and The Episcopal Church, returned recently from a sabbatical in his birthplace, Kajo Keji, South Sudan.

A youth conference of the Ma’di Community Association took place July 1st and 2nd in Dallas, Texas. Photos at https://www.macaus.us.org/event-details/macaus-youth-conference

Good Luck, Athing Mu

A daughter of refugees from South Sudan recently finished a close second in the 1500 meters at the US National Outdoor Championships, under the tutelage of her legendary coach Bob Kersee. Athing Mu of Trenton, NJ, won the 800-meter run and anchored the winning US 4×400 relay at the Tokyo Olympics.  Behind her entry this year into an event in which she does not normally compete, according to The Trentonian, is a strategy. She ran in the 1,500 to build up her strength for a possible assault later this summer on the 800-meter world record. 

Who Reads Theology?

The Rev. Dr. Chris Wright, Global Ambassador for the Langham Partnership in London, reports grants for purchase of library materials have been made this year to:

Chaima Christian Institute, Maridi
Grace Theological College
Kajo Keji Christian College
Morobo Lay Training Centre

The Rev. Peggy Harris (peggyh48@gmail.com), a retired deacon of the Diocese of Iowa now living in Florida and formerly with Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, has offered to interested theological colleges 41 books on Sudan and Darfur, along with 3 volumes of the mission theology of Roland Allen.

Who is Affiliated with the Episcopal University of South Sudan?

Dr. Eeva John reports: “Bishop Gwynne College is now the Bishop Gwynne School of Theology of The Episcopal University (accredited by the South Sudan Ministry of Higher Education). This is also now true for St John’s College in Wau and Chaima Christian Institute in Maridi, as well as Renk Theological College (temporarily closed). They are all now affiliated with and accredited as part of The Episcopal University.”

AFRECS welcomes the Joint Statement of June 27 by the governments of the USA, Norway, and the UK on the violence in Sudan and the need for South Sudan to fulfill its commitments: https://ss.usembassy.gov/joint-statement-by-the-troika-on-sudan-and-south-sudan/

On July 18 bishops of the ECSS, led by Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, called for timely preparation and offered to assist the transitional government of South Sudan with the national elections now postponed to December 2024: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/anglican-bishops-call-for-timely-elections

Useful addresses:
Provincial Secretary of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Peter Garang Deng: provincialsecretary@southsudan.anglican.org

Provincial Secretary of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, Musa Abujam:
msabujam@gmail.com

Rev’d Canon Dr. Joseph Z. Bilal, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, The Episcopal University of South Sudan  Tel: +211 (0) 928 073 020, WhatsApp: +211 (0) 920 004 jzebedayo776@gmail.com, episcopaluni@gmail.com

U. K. Supporters of the Episcopal University of South Sudan: hanna.john@hotmail.com, https://www.ecsssup.org/contact

AFRECS breathes because individuals like you care about the peacebuilding, educating, and empowering work of the Episcopal Church in the Sudans. Parishes and dioceses are also welcome supporters.  Please act on your concern by contributing here ­­­­­­­­­­­­­or send your check payable to AFRECS, Box 3327, Alexandria VA 22302. We are a 501(c)3 corporation, and your contributions are tax-deductible.

This issue of the E-Blast was compiled by Richard. J. Jones, Jacqueline Herrera Wilson, and Suzan Voga-Duffee.  We welcome your news, comments, or concerns at anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Director’s Update

The violence which broke out in Sudan in April between rival military units has disrupted life in a manner unprecedented since the country became independent in 1956.  Neither the government nor commercial life is functioning, and food is short. As for the Episcopal Church, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) elements entered the Episcopal cathedral compound in Khartoum, chased out church leadership, destroyed vehicles and other property, and bivouacked troops.  Primate Emanuel Kondo and Provincial Secretary Musa Abujam initially managed to get their staffs to safety in private homes.   The church in Omdurman was also attacked.  In recent weeks the Provincial leadership has managed to relocate their offices to Port Sudan, where, since the Sudanese Armed Forces expelled the RSF, the situation is relatively calm and banks have reopened. It is likewise relatively quiet in the diocese of Wad Medani. The Bishop of El Obeid reports that his people are surviving, but the banks are closed, and “there is no law at all.” Violence and death have been particularly severe in West Darfur but have recently worsened in other parts of Sudan’s “Wild West.”

I felt personal pain at a New York Times report, “A Lifetime of Hospitality Disrupted by War in Sudan.” The Acropole Hotel, home to visiting missionaries and NGO workers for decades — and to me during recent visits for AFRECS — carried on without running water or electricity for several days, while menacing fighters barged in demanding food and drink.  When the hotel ran out of food, the Greek Pagoulatis family, which created it in 1952, evacuated with staff and tenants, and are now in Athens.  I emailed one of the owners expressing my sorrow.  He replied, “We never thought that Acropole would close that way.”

The UN Mission in South Sudan reports that “violence against civilians persists” in that country.  In the first quarter of the year there were 920 documented cases, including 405 deaths, a 12 percent increase over the corresponding period in 2022.  Although Jonglei State and Pibor Administrative Area were the worst affected, serious violence also occurred in Warrap, Lakes, Central and Eastern Equatoria States.  The violence is attributed to “inter-communal violence,” but numerous observers have asserted that military leaders in Juba often orchestrate the local violence to their own political ends.  There will be no real peace and law and order in South Sudan until that situation is brought under control.

Susan E. Bentley is the Newest Member of the AFRECS Board

We welcome to the board of AFRECS the Reverend Susan E. Bentley, 23-year rector of a congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia which included a congregation of South Sudanese.

Sue tells of an image important in the African Diaspora: a bird with its head turned backwards while its feet face forward, carrying an egg in its mouth.

This image is associated with the word Sankofa in the Anka language of Ghana, translated as “to retrieve”.  It is heard in the proverb, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” Sue suggests, “The Sankofa bird  can represent our need to reflect on the past to build a successful future. It symbolizes taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present.”  To the congregation she was leaving, Sue said, “While you all are moving feet forward with the precious egg of Gospel love to share, you many want to look back. You will each have a perspective and insights. This will guide your feet.”

During Sue’s tenure, Samson Mamour, a South Sudanese immigrant factory worker and proprietor of a cigarette shop in Roanoke, Virginia emerged as the spiritual leader of the Sudanese congregation and now serves as priest and the rector’s assistant at Grace Church in the college town of  Lexington, Virginia. The continuing pastoral leader of the Roanoke Sudanese congregation is Mr. Peter M. Alier mawut9@hotmail.com . Sue quotes Simon Sinek:  “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.”

Comings and Goings

Michael Kiju Paul, rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Wharton, in the Diocese of Texas, is making a three-month visit to his home village in the Diocese of Kajo-Keji, South Sudan. Kiju helped foster a companion relation between the Dioceses of Kajo-Keji and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Patrick Peter Augustine, a resident of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA who was consecrated in 2019 to serve as an assistant bishop by Reuben Akurdit Ngong, has been in the Diocese of Bor in South Sudan since Easter. He preached, visited the primary and secondary school, met with the Mothers’ Union, led a pastors’ retreat, and promoted construction of a well in the compound of St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

Two women engaged each other outside the Bor Mothers’ Union dressmaking school while  Bishop Patrick Augustine visited on June 7th.

Anita Sanborn, past board chair of Iliff School of Theology, past director of the Colorado Episcopal Foundation, and active board member of AFRECS, has moved from Denver to her home territory in Angola, Indiana.

AFRECS Board member Thomas H. Staal, temporarily acting director of USAID/Ethiopia, has sent a description of his agency’s current relief efforts in Sudan and South Sudan highlighting disease, food shortage, and number of conflict-affected people.

Musa Abujam, Provincial Secretary of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, relocated to Port Sudan because his home in Khartoum was in the center of the fighting.

Joseph Garang Atem, Archbishop of the internal province of Upper Nile (including Renk and Malakal) in South Sudan, writes from Juba, where his back and eyes are improving, to thank St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia; Tydale House Foundation; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Dr. Ellen Davis for funds sent to assist refugees and returnees who since April 15^th  “came in big numbers which Renk cannot control”.

Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, has relocated his office from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Along with Wad Medani, Port Sudan is flooded with Internally Displaced Persons, some sleeping inside the cathedral and its compound. Although initially there was some fighting in Port Sudan, now the Rapid Support Force is reportedly “not of much consequence there”, according to John Poole of Bradford, UK, for Church Association for Sudan & South Sudan.

Belo Elbuluk, director of Episcopal Development and Relief in the Episcopal Church of Sudan, is reported to be still in Omdurman, although international communication is difficult.

In Abyei Primate Justin Badi Arama and the South Sudan Development and Relief Association has been working to reconcile Twic Dinka and Ngoc Dinka, with support from Anglican Communion Relief.

Patricia Kisare, International Policy Advisor for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America & The Episcopal Church’s office of government relations in Washington, reports that the U.S. participated at the recent High Level pledging conference for relief efforts in Sudan and announced an additional $172 million in funding.

Marc Nikkel Day

Marc Nikkel Day will be observed this year at Grace Church, Lexington, Virginia on Sunday, August 27, with AFRECS Board member Rev. James A. Hubbard as guest speaker. Although Marc Nikkel died of natural causes, we think of him among the martyrs of Sudan.

Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints, and who raised up your servant Marc Nikkel to be a light in the world: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth your praise, who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

The Generals’ War Over Khartoum

Michael Holden, husband of AFRECS board member Rachel Scott, writes, “The fact that both sides view the war as a zero-sum game …points to a protracted war that will further destabilize an already unstable region.” Comparing the nimble, irregular Rapid Support Force of General Dagalo with the air power, more troops, and conventional organization of General al-Burhan, Holden recalls an advisor to the British during the American Revolution who said, “the Americans would be less dangerous if they had a regular army.” For the history of the continuing war that broke out April 15 in Khartoum and now has touched all 18 provinces of Sudan, go to https://jamestown.org/program/can-the-saf-defeat-the-rsf-in-sudan/.

Bishop Stopped, Car Burned in Equatoria

On June 5^th, Amosa Data Elinoma, bishop of Morobo in central Equatoria, and his driver were stopped by a soldier while travelling from Bazi to Morobo. The Bishop thought, according to Morobo County Commissioner Moses Soro, that the soldier was a member of the armed forces, but five armed men came out of the bush. “Bishop,” they said, “we need to do for you something that you will not forget in your life, and we wanted to burn your car because you are the supporter of the government.” Shortly after looting their bags and burning the car, the men released bishop and driver.

The Bishop of Lainya, the Most Revd Paul Yugusuk, who is also Archbishop of the Internal Province of Central Equatoria (including the diocese of Morobo), appealed to the leadership of the National Salvation Army, an anti-government militia, to instruct their soldiers to “stop harassing servants of God and civilians.” “We passionately call on all armed groups in South Sudan to give peace a chance,” he  said, “ by utilizing mediation and other forms of negotiations to settle political disputes.”

The Bishop’s car was purchased only two months ago with donations from three funders whom the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, Anthony Poggo, had put in touch with Bishop Amosa.

Is There Hope for Hope House

by Douglas O. Cumming

Hope House, a shelter in Kitale, Kenya for 25 to 40 South Sudanese boys and girls in between sessions of their Kenyan boarding schools, is losing its funding. Backers of the shelter hope to  start returning the children to their homeland in 2024-25, eliminating the cost of rent in Kenya and exchanging their refugee status for lives as young citizens of South Sudan.

Hope House was started in 2014 by the Rev. Peter Yuol Gur, now the Episcopal bishop of Tonj, South Sudan, the original home of many of the children. Thanks to a British donor, Dr. Clive Kelly, an effort has begun  to build a school on land acquired in Wau, South Sudan. Two classrooms and a latrine have been constructed. A borehole for clean water still needs to be funded. 

Gabriel Turich Dak, director of Hope House, stands with William Marial, a South Sudanese resident of the shelter studying in Kenya and sponsored by Grace Episcopal Church, Lexington, Virginia

Gabriel Turich Dak has lived at Hope House since childhood and will graduate from a Kenyan college this month. Now he is the director. Gabriel needs help in running Hope House and in grant-writing, having recently spent three months launching the construction in Wau.

Other resourceful alumni of Hope House include John Makol Deng, who entered a two-year course at Nairobi University, received tutoring from Virginia Tech interns, and now has a full scholarship to Macalester College in Minnesota.  Luke Kur Malith, who enrolled at Nairobi School of Law last fall, now has a full scholarship to Elmhurst University outside Chicago. John Makuei Bath will enter a two-year program at the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, while Luka Bol, who returned to South Sudan for his post-secondary degree in accounting, will graduate this year.  John Garang Manyang, who has also aged out of Hope House, is seeking higher education in computer science or pharmacology; his brother Agoth, who earned top leadership honors at his Kenyan secondary school, is still seeking his place in higher education.

The potential returnees still need a year of shelter in Kitale as they prepare for post-secondary education or an independent life. The girls in particular need a  measure of autonomy lest they be forced into an early marriage back home in their villages.

Contact: Dr. Douglas O. Cumming, cummingd@wlu.edu, 540-570-0293 or Dr. Susan V. Mead, svm@diversityserves.org, 540-267-5678

We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. 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 edition of the E-Blast was prepared by Board member Richard J. Jones.  We solicit your news, corrections, and views. Please send them to anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Co-Editor’s Note

Scurrying to cover Bishop Mark Stevenson with an  umbrella as he crossed a drizzly churchyard last Sunday at Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, Shirley Smith Graham, a former short-term visiting teacher at Renk Theological College in South Sudan, called to me over her shoulder, “Who would ever have thought that people would be running for their lives out of Khartoum for refuge in Renk?”  It was April 30^th, and the war between Sudan’s rival generals, Dagalo and al-Burhan, was beginning its third week.  Devastation from artillery fire, air strikes, and house invasions has been worst in the capital city of Khartoum in the center of Sudan, and in the western region of Darfur.   For history of  the Anglican Province of Sudan, see https://www.anglicannews.org/features/2017/07/celebrations-as-sudan-becomes-anglican-communions-39th-province.aspx

Here are seven reports of this horror.
Richard J. Jones

1.  From a text message sent April 26^th to Dane F. Smith, Jr., Executive Director  of AFRECS (American Friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans) by Ezekiel Kondo, Archbishop of Khartoum and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan:

Dear Dane, Greetings. As you have been following the development situation in Sudan, the evacuation of Diplomats and other nationals shows the seriousness of the situation. Numbers of deaths on the 12th day today are unknown. There are many bodies on streets nobody can bury them! Despite ceasefire which has been agreed between SAF and RSF still there sounds of gun shoots here and there. Both parties accuse each other of violation of it and nobody can verify.

On the 4th day of the war, the Dean of All Saints Cathedral Khartoum the families, many other teachers from St. Francis School (Catholics) who were stranded in the school and myself over 45 in number evacuated the Cathedral due to escalation of fighting near the Cathedral as you know we are close to the airport and near to one of the centers of RSF. I decided that everyone must leave the Cathedral because armed men broke the main gate and broke window vehicles 6 of them, a cafeteria and a store!

Nobody left and I don’t know what happened to the building there after. Most people from that area left and many now are leaving to other States in the country where it’s little peaceful.

The Khartoum is completely locked down, no shops open, banks and health services. People don’t have cash on them as you are well aware no credit cards used here! It is a humanitarian crises!  

Thank you for sharing our story with friends and your government. My greatest worry is that the absence of the international community in the country, it may mean disaster to the Sudanese people.
Thanks.
Ezekiel 

2.  BBC Radio conducted a four-minute telephone interview April 30^th with Canon Ian Woodward of Salisbury Cathedral and Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, the Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, who was hiding with 15 other people in a house somewhere in Khartoum.   Gunfire can be heard in the background, and the Archbishop speaks of limited food, water, and electricity, but also of their faith and the role of the Church. The Archbishop had previously ordered the evacuation of the Episcopal Cathedral in Khartoum when armed men broke in and began ransacking the building.  

Bishop Ezekiel Kondo of Khartoum says, “Do not grow tired of praying for Sudan.”
Photo courtesy of Episcopal News Service

Archbishop Kondo ends the interview by responding to a question from the BBC interviewer on whether there is any hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict: “Nobody knows how and when this situation will come to an end.  There is so much fear among the Sudanese people…. I thought about the boat, the disciples and Jesus. The disciples hide out. They thought they were about to die. And Jesus wakes up and commanded the wind to be quiet and be still.  And it was. I believe God is able to do things.  And this is the whole hope that we have.  That [for] this sinking boat the waves and the wind will die out.”

You can listen to the interview which begins at minute 1:16 in the radio broadcast linked here:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001lhz8  

3. Message sent May 3^rd to Fr. James Hubbard, St. Paul’s Church, Salem, Virginia from the Executive Manager, Episcopal  Development Relief and Rehabilitation, Episcopal Church of Sudan:

Thank you very much for your email and your concern to us your prayers for me and the church of Sudan. Now the situation still worse in different places in Khartoum and we don’t know when the fighting or war will end , but let us continue in one faith to pray to God to stop war and protect his people and provide their needs.
 
With best wishes,
Rev. Bello Elbuluk Angelo

4. Text message to AFRECS President Phil Darrow from Joseph Garang Atem, Archbishop of the Upper Nile Internal Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and former bishop of Renk, Tuesday, May 2:

Updates on the situation in Upper Nile – Renk County:

Greetings from Renk

Despite the fact that many organisations have come to Renk to receive the population who are fleeing the war in Sudan, the affected population are still suffering. Some organisations only  do the registration for data tracking while others transport people to Renk.

All the households in Renk are overwhelmed by the people who have entered into the host communities. Renk Diocese started immediately when people arrived at the South Sudan-Sudan border. The Diocese is accommodating over 100 people and facilitated the transportation of over 50 persons to Paloich so far. Renk Hospitals have run out of supplies and people are suffering from the hospitals, admitting person in Renk hospitals is the same as remaining in your own bed in your house.

Renk markets also run out of supplies and the little available are the skyrocketing prices.

Prayers and support are much needed.
With prayers and wishes, Every blessing
++Joseph

5. From a Sudanese Christian living in the United States

Hello Richard/Dane,

Brothers, I thought of updating you on our family in Sudan. There’s
praise,  uncertainty,  and sad news.

We praise God that someone of my wife’s family made it safely to a refugee
camp in a relatively safe area. Some arrived in South Sudan.

My cousin’s wife died in a car accident with her grandchild while escaping
the war. Multiple family members are injured.

It looks like Ruth’s days. Many escaping the war in Khartoum are dying in
car accidents along the way.

God is good!

Kwathi Akol Ajawin

6. From the Washington Post, April 27, 2023
Adam Hassan Yahya Omer: The road to South Sudan
Omer is a pro-democracy activist and teacher based in Khartoum.

I set up a school in my neighborhood because I want kids to learn about science and how to read and write. But then my neighborhood was hard-hit with explosions and fighting so the school closed down.
A big shell killed my neighbor and two of her children. There was death everywhere.

We wanted to leave so we had to try to get a place on a truck, because many of my relatives are elderly and cannot walk far. One passenger cost 30,000 Sudanese pounds [about $50] and I had nine people — six of my brothers, my mother, my grandfather and my mother’s mother.

When I went to look for my brother, the RSF had occupied his house, so he was missing. It took a day to find him.

The first time we tried to leave, one of my friends was shot and killed, so they had to stop to bury him. The next day, on Friday, we left. I decided to find a safe place for my mother and grandmother and other female relatives in a peaceful village outside Khartoum. Me and my brother are of military age, so we feared being targeted by either side.

We decided to go to South Sudan.

When we left the house, we got into a car with some friends and headed to the mountain road that leads to Kosti [a city to the south].

The RSF chased us. We all got out of the car. There were children with us. They wanted money and phones. Then they accused my brother of being in the army. We gave them our passports and I told them my little brother is not affiliated with the army, he is just exercising a lot.

We had 20,000 Sudanese pounds [around $33], and they took our money and all the money from the others as well, then they left us. There were dead bodies on the road, citizens who resisted and were shot dead.

We went back to our car, but two hours later we ran into them again. Since we had already been robbed, they did not find anything, so they let us go.

There were so many dead bodies on the way.

Finally we arrived at the border town of Renk, in South Sudan.

7. From  Samantha Power, Administrator of the U. S. Agency for International Development:

DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM
Sunday, April 23, 2023

For more than a week, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan has claimed hundreds of lives, injured thousands, and yet again dashed the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people. Civilians trapped in their homes cannot access desperately needed medicines, and face the prospect of protracted power, water, and food shortages. Those trying to flee face brutality and theft on the streets. And all of this suffering compounds an already dire situation – one-third of Sudan’s population, nearly 16 million people, already needed humanitarian assistance to meet basic human needs before this outbreak of violence. 

The United States is mobilizing to ramp up assistance to the people of Sudan ensnared between the warring factions. That is why today I am announcing that the U.S. Agency for International Development has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) in the region to coordinate the humanitarian response for those in need both within and outside of Sudan. The DART will be operating out of Kenya for the initial phase of the response. Our DART disaster experts are working with the international community and our international partners to identify priority needs and to safely deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to those who need it most.

The United States has been the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to Sudan for more than a quarter century and our commitment to the Sudanese people is unwavering. This includes our local staff and the staff of our international partners who have dedicated their lives and worked tirelessly alongside the Sudanese people in hopes of building the peaceful, democratic country they deserve. 

At a time when many Sudanese families should be celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan, they are instead living in terror. The United States demands that the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces abide by the three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire to which they have agreed, end this reckless bloodshed, facilitate humanitarian access, comply with international humanitarian law – including enabling safe and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical workers to reach people in need of life-saving assistance – and honor the Sudanese people’s calls for freedom and peace.

A Call to Pray for Sudan

From the director of AFRECS, Dane F. Smith, Jr., April 28, 2023
 
AFRECS has been following with growing concern the violence unfolding in Sudan.  On April 15 the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked each other with artillery fire and airstrikes.  Despite cease-fire efforts, the violence has continued.  It is centered on the capital Khartoum and appears to be expanding in Darfur.
 
Sudanese Christians report that Khartoum is shut down. No shops, banks or restaurants are operating, and residents are unable to buy food. Hundreds of civilians have died, and bodies remain unburied in the streets of the capital. Christians who had gathered at All Saints’ Episcopal Cathedral evacuated after armed men broke down the main gate, invaded the cafeteria and store, and broke windows of vehicles in the  compound. Khartoum residents who are able have been fleeing into the countryside in their automobiles. Some have died in auto accidents because of chaos on the roads. There is general fear that the departure of diplomats and other foreign nationals means the situation will become worse for civilian Sudanese.
 
Refugees have been flowing into Ethiopia, Egypt, and Chad, as well as into South Sudan. The county commissioner of Renk County in South Sudan, Kak Padiet, told Reuters that some 10,000 people had arrived in his county from Sudan last week and were continuing to come across the border on Monday.
 
The United States Government has been working with the United Nations, including Western allies, African and Middle Eastern governments, to put pressure on the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces to bring about a permanent cease-fire and to move the country effectively toward a transitional civilian government. So far these efforts have not borne fruit.
 
AFRECS calls for urgent and continuous prayers for the suffering people of Sudan, including a very anxious Christian community. As of today, internet communication is still possible, so words of love and support to family members, friends and colleagues in Sudan are most welcome.
 
God, bring peace to deeply troubled Sudan, and safety and hope to its peoples.
 
And let all people say, “Amen”.

We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. 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 E-Blast was compiled by Board members Richard Jones, Steven Miles, and James Hubbard.  

Please send corrections, queries, photos, or contributions of news to anitasanborn@gmail.com. Previous issues can be searched by date and keywords at www.afrecs.org/news.

Executive Director’s Update South Sudan.  President Kiir’s firing of Defense Minister Angelina Teny, Riek Machar’s wife, is viewed by the opposition as a violation of the 2018 peace agreement, which gave SPLM/IO the choice of that position.  The Human Rights Commission on South Sudan, which reports to the UN Human Rights Council, named a number of South Sudanese Government officials in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States as guilty of serious human rights abuses for summary executions and attacks on civilians. Sudan.  Fast-moving events in Sudan are changing by the hour.  For background on the situation see the link below. The Conversation Sudan crisis explained: What’s behind the latest fighting and how it fits nation’s troubled past https://theconversation.com/sudan-crisis-explained-whats-behind-the-latest-fighting-and-how-it-fits-nations-troubled-past-203985 Dane Smith Executive Director Report by AFRECS President Phil Darrow Three Weeks in South Sudan – Juba, Malakal, and Renk Landing in Juba for my first visit since 2016, I was immediately impressed by the frenetic energy of a fast-growing city.  Some of the improvements had been made in anticipation of the recent visit of the Pope and fellow church leaders. The Episcopal Guest House offered a completely new wing of rooms and cafeteria, alongside completely refurbished existing rooms.  I could not have asked for better accommodation and feeding, nor a more thoughtful itinerary, than the one the Archbishop of the Internal Province of Upper Nile, His Grace Joseph Garang Atem, had prepared for me. March 17 – Visited Glow Mission Academic Primary School, along with Bishop John Gatteck, who founded (through his Christ Mission Continuous Ministry (CMCM)) and oversees the school in a vast camp for displaced persons that is still called “the POC-3”, even though it is no longer formally a U.N. Protection of Civilians facility.  Originally begun with 50 orphans and unaccompanied minors, the school has expanded from one church structure to include several new classrooms (though still in a very cramped space) providing primary education to 500 students (286 girls and 214 boys) with 25 part-time teachers. While I was greeted enthusiastically by a children’s choir and the teachers present, I also received a list of pressing needs. The school barely keeps up with funding teaching staff and the lunch program, much less being able to add other basics such as desks and teaching aids.  The school’s very existence is a remarkable accomplishment, but additional support is sorely needed for these most vulnerable (but amazingly perseverant) children and their hard-pressed mentors. March 18 – Received a thorough update from Vice Chancellor (for Administration and Finance) Rev. Dr. Joseph Bilal on the blossoming Episcopal University of South Sudan (EUSS). Its degree program in Law and a its diploma program in Theology are now fully accredited, and with ongoing work to accredit programs in Education, Business, Health, Agriculture and Engineering.  Operating now at the Juba campus of what was Bishop Gwynne Theological College, the EUSS has ambitious plans for a new campus in Rokon, outside of Juba. Thanks to a generous donation of the land by the local community, the organizers have begun comprehensive master planning, the established water wells (thanks in large part to a bequest from the late Richard Parkins of AFRECS), and the secured funding for a perimeter fence. Dr. Bilal and Dr. Eeva John of the UK plan to visit the U.S. in May to discuss in detail with interested parties their plans for the EUSS. Development of the new campus is a big-ticket item, but there are many opportunities for smaller donors to support student scholarships and faculty development. March 19 – Attended the English Sunday service at All Saint’s Cathedral, nicely refurbished and with expanded covered seating outside the sanctuary. Enjoyed the sermon delivered by Reverend Professor Peter Ensor, who is serving a three-year term as Vice Chancellor (for Academic Affairs) of the EUSS, overseeing the development of the degree programs while also teaching Theology.  Professor Ensor noted wryly to me that he is a Methodist, but that is not really a problem because, “After all, John Wesley was an Anglican.” March 20 – Accompanied Bishop Gatteck to meetings with South Sudanese NGOs with whom he works. These included Peace in Action South Sudan (PASS), Universal Intervention and Development Organization (UNIDOR), Action for Conflict Resolution (ACR), Dialogue Research Institute (DRI) and African Mission Assistance (AMA), all of whom are engaged in programs for peacebuilding and trauma healing.  While none of these groups is a source of funding for the Glow School, they have helped with in-kind support such as transportation and the passing through of both food supplies and teaching materials. It was great to meet these allies of AFRECS in peace and trauma healing and learn of their specific strategies. While at DRI (which engages directly with individuals in need of trauma healing, despite its bookish-sounding name), I heard the tragic story of a surviving mother and two children of a family of nine, viciously attacked by an armed group on a roadway in Unity State.  The three survivors had somehow been rescued and brought to Juba, where the authorities connected them to DRI for assistance.  I was moved to leave a small donation. March 21 Flew to Malakal with Archbishop Joseph and I flew on Kush Air, not the UN flight I had expected.  We were greeted in rousing fashion by the Mother’s Union and various assembled clergy and lay leaders.  Ten years after the first of successive battles for the City, each of which caused tremendous damage, the city is still quite literally trying to rise from the ashes. Many people who were forced to flee have returned, and there was positive energy in the air — despite a recent outbreak of conflict in a nearby area.  I observed lots of activity at the river port and sipped coffee in the central market, lively enough despite wistful remarks about its pre-war glory. Visiting the large UN Mission (UNMISS) compound north of Malakal, we met with two members of the Civil Affairs staff and discussed further coöperation on our respective peacebuilding and trauma healing efforts. We were seeking not only to avoid duplication of existing efforts, but also the possibility of joint efforts, especially in making UN aviation resources available for church-led peacebuilding gatherings.  Those resources have been strained and limited this past year, mainly due to the impact of wars elsewhere, but should be more available in the coming year..  It was acknowledged that the church has the trust relationships vital to be effective as peacebuilders, but lacks sufficient resources to provide the logistics of gatherings for peace and trauma healing activities. March 22 – On to Renk, this time in a smaller fourteen-seat World Food Programme plane (devoted to people, not cargo), we were once again greeted by the enthusiastic ululations of the Mothers’ Union and others excited to welcome back their long-time leader, Bishop Joseph.  I was happy to see Renk, partly depopulated seven years ago following a brief conflict in the area, now bustling and full of life. Its Episcopal Guest House had also been nicely improved, despite the difficulty of obtaining materials during the epidemic and the continued closure of the border with Sudan. The brand-new, three-story diocesan headquarters building is a remarkable achievement, given the closed border with Sudan and the challenge of gathering resources during the pandemic. The building has extra offices and a third-floor conference center, intended to provide rental income to the Diocese.  The new building stands adjacent to the soccer stadium and visible to a large area — an example of the progress that can be made if there is peace. The resurrection of Renk, compared to my 2016 visit, made an easy theme for my Sunday sermon in St. Matthew Cathedral, where the pre-Easter readings were the dry bones vision of Ezekiel and Jesus’s miracle of the raising of Lazarus. At the diocesan farm, additional acreage is being cleared for sorghum planting, despite the loss of most of last year’s crop to an American beetle inadvertently imported in food aid in the 1980’s.  Planting will come in summer with the arrival of the rains. We observed a visit by three successive herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. Their nomadic Sudanese herders graze the area in the off season and return to Sudan as the rains move north.  People do what they have long done, regardless of an officially closed Sudan/South Sudan border. The only commercial vehicles visible where the paved highway crosses the border were charcoal-laden donkey carts. March 30  Back in Juba, we were able to arrange a meeting at the UNMISS compound with political and civil affairs staff, again to discuss peacebuilding activities and establish new contacts for future cooperation.  We also toured, in the rain, some of the growth areas, including a short stretch of the Juba – Bor Highway, which is now paved the entire way. One general observation is that virtually every thatched roof that I saw on my last visit has been replaced by corrugated tin (or “zinc”), right down to the shade structures for animals in the fields. April 2– Joined the throng processing in from the main gate to all Saints Cathedral on Palm Sunday, to the hearty strains of “All Glory Laud and Honor”. Not only was the cathedral itself packed full, but so was the new covered seating on each side.  (We may be able to pack the church on Easter Sunday, but it is a weekly event here.) April 3 – A warm reunion meeting with Primate Justin Badi Arama and Mama Joyce at their home, before we proceeded with Archbishop Joseph to the U.S. Embassy to meet  Ambassador Michael Adler.  Discussed the role of the church in peacebuilding activities and some of the logistical challenges of same, ending with a group photo posted on the embassy Twitter account, captioned “Proud of the role of civil society in promoting Peace in South Sudan.” April 4 – Departed Juba, amazed once again at the energy and perseverance which Archbishop Joseph and so many others display in pursuing peace and development.  The church represents the grass roots of South Sudan. I remain convinced that peace can build upward from these roots.  We must keep walking in support, aware of the difficulties but undaunted — as our brothers and sisters are. Easter in the Diaspora Atlanta – Dr. Abraham Deng Ater writes: “Our Easter Sunday Service here at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia was led by the Reverend John Manyuon Aroch, who preached. Our Sunday School children sang in Dinka. I still do the bulletin in Dinka, which I send to other Dinka-speaking parishes across the United States and Canada.” Washington DC area (aka DMV) – The Reverend and Mrs. Kwathi Akol Ajawin write: “A congregation of about 200 Africans, mainly South Sudanese, gathered at Cornerstone  Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, Virginia to celebrate Easter on April 9th. It was a colorful and beautiful event full of fervent prayers, charismatic preaching, food, and dancing to the Lord. The festival lasted about eight hours, including a late lunch at 5 o’clock.  The event was organized by Maryland Christian Fellowship, a Sudanese  Ministry based in Baltimore, but hosted by the Sudanese African Fellowship in northern Virginia, due to lack of facility currently in Baltimore. Please pray for a worship center for the Sudanese in Maryland. “We were graced by a young Sudanese college student and a high school student from Rwanda singing gospel, along with the main choir headed by Emmanuel Hakim. The joy of the Holy Spirit was felt by many and commented on by Malek Yosah, the worship leader. An American missionary working among  Sudanese Muslims in the DMV area  gave a testimony and a word of encouragement, expressing a desire to engage  more with the Sudanese African Fellowship. A testimony and worship song by Mama Abuk Ajak moved some to tears, while  Abuna Kwathi emphasized a personal relationship with Jesus, expounding St. Matthew’s account of the two Marys’ walk with Jesus from the start of his ministry in Galilee all the way to the empty tomb. Evangelist James Okeny gave a word of encouragement on behalf of Maryland Christian Fellowship, praying for the Sudanese church in diaspora and for the sick and needy people.  The event concluded with a delicious Sudanese African meal, plus dancing on worship tunes from Juba Arabic, Classical Arabic, Swahili, and South  Sudanese local languages including Bari, Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, Acholi,  Madi, Avokaya, Lotuho, Moro, and others. “The South Sudanese Ambassador to the United States, Philip Jada, gave seasonal greetings and thanked the church for this event that united the South Sudanese. The chairperson of the community, Lina Ajak, echoed his words and encouraged the DMV members of the community to work for unity.” Photo taken by David Copley in South Sudan Remember Gertie the Goat Observing their 20-year custom, St. James Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia reminded parishioners weekly during Lent that goats must be fed. A larger-than-life cutout of Gertie the Goat stood at the church entry,  encouraging children and adults to bring money from their Giving Box (or Jar) at home as an Easter Sunday offering. “After Easter Sunday,” said Susan E. Bentley, rector since 2000 of this small congregation and a new member of the AFRECS Board, “we will buy goats to be sent to our neighbors in South Sudan. For decades we have used Lenten almsgiving to purchase goats through the Gifts for Life program of Episcopal Relief & Development. They provide livestock plus training to generate income through sale of milk.” To children she explained, “One goat can produce four gallons a day of a milk which is easy for people to digest. Goats create fertilizer and clear land, but they are considered ‘zero grazers’.  Their natural curiosity and intelligence make them great pets for families.” Diocese of Ezo St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, Virginia received enough funds from their Lenten appeal to buy bicycles for the Diocese of  Ezo clergy in Western Equatoria and have transferred $4,000 to Bishop Isaac Bangisa. Instead of bicycles built in the U.S., funds were sent to purchase from African sources bicycles fit for evangelists’ and pastors’ 90-mile rides over rough terrain. Leslie Siegmund, a laywoman who with her husband Jack Mathias has fostered this 25-year parish-to-diocese companion relation, writes, “St. Francis is always happy to send money over to Ezo. If anyone still wants to donate, we have a way to get the money to Ezo’s bank account!  Our next tiny project will be  trying to expose children at the St. Francis Creche Preschool to Ezo.  Another parishioner and I are going to spend about ten minutes next week with a class of four-year-olds, showing photos and talking about the children in Ezo. It will be interesting to see what our four-year-olds think when they see photos of the Ezo children having school under the trees. We’re hoping that teachers at the St. Francis preschool might eventually communicate with teachers at one of the primary schools in Ezo.” St. Francis Church’s relation with the 18,000 member Diocese of Ezo has included sending visitors in 2008 and 2013, praying regularly for each other, and receiving visits from two bishops of Ezo. To learn more: Watch Bishop Isaac’s video message to St. Francis at https://www.facebook.com/stfrancisgf/videos/123656710649090 Read “Ezo Diocese Welcomes New Bishop (and a Working Well)” at https://afrecs.org/afrecs-e-blast-november-4-2021/ Read “The Church as Reconciler in South Sudan” at http://www.afrecs.org/ConnectionsMay2018.pdf Visit the St. Francis website: https://stfrancisgreatfalls.org/south-sudan-outreach/ Visit the Ezo Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2449764135160421/ We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. 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 E-Blast was compiled by Phil Darrow, Anita Sanborn, and Richard Jones. We are eager to receive your photos, stories, queries,  or corrections at anitasanborn@gmail.com.  Back issues of the E-Blast may be searched by keyword  or name at www.afrecs.org/news.

Executive Director’s Update The American Film Institute is currently doing an African Film Festival.  I chose No Simple Way Home, directed and filmed by Akuol de Mabior, daughter of the late John Garang.  Although it is dedicated to her father, the film devotes most of its attention to her mother Rebecca, “mother of the nation,” who returns from brief exile to join the Government as a Vice President.  In the script skepticism abounds – rightfully so – about the good faith of male leaders.  Although she characterizes her brood as a political family, Rebecca has misgivings about her entry into that realm, noting that “politicians are basically liars.”  The cinematography is good, showing the beauty of the land, the small things families do to survive, and the desperation coming from civil war and floods.  Akuol concludes that the future of the country lies in the hands of its women, persevering in the face of great suffering to make ends meet and to protect their children.  You can expect to see more from this young film maker. Dane Smith Executive Director Dispatch from AFRECS President Phil Darrow AFRECS President Phil Darrow met welfare organizations housed alongside the church’s Glow Mission Academy Primary School, inside the former UN Protection of Civilians Camp #3, near Juba. Juba, March 16 After the Papal departure: Had a nice chat on the flight to Juba from Nairobi with my seatmate, a state minister. Reps from all ten states had been in Nairobi for a week learning from Kenyan counterparts. He noted that peace and stability still is the first step.  He was optimistic about the momentum of the Pope’s visit. Hopes it can be used to temper those who start to stray into conflict — a sort of continuing moral point of leverage. Guest House: Safely ensconced in Room 14 of the ECSS Guest House. The guesthouse boasts two new wings, a new cafeteria, and a completely refurbished old wing — a remarkable achievement. It is representative of the progress Juba has evidently made elsewhere in some of the basics, including door-to-door pavement from the airport. The expanded Episcopal Church of South Sudan Guesthouse stands close to All Saints Cathedral in the center of Juba, the national capital. Calling the International Criminal Court to Investigate Deporting and Starving of Enemies Dr. Kenneth Scott of Denver, Colorado, along with the British human rights lawyer Catriona Murchoch of Global Rights Compliance, continue to publicize their 156-page request to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, filed in January, to investigate the deliberate use of starvation and deportation of civilian populations in South Sudan. They condemn the failure of the Government of South Sudan and its armed forces to investigate crimes of rape and armed violence. They have appended names of perpetrators, victims, and witnesses. Citing Article 15 of the Rome Agreement, they argue that the ICC has jurisdiction. South Sudan is not a party to that treaty, but its southern neighbor Uganda, host to large refugee camps filled with Sudanese, is a party. Look for the Helpers Fresh daily Lenten meditations by viticulturist and former missionary in South Sudan, Robin Denney, continue to be released weekly by Episcopal Relief and Development. A recent interactive meditation entitled “Helpers” was inspired by both Mr. Rogers and a woman Denney met in South Sudan. This woman was the only adult known to a houseful of girls whom the woman had taken in and taught the basic hygiene essential before being allowed to go to school. Go to: www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/lent/march-5-11/ and from there to more recent meditations. A Prayer for Lent by Madeleine L’Engle Source:  Episcopal Relief and Development. Image: Hilary Garang Deng Awer, retired bishop of Malakal It is my Lent to break my Lent, To eat when I would fast, To know when slender strength is spent, Take shelter from the blast When I would run with wind and rain, To sleep when I would watch. It is my Lent to smile at pain But not ignore its touch. It is my Lent to listen well When I would be alone, To talk when I would rather dwell In silence, turn from none Who call on me, to try to see That what is truly meant Is not my choice. If Christ’s I’d be It’s thus I’ll keep my Lent Appreciating the Sudans’ Other Friends From its inception in 2005, AFRECS has intended to be a megaphone for the voices of members of the Episcopal Church in Sudan (North and South, as they are today). We also keep learning from US groups whose focus complements ours. One such group was Project Education South Sudan, spearheaded by Carol and Richard Rinehart, and now merged into Girls With Books! In addition to classrooms and materials, this Denver-based organization provided a well and a commercial grain grinder to three girls’ primary schools in the region of Bor, so that girls might work at the same place they study. Daniel Majok Gai with schoolgirls at Ayak Anguei, Upper Nile Micklina Kenyi, a former refugee from South Sudan and now director of Girls With Books!, recently sent this report of a conversation with a student named Joyce: “Back home in my village of Imurok Payam of Torit county in Eastern Equatoria,  there are many families who will not allow their daughters to go to school. Many young girls my age will be taking care of their younger siblings and helping support the family in the house and farm. Sometimes girls will be forced to marry at a young age –and I don’t like it! Coming to school away from home gives peace of mind.” Ms. Kenyi comments: “Joyce’s great performance in the classroom and remarkable outdoor activities (soccer and volleyball) made her a star. She was selected at Bro. Augusto Primary school in Kit, Juba to be head girl, coördinating between the female students and the school administration about their welfare and issues affecting female students’ wellbeing.” Comings and Goings Dane Smith and Richard Jones were delighted to welcome the Reverend Tom Reeder, rector of Christ church, Ponte Vedra Beach and former AFRECS board member, at the AFRECS exhibit at the Episcopal Parish Network’s annual conference March 9-10 in Jacksonville, Florida. Sharing the exhibit hall were David Copley, Director of Global Partnerships and Mission Personnel for The Episcopal Church, along with Canon Daniel Karanja, Partnership Officer for Africa and Elizabeth Boe, Mission Personnel Officer. Anthony Dangasuk Poggo, Secretary General of the London-based Anglican Communion Office and former bishop of Kajo-Keji in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, is scheduled to speak on the subject of migration, alongside David Chavez, Canon for Border Ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and Lindsey Warburton, from the Office of Government Relations of the Episcopal Church, at Virginia Theological, Alexandria, Virginia at 6:15 p. m. April 19th. Stephen M. Mou is living in Abyei and manages cross-border conflict management for Concordis International, based in the UK. They bring bordering communities together to facilitate three grazing corridor conferences each year–  East, West, and Central. Steven Miles, a member of the AFRECS Board, has been using his Arabic during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, including travels through Jordan and the West Bank. We send our condolences to Ellen Davis, Board member of AFRECS, on the death of her husband Dwayne Huebner in Durham, North Carolina March 13th. We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. 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 E-Blast was prepared by Board members Anita Sanborn and Richard Jones. Please send news from parishes and Diaspora congregations in North America, celebrations, losses, travels to and from the Sudans — or corrections and responses — to the editors at anitasanborn@gmail.com

Three Christian Visitors Depart Juba: After the Wind, a Still, Small Voice? Aboard the papal airplane returning from Juba to Rome, Archbishop Justin Welby recalled for reporters, “When I was speaking out there the last couple of days, you could hear the shouts from the crowd when any of us mentioned peace, the security of women, and the need for an end to corruption. The people of South Sudan are calling for peace. The leaders must give it. My cry and prayer is for the human hearts of the leadership In South Sudan to be changed.” Aleem Maqbool & Nichola Mandil, BBC news editors visiting in Juba, heard Lino Nyaro Ungom, a former high school teacher and community activist, complain, “Churches both locally and globally failed in their moral responsibility to infuse doses of morality into political life in South Sudan.” He added, “If the churches had a strong voice, they would have challenged the politicians who are faithful in their churches and violence could have been prevented.”An Anglican student at the University of Juba, Deborah Yar Juma, disagreed: “I am so happy the Pope is visiting us since we have been having a lot of issues. His coming will actually change a lot. When someone like the Pope comes and talks about peace, there is a hope that they [South Sudan’s political leaders] will implement it.” On the second day of the three-day visit, Archbishop Welby joined the Pope and Moderator at Freedom Hall, where they met with people displaced by conflict in South Sudan. The three leaders heard testimonies from young people growing up in displacement camps.  Before departure on Sunday morning, the Archbishop and Moderator attended Mass with the Pope and around 70,000 worshippers at the John Garang Mausoleum. There was huge excitement in South Sudan over the visit of the three clerics. Image: AFP Executive Director’s Update Two South Sudanese Episcopal Church leaders gave powerful testimony at the Global Episcopal Mission Network webinar led by AFRECS February 16.  Mama Harriet Baka, National Coordinator of the Mothers Union, described their work in teaching literacy, generating livelihoods and easing trauma in dioceses around the country.  She passionately called for an end to the plague of gender-based violence afflicting the country.  Canon Joseph Bilal, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration, described the vision for the new Episcopal University of South Sudan and its progress in uniting existing theological institutions, while offering much needed opportunities for higher education. We were delighted that some 60 people tuned in to find out how AFRECS and other groups are accompanying the Episcopal Churches of South Sudan and Sudan in bringing Jesus’ good news to the poor. Dane Smith Executive Director AFRECS Webinar with Global Episcopal Mission Network Attracts Participants from South Sudan and UK and Across the US Mission companionship with Christians in Sudan and South Sudan was the theme of the Mission Thursday on Feb. 16, webinar, sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network. (GEMN).  Congregations, dioceses and organizations with connections to the Sudans as well as others interested in learning about ministry in the Sudans participated.  Individuals participated from South Sudan and the UK as well as from across the US.This Mission Thursday, hosted by the American Friends of the Episcopal Churches of the Sudans (AFRECS), attracted over 60 participants. AFRECS executive director Dr. Dane Smith, a former US ambassador and envoy in Africa, hosted the webinar, assisted by Dr. Richard Jones, retired mission professor at Virginia Seminary. The Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) is a rapidly growing faith community in a country characterized by communal violence and a dysfunctional government.  ECSS is bringing Jesus’ message of good news to the poor at the local level through literacy, livelihood generation and trauma healing with help from AFRECS.  It is also building the newly accredited Episcopal University of South Sudan. The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) operates in a country where more than 90 percent of the population are Muslims.  It has enjoyed greater autonomy since the overthrow of Islamist President Omar Bashir in 2019, though the transition to democracy was halted by the military in 2021.  The ECS has been growing quickly in the Nuba Mountains area to the south. It Began with Goats Francisco-fact: St. Francis’s relationship with the Diocese of Ezo began in 1996. St. Francis Episcopal Church, Great Falls, Virginia celebrates this March 5th at 10 a.m. the twenty-fifth anniversary of their link with the Diocese of Ezo, in the Internal Province of Western Equatoria in South Sudan. Two lay leaders, Leslie Sigmund and her husband Jack Mathias, involved from the beginning, explain:“In 1996, our Assistant Rector Hentzi Elek, a former relief worker in Sudan, introduced St. Francis to ministry in southern Sudan through collecting money to buy goats for Sudanese women widowed by the long civil war. In 1997, Father Hentzi introduced us to a priest from the Diocese of Ezo in southwest Sudan who was studying at Virginia Seminary. David Bako’s stories of his life in Sudan, his faith, and the needs of Sudanese Christians inspired St. Francis to make Sudan a vital part of our prayers and outreach ministry. Since then, we have signed and renewed (2008) a covenant with Ezo, sent Franciscans to visit both St. Francis Basic School in Juba  (started with 63 students and four volunteer teachers) and the diocesan center in distant Ezo, and welcomed Bishop John Zawo (predecessor of the current bishop Isaac Ephraim J. Bangisa) to Washington, DC.” Our children in Virginia have an idea where Ezo is.  You can learn more at: https://stfrancisgreatfalls.org/south-sudan-outreach/ Enock Tombe, retired Bishop of Rejaf, reports from Juba: Because peace cannot be built only from the top down, seven laborers for peace were presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday, February 4 at All Saints Cathedral in Juba to receive his blessing.  On the second day of the visit he shared with Pope Francis and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Justin Welby blessed a corps of peace workers, designated E-MAT ( Episcopal Mediation Advisory Team):* Samuel Peni – Archbishop of the Western Equatoria Internal Province / Chairperson * Moses Deng Bol – Archbishop of Northern Bahr al Ghazal Internal Province / member * Zacharia Manyok- Bishop of Wanglei /member * The Rev.  Awatif Kafe- Mothers’ Union, / ECSS Headquarters/member * The Rev. Francis Philip- Mission and Evangelism Office/ECSS Headquarters /member. * Dr. Isaya Rombek -Youth Leader, Central Equatoria Internal Province/ Diocese of Rejaf / member. * Ms. Martha Adut- Youth Leader, ECSS Provincial Headquarters /member.Archbishop Welby encouraged the group to seek opportunities to carry out peacebuilding activities all over South Sudan, starting with hot spots. This formalizing of peacemaking responsibilities recognizes that peacebuilding is a process made up of a multiplicity of interdependent roles, functions, and activities. The goal of peacebuilding, in the words of John Paul Lederach in his book Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies, is “to create and sustain transformation and the movement toward restructured relationships.” Visit Us in Jacksonville, Florida Please drop by the AFRECS display at the annual conference of the Episcopal Parish Network (formerly Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes) to be held March 8-11 at St. John’s Cathedral and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel. We will be inviting new churchwide supporters for the peacebuilding, theological education, and women’s empowerment work of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans. Speakers include Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa; Jon Meacham, acclaimed biographer and Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral; Scott Gunn, Director of Forward Movement; Sam Wells, Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London; and Mari Kuraishi, co-founder of the crowdfunding site GlobalGiving. Spending Lent with My Neighbor Robin Denney, Viticulturist and former missionary in South Sudan, asks, “Who Is My Neighbor?” Robin Denney worked with the Episcopal Church of Sudan from 2008-2011 to help community leaders and displaced farmers. This Lenten Season, Episcopal Relief & Development (ER-D)  invites you to join others in meditating on the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to consider the meaning in our daily lives of this fundamental teaching. The author of this year’s  meditations is the Rev. Robin Denney, a parish priest in Napa, California and former missionary focused on agricultural development in Liberia and South Sudan. While in South Sudan, Robin became the adopted daughter of Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak. Robin’s poignant and personal reflections challenge the reader to consider the question, “Who is my neighbor?”. For more information, click here. Salisbury Diocese in England Celebrates 50 years of Companionship with Sudans Sudan Day begins at 10 am at St. Francis’ Church, Salisbury on 18 March. Attendance for the event is free, but the Sudan-Link event organizers ask that you send them an email at sudan.secretary@salisbury.anglican.org to confirm your attendance.Salisbury works with Sudanese and South Sudanese church leaders to develop peace at the heart of every community during continued turbulent times. One year ago, Sudan Day 2022 coincided with the Lambeth Conference when Anglican Bishops from across the world gathered together in Canterbury, providing a unique opportunity for Salisbury to host 50 Sudanese and South Sudanese bishops and their wives, as well as Dane Smith and James Hubbard from AFRECS. Contact: Rev. Canon Ian Woodward at revianw@btinternet.com We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. 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 E-Blast was prepared by Board members Anita Sanborn and Richard Jones. Please send news from parishes and Diaspora congregations in North America, celebrations, losses, travels to and from the Sudans — or corrections and responses — to the editors at anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Peace and Reconciliation Conference – Diocese of Ibba January 5-9, 2023 (The full report with photos was shared by Buck Blanchard, Denver, Colorado and edited for length) The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Ibba started the New Year by coordinating a Peace and Reconciliation Conference entitled “Let’s Love One Another.” The conference drew participants from Ibba, Yambio, Juba, and Maridi.  Attendees included all party politicians representing Ibba in the National and State government, all Pastors in the Episcopal Diocese of Ibba including representatives from Roman Catholic Church, Chiefs at the Payam and Boma levels, women and youth representatives, the County Commissioner, Payam administrators and representatives of local organizations. In all, 177 people attended the gathering.  A full report with recommendations and follow-up steps was prepared and circulated to all stakeholders. The Ibba gathering focused on experiential learning, facilitated discussions and celebrations of traditional culture.  The goal of spreading information to the Payams and archdeaconries, emphasizing the importance of peaceful co-existence, particularly between politicians and youth, was successful.  The participants explored the importance of providing education and health care to all members of society as a means of enhancing peaceful relations. These ongoing efforts by the Church and civil society to engage people across different tribes and parties, continue to improve the peace and security of local communities. The program was covered and shared on air by South Sudan Broadcasting service, Miraya FM Yambio, and Eye Radio. Rajaf Bishop Enock Tombe spoke on Peaceful Coexistence. Ibba Bishop Wilson Kamani and the County Commissioner facilitated the discussions. Bishop  Wilson Kamani handing the resolutions and recommendations to the Deputy Governor of Western Equatoria. Peace Football Tournament and other games took place.  It was a wonderful exercise for the youth after which the Maruko Team took home the trophy. Women were an important part of the discussions. Traditional dancing and cultural celebrations are a part of the conference. A diverse group of politicians engaged in discussions. Notable Comings and Goings Thomas Staal, an AFRECS board member and former USAID Mission Director in Ethiopia from 2009 to 2012, will return to Ethiopia from May to August as acting USAID director (formally Front Office Advisor).  Ethiopia is the second largest country in Africa, with a population of over 110 million people.  The USAID Mission there is one of the largest in Africa, with programs in health, education, agriculture, economic growth, private sector development, support to local civil society, and democracy and governance.  It also has a very large humanitarian assistance program, especially focused on the Tigray region in the north of the country, which is just emerging from a very brutal two-year civil war. Karen Bass, former Congresswoman and Chairman prior to January 3rd of the Africa Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, is now the mayor of the City of Los Angeles, California. Ellen Davis, professor of Bible and practical theology at Duke University’s Divinity School and a member of the AFRECS Board, is teaching a class (“Hope for Creation”) on preaching biblically in response to climate emergency. She and Jerusha Neal, professor of homiletics, draw on texts across the whole canon, from Genesis to Revelation. Andudu Adam el-Nail, bishop of the Diocese of Kadugli and Nuba Mountains, travelled from his home in the U.S.A. to attend the November synod of the Episcopal Church of Sudan in Khartoum. R. Casey Shobe, formerly of the Diocese of Rhode Island, now rector of the Church of the Transfiguration, Dallas, Texas, has begun conversation with the Executive Director of AFRECS about a future visit to South Sudan. This Mission Thursday, hosted by the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans (AFRECS), will be held on Zoom at 1 p.m.  Free registration is accessible here at Eventbrite for this opportunity in mission networking. AFRECS executive director Dr. Dane Smith, a former US ambassador and envoy in Africa, will host the webinar, assisted by Dr. Richard Jones, retired mission professor at Virginia Seminary.  Mother Harriet Baka, longtime head of the Mothers’ Union in the Sudans will open the session, be followed by brief presentations by Episcopalians pursuing mission companionship with Sudanese Christians.  Q&A will close out the one-hour session. The Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) is a rapidly growing faith community in a country characterized by communal violence and a dysfunctional government.  ECSS is bringing Jesus’ message of good news to the poor at the local level through literacy, livelihood generation and trauma healing with help from AFRECS.  It is also building the newly accredited Episcopal University of South Sudan. The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) operates in a country where more than 90 percent of the population are Muslims.  It has enjoyed greater autonomy since the overthrow of Islamist President Omar Bashir in 2019, though the transition to democracy was halted by the military in 2021.  The ECS has been growing in the Nuba Mountains area to the south. A consultant and lecturer on international peacebuilding, with a recent focus on faith-inspired peacebuilding, Dane Smith was US ambassador to Guinea and Senegal, special presidential envoy to Liberia, and senior advisor to the US Government on Darfur.  He was deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Khartoum, Sudan.  He and his wife Judy were Peace Corps volunteers in Eritrea. A Blessing (from the service bulletin of The Church of the Holy Redeemer, Denver, CO) The world now is too dangerous And too beautiful for anything but love. May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone. Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor. Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love. And may your heart be so opened, that your love, your love, changes everything. “Future atrocities not inevitable, if the world acts now” says Holocaust Museum staff Following up on their July 2022 visit to South Sudan, two staff members of the Washington DC U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Prevention of Genocide now report continued use of rape in local conflicts and the fomenting of strife by national government leaders who seek to detach military assets from opposition leaders. They call for more judges, prosecutors, investigators, and lawyers to handle cases involving conflict-related violence. Map and details at: https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/South_Sudan_Policy_Brief_January_2023.pdf We are deeply 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 make a contribution to support AFRECS’ work with the people of the Sudans and will offer a prayer for them. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302. An index searchable by keyword and by date is available at www.afrecs.org/news under “E-Blast”. This issue was prepared by Board members Anita Sanborn and Richard Jones. We welcome your reactions, contributions, or submissions of news or photographs (preferably with captions) addressed to anita.sanborn@gmail.com.