Category: E-Blasts

AFRECS recently received via the Church Association of South Sudan and Sudan in the UK a report from Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan.  We hasten to share this slightly edited version with you.  Even in a country torn apart by war between two military groups, where the number of displaced is the largest in the world, courageous Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, the provincial staff, bishops, the Mothers Union, and parishioners are struggling to support the Christians and non-Christians they are able to reach.

Three factors affect the Sudanese people since the war started in April 2023: bullets, hunger, sickness.

Due to the generous financial help from our partners in the UK and other parts of the world, the Episcopal Church of Sudan with its people have survived and continue to operational even where the war is ongoing (Khartoum, Wad Medani, El Obeid, Darfur and Kadugli town).

Since July 2023 the Episcopal Church of Sudan has sent funds to its five Dioceses so that people are given relief food each month or each two months.

Below are the highlights of food distribution to the people January to June 2024.

Diocese of Khartoum

One of the 33 Parishes in the Diocese of Khartoum receiving small bag of food items

Thirty-three parishes of about four thousand people, including non-church goers, benefited from food distribution within the Diocese of Khartoum. The Diocese covers greater Khartoum

(Omdurman, Khartoum and Khartoum North), Northern Sudan (Dongula) and River Nile State (Atabra). Most of pastors are still with the people though few have left to safer parts of Sudan or neighbouring Countries.

 Stories from beneficiaries:

“Thank you, Archbishop and your team, for helping us to survive. Please pass on our appreciation to our friends abroad”, Pastor Abrahim Nugara in telephone call.

“We thank God for you for keeping us in your prayers and support”,  Randa, secretary to the Mothers Union.

Part of food distribution items in the Diocese of Khartoum

Diocese of Kadugli

There are 4 parishes functioning. Kadugli town has been under siege for many months now. Now nobody goes out or comes in, there is no food coming in. Many people have left the town to find something to eat. The area of the Nuba Mountains has been declared a “Hunger Zone” by the SPLA/N movement, which defends it, while the government claims otherwise. It has been reported people eat tree leaves in order to survive!

Diocese of El Obeid

The Diocese of El Obeid, which covers North Kordofan and greater Darfur, is one of the biggest in size. El Obeid town has been besieged just like Kadugli for several months, while Darfur has been bleeding since the war began mid-April 2023. There are 4 major Churches in the Diocese and church centres. Bishop Ismail and Muslim Imams have joined hands to support those who in need by distributing relief food. The people are so pleased to see co-existence between Christians and Muslims.

Diocese of Port Sudan

The Diocese covers three Government States of Eastern Sudan (Red Sea, Kassala and Gedaref).

There are 8 Parishes in this Diocese not counting the church centres. This Diocese, which now hosts the Provincial office, is considered to be the safest in Sudan. As a result it hosts many displaced people.

Diocese of Wad Medani

(pic) People & dishes

This Diocese covers 4 States (Gazira, Blue Nile, White Nile and Sinnar).  It consists of 13 main parishes beside many centres. December 2023 Gazira was taken over by the Rapid Support Forces, and most of the people fled from the area including the pastors and the bishop. Bishop Saman now has relocated to Damazin which is part of the Diocese.  He and his team are supporting the people with food distribution in Fao, Kosti and Damazin where majority of people took refuge.

Dioceses of Kadugli and Heiban (Nuba Mountains)

The two (2) Dioceses of Kadugli and Heiban in the Nuba Mountains have not been part of this food

distributions support due to their special locations. Recently, the SPLA/N authorities have declared the area “hunger Zone”. This is because of last year’s poor harvest due to inadequate rain fall. The Province is planning to include these two Dioceses with relief food support should extra funds are found.

Once again, I hope that our friends and partners will continue with the same spirit in supporting our efforts to alleviating the suffering of our people in the Sudan.

To God be the glory.

Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan

September 2024

Director’s Update

The Biden Administration has been struggling to move the devastating conflict in Sudan toward a cease-fire between the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF and toward a civilian-led political transition.  Efforts are being made to dissuade the UAE from its armed support for the RSF, channeled through a secret base in Chad.  Both Vice President Harris and NSC Advisor Sullivan have made that point at the most senior levels.  Former Congressman Tom Pierrello, who served earlier under President Obama as Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes, has been designated Special Envoy for Sudan, but the scope of his responsibilities is still being worked out.  While there is deep concern at State and the White House about the direction in Sudan, Secretary of State Blinken already has his hands full with Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, Taiwan, and North Korea. As I write, he is making his fourth visit to the continent, but not to its northeast quadrant.

Meanwhile in 2024 AFRECS will be seeking to reinforce financial support for Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, as he seeks to consolidate church leadership from Port Sudan, rather than a ravaged Khartoum, and to generate support for its few far-flung parishes in different parts of the country.

Dane Smith, Executive Director

Two Messages from the Sudans

• Christmas messages of Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo in Port Sudan and Anglican Communion Secretary-General Anthony Poggo in London: Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan appeals for peace in Christmas message

• January 14 from Bishop Michael Deng Bol of Abyei: “Many refugees and returnees from Sudan are coming into Abyei town on daily basis. Children and elderly people are lacking for food and shelters. Please kindly pray for them. Organizations are doing nothing to help them.” Contact through the Rev. Anderia Lual Arok in Phoenix, Arizona anderialual@yahoo.com.

AFRECS on Your Itinerary?

Please stop by our exhibit and say “Hello” if you will be attending:

• Diocese of Southwestern Virginia annual convention, Roanoke VA Jan. 26-28
• Episcopal Parish Network annual conference, Houston TX, March 7-9
• General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Louisville KY, June 23-28

Who’s Who on the AFRECS Board

A lay preacher in the United Methodist Church, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia, and 2011-12 in served as as Senior Advisor on Darfur for the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan:  Executive Director Dane Smith

A retired lawyer in the homebuilding industry and attends Church of the Ascension in Denver, Colorado: Phil Darrow

Our President Anita Sanborn’s early career focused on community organizing, maternal and child health, and long-term care. As a lay leader in the Episcopal Church in Colorado, she became engaged with the Sudanese refugees arriving in the early 2000s.  Many trips to the Sudans followed and she has been a Board member of AFRECS for several terms, beginning in 2004.  She now resides in Indiana.

Our Treasurer Larry Duffee spent three years as a missionary of The Episcopal Church to the Episcopal Church of Sudan — initially intending to devote only four months helping the Provincial Secretary’s office in Juba develop improved methods of financial management.

A retired Senior Counsel at the international law firm Baker Botts LLP in Washington, DC , and non-resident Fellow at the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, Rice University, focusing on international and energy matters.  In 1992-94 he opened a law office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and served as outside counsel for the National U.S. Arab Chamber of Commerce for a decade: Steven Miles

Susan E. Bentley retired after serving 23 years as rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia including 14 years as pastor to a “nesting” congregation of South Sudanese who share space with the English-speaking congregation. 

Ellen Davis teaches Bible and practical theology at Duke Divinity School and consults as a theologian in the Anglican Communion, especially East Africa.

Frederick Gilbert has consulted on Africa, especially economic development planning, program management, and evaluation, since he retired from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1994.

Frederick L. Houghton, a retired priest of Eastern Michigan, taught at St. Mary’s Theological School, Odibo, Namibia, and in 2000 spent six weeks at Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya teaching in the Malek Bible School and briefly visiting with Bishop Nathaniel Garang in the Diocese of Bor.

James A. Hubbard is a priest living in Amherst, Virginia who has served Episcopal parishes in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and New York. He has completed an East-West and a North-South bicycle trek across the U.S. and served as a host during summer sessions at Chatauqua, New York.

The author of How to Talk with your Muslim Neighbor (Forward Movement Publications, 2004), living in Alexandria, Virginia: Rev. Richard J. Jones

Thomas Staal retired in 2019 as Counselor/Senior Advisor after a career with USAID, starting as an Emergency Program Officer in Khartoum in the aftermath of the famine of the mid 80s, then as a Food for Peace officer covering Ethiopia, southern Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia.

The newest member of the AFRECS Board, The Rev. Shirley Smith-Graham, has served in ordained ministry for almost 20 years. After attending the Virginia Theological Seminary, Shirley worked with both The Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC, as a pastoral presence to homeless persons, and with Historic Christ Church in Alexandria. She has served parishes in both the Diocese of Virginia and Southwest Virginia and joined the Diocese of Virginia staff in 2022 as Interim Minister for Transition. 

Western Equatoria Builds Peace between Zande and Balanda, by Jack Mathias and Leslie Siegmund

Two local groups, Zande and Balanda, had recently experienced devastating mutual violence in Tambura, including the killing of over 200 people, hundreds of injuries, and large loss of property. In response, hundreds gathered during the last week of September 2023 to witness a soccer tournament among six teams and participate in a peace conference facilitated by Bishops Moses Zungo (Maridi), Richard Aquila (Nzara), and the host, Isaac Ephraim Bangisa (Ezo), with co-operation from Ezo County authorities. 

Organizers report greater trust and forgiveness among the people, as well as awareness of the dangers of violence, alcohol, drug abuse, witchcraft.

The gathering saw 12 marriages, 30 confirmations, and the ordination of several deacons and priests; training for Bible study and Mothers’ Union; and reaching out to those lost and traumatized. The conference was supported by the Internal Province of Western Equatoria as well as St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, Virginia.

The new Bishop Ruati Guesthouse in Ezo was put to good use by participants in the conference. 

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 and Anita Sanborn.  We welcome your news, comments, or concerns at anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Director’s Update

A bit of good news from South Sudan.  President Salva Kiir has appointed a National Elections Commission, a Political Parties Council, and a National Constitutional Review Commission — all steps toward the 2024 election required by the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on Resolving the Conflict in South Sudan. Meanwhile 1000 “reunified” South Sudanese armed forces have been deployed to Upper Nile to assist with refugees flooding in from Sudan.  These are modest steps – necessary, but far from sufficient to give credibility to the election process.

The political news from Sudan goes from bad to worse.  A trusted expert told me this week that the RSF, a “family-owned transnational entity,” tied to Russia’s Wagner Group, is winning the war, but could not even make a pretense of governing. Further evidence of wanton destruction comes with the November 1 bombing and burning of the Church of the Savior in Omdurman, site of the Shukai Theological Institute and Episcopal church offices.

I have taken heart, however, from the delivery of some relief aid to all the churches in the four divisions of the Diocese of Khartoum – Khartoum, Omdurman West, Omdurman East, and Bahri (North Khartoum).  Much of this assistance has come through the Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan in the UK.  AFRECS is seeking to raise $25,000 from Giving Tuesday, tied to a matching grant of $10,000 to add to that assistance and help the Episcopal Church of South Sudan meet the needs of destitute refugees.

I hope you will contribute!

Dane Smith, Executive Director

The Peacemaking Life of Bishop Paride Taban, by Richard Jones

(Radio Tamazuj photo)

Roman Catholic Bishop of Torit, Paride Taban, died November 1st  leaving a Peace Village as his legacy.  We thank God for his life among us.

After retiring as Roman Catholic Bishop of Torit in 2004, Paride Taban continued to develop his home village of Kuron, in the southeasternmost corner of South Sudan, bordering Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, as Holy Trinity Peace Village.

Born in 1936 in Katire, a sawmill town in the Imatong Mountains of Eastern Equatoria, Taban completed his Roman Catholic education at the Major Seminary in Tore in 1964, the year foreign missionaries were expelled from the southern region of Sudan. While civil war continued, he became a parish priest in Torit. After the 1972 Addis Ababa Peace Agreement, he served parishes in Palotaka and Loa, becoming Auxiliary Bishop of Juba in 1980, consecrated by Pope John Paul II in Kinshasa, Zaire, and in 1983 became the first Bishop of Torit. After serving through two decades of war, Taban escaped to Uganda in 1984, then to Kenya and Central African Republic, returning to South Sudan in 2004 when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the SPLM/SPLA and the Government of the Sudan was being reached in Naivasha, Kenya. That year he retired from the diocese of Torit.  In 2016, when conflict threatened within the government threatened the peace of the independent Republic of South Sudan, Taban was appointed Co-chair of a Steering Committee of National Dialogue.

Remembrances

“I met Paride Taban through the New Sudan Council of Churches [co-founded by Taban with Anglican bishop Nathaniel Garang of Bor in the liberated areas, predecessor of today’s South Sudan Council of Churches]. He was always an unassuming and humble presence, someone who did not seek notoriety but received it because of his immense practical wisdom and inspiring faith. He had, and I don’t say this lightly, a saintly presence.”

• Ross Kane, Assoc. Prof. of Theology, Ethics, and Culture, Virginia Theological Seminary; former volunteer with Young Adult Service Corps

“Bishop Taban and our father, the late Ambassador Angelo Voga, were good friends and the Bishop knew my wife Suzy’s family well. One Sunday morning as we were walking to services at All Saints Cathedral in Juba, a passing car started hooting and pulled over. It was Bishop Taban, also on his way to Mass. He recognized Suzy and wanted to greet her. When he learned I am Suzy’s husband, he jokingly informed me that I owe him, as Suzy’s kinsman, an uncle’s goat. (I regret that was never able to pay that debt.) Although he was a South Sudanese, Bishop Taban was a world citizen who took to heart his calling to serve all God’s people.”

• Larry Duffee, Treasurer of AFRECS, and Suzy Voga Duffee, Secretary of Ma’di Community Association in the U.S.

Anita Sanborn, AFRECS Board Member, interviewed Bishop Paride Taban at the Methodist Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya in 2009 or 2010.

“It was in 1989 that I first heard of Paride Taban. After refusing to allow the Sudan People’s Liberation Army to use the church’s vehicle, he was physically slapped by a general. Later I read his small book written in Jerusalem, where he had gone for healing and meditation and discovered a cooperative peace village called Neve Shalom where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish people lived together in harmony. Taban argued that the liberation movement is for the people and not the people for the movement.  I had the pleasure of hosting one meeting of the bishop with Southern Sudanese community members in Washington, D.C.”

• Kwathi Akol Ajawin, Sudanese African Fellowship, Annandale, Virginia

“What a giant! He spoke truth to power and broadcast the plight of Sudanese during the Second Sudanese Civil War far beyond Sudan’s borders. While figures like Fr. Saturnino Lohure and Barnaba Deng occupy rather iconic places in South Sudanese liberation lore, I believe one cannot talk about the Sudanese Church and its prophetic/public role in conflict mediation without serious consideration of Paride Taban.”

• Christopher Tounsel, University of Washington, Seattle

Public Recognition

2013 – United Nations Sergio Vieira de Mello award, for his involvement leading to an agreement between the government of South Sudan and the David Yau Yau armed Cobra faction signed in May 2014

2018 – United States government Freedom of Worship Award

November 9, 2023 – Opus Foundation million-dollar prize, by Villanova University, Philadelphia, USA, for the work of Holy Trinity Peace Village Kuron

More at:

Award of the Sergio Viera de Mello Peace Prize

Retired Bishop Paride Taban dies

Paride Taban: South Sudan’s ‘warrior for peace’ dies  (2-minute audio interview)

Even the Birds are Gone: Images from a War-Wracked Land

It is now over thirty weeks since war broke out in Khartoum between forces of the government of Sudan and the rival Rapid Support Forces of General Dagalo (Hemedti). Death continues to spread.

Bishop Ismail Gabriel Abudigin writes from of El Obeid in the west:

“In Nyala, South Darfur, there is just one deacon, with his family and a few Christians. Most people fled over the border to Chad. In Geneina, West Darfur, our school has been looted and destroyed.  El Fashir in North Darfur is under government control, and our pastor is still there.

Here in El Obeid we continue to hold a church service on Sundays, but when the fighting within the city is serious we pray under our beds. Government soldiers are in control up to now. Food is available in the city but some of it is very expensive. We have joined with mosques and other local churches, collecting clothes and delivering and distributing items together. There are approximately forty schools here, full of displaced people. Every day you hear about or see someone killed in front of you. “

As government military bases come under attack by the Rapid Support Forces, North Darfur markets like this one in the town of El Fashir are disrupted.

On November 1, an aerial bomb plus fire destroyed the eighty-old Anglican Church of Our Savior in Omdurman, while paramilitary looted diocesan offices, a residence, and three church schools in the compound. Fighting has destroyed most public properties in Khartoum, including a bridge connecting Omdurman to Khartoum North across the Nile. A woman caught in this urban battlefield writes, “The city is devoid of cats and dogs. Even the birds are gone because the air is polluted by the smoke of a city in flames.”

 

Before & After:  Church of Our Savior in Omdurman, (across the Nile from Khartoum) destroyed

Residents in the diocesan compound watched helplessly after a bomb sent flames and smoke from burning wooden benches and roof beams of Church of the Savior roaring into the sky.

Photos courtesy of John Poole.

Details at:  https://www.casss.org.uk

Praying for the Sudans in Palestinian Words

Lord, I am a refugee fleeing to you! I seek refuge in you.

Under the showers of missiles, you are my fortress that will not collapse.

When wicked people look at me, I can almost feel their hands strangling me;

but evil hands cannot reach you. You are my hope in whom I trust.

I take refuge in you daily; you have never failed in shepherding me.

Don’t reject me or forsake me, for I need you! My heart longs for you.

Grey has invaded my hair: every hair tells a story of your touch, which is

full of righteousness as well as kindness.

You have shown us many painful hardships, yet you return and restore our lives.

Despair cannot rule over us as long as our hearts are in your hands:

you restore and comfort us.

I praise you for I am in your hands today.

A Meditation on Psalm 71 by Yohanna Katanacho in ‘Praying through the Psalms’

Source: Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan, UK

Photo from Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan, UK

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

Today is the day!

As you open your email account this morning, you will no doubt see a flood of requests for help. We are finding the world in turmoil.  And, those of us with at least some means are asked to join ranks to do what we can.  During the next 24 hours, people around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and to make an impact.

Because of what you do today, in South Sudan you are going to help a refugee fleeing fighting in Sudan get shelter and safety. You will help a young woman in Renk to recover from multiple rapes through trauma healing instruction. You will help a war orphan in a displaced persons camp school near Juba get lunch.  In Sudan where little official aid is getting in, you will fund church-supplied food for Christians in Khartoum and Wad Medani and will help a little girl in the Nuba Mountains go to school in safety.

Over the next few hours, people around the world will come together to celebrate giving back. We have set up a recent bequest as a Match opportunity!  A $10,000 fund against a goal of $25,000. On Giving Tuesday every dollar donated doubles!  $25 becomes $50.  $50 becomes $100.  $75 becomes $150, and so on! And we still need your help!

Giving Tuesday comes but once a year, so partner with us today and help us cross the finish line strong! Let’s keep this rolling, and create some happiness and hope today.

Prayer IS Action

God of compassion, you show us your path even in the darkest times. We thank you for all who work to help the helpless, hold out hope to the desolate, and speak for the voiceless in the face of disaster wrought by evildoers.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer for our brothers and sisters who risk much to aid others, that their actions may be successful and their words of comfort heard.

More prayers for peace in the Holy Land: https://afedj.org/resources/worship-and-prayer-resources/

We Are People of Prayer 

Who Says “All Things Work Together for Good”?

https://time.com/6322429/bibles-most-misunderstood-verse/

“…At the very moment when we are caught up in the unspeakable groaning of all creation, the Spirit is working in our hearts to bring us in tune with God’s loving and healing purposes. God made humans to share in his work. We are to be people of prayer at the places where the world is in pain. And in the present time this kind of lament is what prayer looks like. When we take up that calling, we are caught up in the love of God; and God is working all things together for good with those who love him.”

— N. T. Wright, former bishop of Durham, England, now at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. (His new book, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, will be published in April 2024 by Zondervan.)

Director’s Update

As we go to press, cease-fire talks on Sudan between representatives of the RSF and Sudan Armed Forces are being reconvened by Saudi Arabia and the US in Jeddah. The regional IGAD leader is present, along with an official of OCHA, the UN humanitarian office.

Concurrently former Interim Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok announced the opening of a preparatory three-day session in Addis Ababa aimed at creating a Democratic Civilian Front. The nearly 100 delegates include representatives of the Forces of Freedom & Change, the neighborhood resistance committees, trade unions, women’s organizations, political parties, and religious and traditional leaders.  The session will seek to create preparatory committees for a larger meeting in November.  US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey is also present.

The Washington Post has reported that, with normal aid channels blocked in Sudan, diaspora organizations in Baltimore, Washington DC, northern Virginia, and Texas, as well as in Canada, Australia, and the UK are providing much of the very limited assistance now reaching the six million internally displaced, currently the largest such population in the world. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/29/sudan-war-diaspora-aid/

In South Sudan, continued flows of refugees from Sudan, 90% of whom are South Sudanese returnees, have overwhelmed Wanyjok and Nyamlel Dioceses in Northern Bahr al-Ghazal and Renk Diocese in Upper Nile. In Renk late rainy season flooding has destroyed buildings and roads.  Archbishops Moses Deng Bol and Joseph Garang have appealed for funding for medications and non-food items like blankets, plastic sheets, jerry cans and cooking materials.  YOU CAN HELP THROUGH AFRECS!

Dane Smith, Executive Director

Godsend AND Gadfly:  A Word of Appreciation from Episcopal Relief & Development

“AFRECS is a Godsend for organizations like Episcopal Relief & Development ….. Episcopal Relief & Development continues to work with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s Development and Rehabilitation Agency (SSUDRA). We have especially been supporting refugees who have arrived in Renk after fleeing violence in Sudan. Some of the most vulnerable had to be airlifted to a more secure area, and SSUDRA led that effort.

…..We rely on organizations like AFRECS to provide focus for those compassionate individuals, organizations, and congregations who want to focus specifically on our partnerships in the Sudans. So, please do tell your stakeholders that Episcopal Relief & Development is committed to our partnership with SSUDRA, and that we will continue to support their efforts to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.”

Sean McConnell, Senior Director, Faith & Community Engagement

AFRECS on the Road

AFRECS will be present at the Virginia Diocesan Convention in Fredericksburg November 2-4 and the Maryland Diocesan Convention November 10-11 at the Claggett Center near Frederick. Please stop by and say hello.

Comings and Goings

Diaspora Pastors and the Church in the Sudans

James Ayuen,  graduate of the three-year diocesan Iona School for Deacons and pastor of the Dinka-speaking St. John’s Sudanese Congregation, Tekwila, in Seattle, Washington,  is praying this month for the peace of Jerusalem and Gaza.

In June 2022 James Ayuen visited Israel and Gaza with the now-retired bishop of Olympia, Gregory Rickels.

Another Iona graduate, Mary Achol Bol Arok, possibly the first South Sudanese woman ordained a priest in the U.S. in the Episcopal Church in 2022, serves in the diocese of Olympia on the staff of provisional Bishop Melissa Skelton.  Rev. Mary Achol Bol Arok is Missioner for Pan-African Ministries in Seattle.

Speaking Swahili as well as English, she keeps in touch with a Kenyan congregation, a Kenyan-Tanzanian-Congolese congregation, and an Equatorian congregation — while assisting at St. John’s Sudanese congregation and working as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Her husband Simon Mabior Dau-Angok, father of their five children, shares news of the Sudanese diaspora at info@bscnmedia.org. 

When Joseph Pager Alaak was ordained by Bishop J. Scott Barker at All Saints Episcopal Church, Omaha, Nebraska on October 5th, the bishop said, “You may be shorter than some of the tall Dinkas we have known, but you have showed humility and perseverance as you moved from Kongor to Kakuma to Omaha. Despite your nickname, you are no “Little Dinka Man” … You will be a giant as you serve as a deacon.” View the video here.

Bishop Andrew Doyle of Texas is in conversation with Bishop Lule James Kenyi of Kajo-Keji Diocese in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan to support Michael Kiju Paul, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Wharton, Texas to return to serve fulltime at Kajo-Keji Christian College, an affiliate of the Episcopal University of South Sudan.  Originally founded as Canon Benaiah Poggo College, the college offers 4-year degrees in theology, 3-year diplomas in business and primary education, and 1-year layreaders’ certificates in the Bari language.

Thanks to a 20-year companion relationship with the Diocese of Bethlehem in the U.S. and friends in the Netherlands, the college’s buildings in the village of Romogi are well equipped, including a library and solar-powered internet access.

Patricia Kisare,  International Policy Advisor for  the Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s offices in Washington, DC, attended the inauguration of a new worship space and clinic in the Referendum neighborhood of Juba in 2017, where President Salva Kiir was the guest of honor.

Two links show the ceremony and the services now being provided to the community:

Hope Rising in Juba, South Sudan | ELCA – YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ee_IxEM74g>

A new church for a new country – Living Lutheran <https://www.livinglutheran.org/2016/02/new-church-for-new-country/>

A Day in the Life of a Retired Bishop in South Sudan

Retired Bishop Enock Tombe, retired Provincial Secretary, Bishop of Rejaf, and author of an autobiography In Hope & Despair, writes from his home Juba:

“Today 29/9/2023 I have been invited to attend two marriage functions, one community meeting, and a workshop for Central Equatoria Human Rights Commission in regard to preparation for upcoming Elections in December 2024.This list gives you the high demand for my time and hence my inability to fulfill the expectations of those who have invited me. However, as a retired Bishop, I make the choice based on my priorities! In this case, I will attend the Human Rights Workshop given its importance as it relates to election violence and how to hold the violators to account.”

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

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/

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

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.