Category: E-Blasts

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.

Encouraging Words from National Leaders of the Episcopal Church The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Michael B. Curry, on October 1 conveyed by video to a group of South Sudanese pastors gathered in Kansas City his regret that the Episcopal Church had not been more welcoming in the years following their 2000 resettlement in various regions of the US, from Maine to San Diego.  (Courtesy of Canon Ranjit K. Mathews, Diocese of Connecticut; and Episcopal Church Communication Office.) Julia Ayala Harris, a laywoman elected President of the House of Deputies in July 2022, sent the diaspora pastors her own message. She recalled how time she spent years ago in Juba, Rumbek, and Yambio now encouraged her to remind the Eleventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches, when discussing peace in Europe, to remember also the wars in Africa.

Executive Director’s Update As we come to the end of 2022, I am inspired by the progress registered in AFRECS’ partnership with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and the Episcopal Church of Sudan.  AFRECS Board member James Hubbard and I were able to observe this progress first hand during our visit to the Sudans August 10-25. In the Diocese of Terekeka in Central Equatoria we had conversations with Mothers’ Union leaders conducting trauma healing sessions with groups of women.  The women are learning literacy in the Bari language, dealing with each others’ wounds from gender-based violence, and establishing livelihoods from the savings they mobilize. In an Internally Displaced Camp near Juba we spoke to and listened to enthusiastic students at the orphan school created by Bishop John Gattek.  Fortified by substantial funding from St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Annapolis, Maryland, the school has grown from 50 children in 2017 to about 500 today. We visited the site of the future campus of the Episcopal University of South Sudan, accredited this year by the South Sudanese Government.  AFRECS has this year provided support for the physical infrastructure of the new campus as well as scholarship aid to needy students.  The University will add greatly to very limited opportunities for higher education. Because churches are growing there, the Episcopal Church of Sudan created a new diocese in the Kadugli/Nuba Mountains area, where AFRECS has been assisting girls to continue studying at the Hope Primary School. These churches are bringing Jesus’s message of good news to the poor.  We urge you to continue to support AFRECS morally and financially so that we can strengthen our partnership. I wish you God’s blessings in this holy season of Christmas. Dane Smith Executive Director Who’s Where? Diocese of Bentiu:  AFRECS helped fund a successful peace and reconciliation conference and training session in the Upper Nile Diocese of Bentiu attended by both Joseph Garang Atem, Bishop of Malakal and Archbishop of the Internal Province of Upper Nile, and Bishop John Jal of Bentiu.  The conference, over a two-day period in late October, was an excellent opportunity for relationship-building among church and lay leaders, including those resident and those based outside Bentiu. Boston University: Dr. Michèle Sigg, director of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography,  has announced that a short biography of the late Dr. Oliver Meru Duku, a native of Kajo-Keji, health director for southern Sudan, and Principal of Bishop Allison Theological College, can now be viewed online at https://dacb.org/stories/south-sudan/duku-oliverm/ Atlanta, Georgia: Abraham Deng Ater has published his autobiography, My Lost Childhood. Wilmore, Kentucky: Jacob Thon Guot has published his autobiography, The Lost Is Found. Homeland Devastated, Diaspora Prays to Heaven by Richard J. Jones Pastor Kwathi Akol Ajawin raised his family in a peaceful suburb of Washington, D.C.  Now he grieves for the three thousand children, women, and elderly displaced civilians massacred in November in the homeland of the Shilluk, an ethnic group estimated to number around one million people. Now he prays fervently for an end to the interethnic violence in Upper Nile State. Violence in July between rival splinter groups from the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army – In Opposition (SPLM/A -IO) was exacerbated in November when Lou Nuer militia known as the White Army, using machineguns,  attacked a camp for flood victims in Dethouk Payam, according to the UN Relief and Rehabilitation coordinator Paul Awin. Displaced people arrive in the town of Malakal, Upper Nile State, after being attacked in Adidiang village on 7 September 2022 (Radio Tamazuj)  Kwathi requests friends of the Sudans to pray with him for God’s mercy on the people of Upper Nile. He holds up the vision of the prophet Ezekiel ( 34:25): “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely.” A Prayer Offered by David Colin Jones, retired suffragan bishop of Virginia Lord, Christ, embolden the leaders of your churches in Sudan and South Sudan to bring hope and promise to the suffering, the discouraged, the poor, and the homeless.  Give them grace to love and to care for your people.  Protect them and guide them to do your will.  All this we ask in the Name of Jesus,  our Lord. 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 was compiled by Richard Jones, Anita Sanborn and Phil Darrow. AFRECS is eager to receive your comments, news, or corrections at anitasanborn@gmail.com.  Earlier issues of this E-Blast are available and searchable at www.afrecs.org/news/eblast.

Executive Director’s Update Perusing reports from the Sudans in recent weeks, I find a couple of positive notes from South Sudan.  First, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeeping force reports that in the third quarter of 2022 civilian casualties have fallen significantly – a 60 percent decrease in violent incidents involving civilians, and a 23 percent drop in civilian deaths and injuries. Second, the South Sudanese People’s Defense Forces (formerly SPLA) have set up courts to try troops accused of crimes of sexual and gender-based violence. Third, in early November President Kiir’s national security advisor, Tut Galuak Manime, reached agreement with the Sudan Sovereignty Council Vice Chair, General Mohamed Dagalo (Hemedti) on a peace arrangement for Abyei. This border area has “special administrative status” under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the war between North and South.  That would mark a first agreement on a key unresolved element of the 2005 CPA, but comes at a time when the authority of the Sovereignty Council in Khartoum is much in question.Alongside those positive signs, close observers of the Sudans have to put a new report from the Small Arms Survey, published in Switzerland. The Survey asserts that after the Kiir Administration succeeded in peeling away Vice President Riek Machar’s SPLM/IO commanders from him, they sat by while those commanders began fighting among themselves.  The resultant clashes have displaced more than 10,000 people, leaving the Upper Nile region in “chaos.” From the Episcopal Church, we are awaiting news of the outcome of the November meeting of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and of the November synod of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. The latter will be looking at possible selection of a new Primate or extension of the mandate of Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo. Many South Sudanese, including this child, were forcibly relocated from Sudan after the 2011 separation of the country, finding themselves homeless in the border area of Abyei. Credit: Larry Duffee A Prayer for the Church by David Colin Jones, retired suffragan bishop of Virginia O Lord, our God, we hold before you your churches in Sudan and South Sudan. Through your grace, empower your churches to be beacons of hope, advocates of peace, and agents of reconciliation. Give to your people a sure confidence in your abiding love and the promise of salvation. We ask this in the Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Comings and Goings The Reverend Jerry Drino of San Jose, California, a long-time supporter of soccer for peace and scholarships for South Sudanese refugees studying in Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya, has written to commend to bishops in The Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. the Reverend Rev. Jacob Nhial Guut. Guut’s  first language is Dinka, and he speaks other Sudanese languages, serving in Kakuma refugee camp as dean of the Episcopal congregations overseeing more than 50,000 Christians. Drino’s telephone is 408-806-4506. Mrs. Abuk Ajak returned home to Burke, Virginia after accompanying her mother Maria Awak Joseph in Australia during her final illness in September and October.  The burial took place in Melbourne Oct. 7. Reflecting, Abuk believes God was at work in the timing of the visit and of the death. Dane Smith and Will Putz met Robert Ihloff, Assistant Bishop, among other attendees at the annual convention of the Diocese of Maryland November 11-12 in Ellicott City. Smith, while in Ohio, met the Rev. Andy McQuery, rector of Christ Church, Oberlin. Ecumenical Peacebuilding Visit to South Sudan Anticipated for Early 2023 by Richard J. Jones Speaking at Virginia Seminary November 10th, Archbishop Ian Ernest mentioned that an ecumenical peacebuilding visit by Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, postponed last August, is now anticipated to take place early in 2023. Currently directing the Anglican Centre in Rome, Ernest spoke about the usefulness of this listening post on Piazza del Collegio Romano near the Vatican, with its spaces for face-to-face ecumenical encounters and lodging for visitors (ww.anglicancentreinrome.org). The Most. Rev. Ian Ernest, Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome (Middle), pictured with his wife Kamla (right of him) and the Virginia Theological Seminary’s Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS) staff. Ernest is acquainted with Sant’Egidio, the international Roman Catholic lay organization of peace activists who helped arranged the 2019 encounter at the Vatican of President Kiir with First Vice President Riek Machar, when the pope kissed the rival leaders’ shoes and exhorted them to make peace. Ernest, a former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Indian Ocean and a citizen of the island republic of Mauritius, looks forward to working with the new Secretary General of the Anglican Communion in London, Anthony Poggo Dangasuk, former bishop of Kajo-Keji. He has written to Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of South Sudan, chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Bishops, saying that he hopes the Centre will address the pressing issues of poverty, global warming, and hunger. A Manual for the Health of South Sudan An American and a Sudanese have collaborated to produce a community health manual for South Sudan. This new work seeks to embrace an African worldview. The authors see health as “a state of complete well-being based on a way of living, conduct, and behavior in relation to others. It gives due respect to the person’s dignity and links the person with God, ancestors, community, and environment.”  Barry Hart, a professor emeritus at Eastern Mennonite University, with his colleague, Bena Mark, a lecturer in psychology at Juba University, recently completed a one-year project with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in South Sudan. They trained forty-five Psychosocial Support Facilitators in trauma awareness, resilience, psychosocial support, psychological first-aid, peacebuilding, restorative justice and trustbuilding—as well as a range of related subjects specific to South Sudan, but which can be applied to other settings. Their training manual is freely available for downloading at this link: https://www.undp.org/south-sudan/publications/community-training-manual-trauma-awareness-and-psychosocial-support-trauma-affected-communities-south-sudan Barry and Mark describe a five-day training for Community Volunteer Counselors. They emphasize psychosocial support, not clinical healing, which is the domain of professional psychiatrists and psychologists. Glow Mission Academy Primary School AFRECS monitors humanitarian affairs in South Sudan and maintains communication with church leaders in South Sudan to identify areas of greatest need.  One of the areas of greatest need — also of hope — is the Glow Mission Academy Primary School (Glow Maps), located in the former Protection of Civilians Camp #3. Since its founding with AFRECS’s support in 2016, the School has been teaching and feeding children, most of whom are missing one or both of their parents as a result of the political conflict.  The School has been successful in leading children towards a future path away from violence, while also achieving some of the highest standardized test scores among schools in the area.  The School has grown from 50 to 500 students in short order, which creates some funding shortfalls and growing pains.  Your tax-deductible donation to AFRECS will be used to help continue and expand this successful program. South Sudan Listed as One of the World’s Worst Food Insecurity Emergencies  On October 1, 2021, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., in Juba, David Renz, re-declared a disaster in South Sudan for FY 2022 due to: ongoing conflict and population displacement; severe floods; restricted humanitarian access; and the disruption of cultivation activities, markets, and trade, all of which have significantly exacerbated food insecurity and humanitarian needs. Here are the links to the latest USAID Update/Fact Sheet on the humanitarian situation and response in South Sudan, forwarded by AFRECS Board member, Tom Staal. These two documents have easy to read graphics and maps. South Sudan Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #7 South Sudan US Government Response to Complex Emergency Map USG South Sudan Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #7 Please go to U.S. Government (USG) South Sudan Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #7 for Fiscal Year 2022 and accompanying program map, both dated September 30, 2022. Highlights Continued insecurity across Upper Nile State—including attacks on civilians—is displacing thousands of individuals, according to relief actors. Flooding across South Sudan since May had adversely affected approximately 386,000 people as of September 19, the UN reports. South Sudan will continue to face one of the largest food insecurity emergencies worldwide through January 2023, with many households likely to experience Emergency—IPC 4—or worse outcomes, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). 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 our work with the people of the Sudans and offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302. This issue was compiled by AFRECS Board members Richard Jones, Anita Sanborn, and Tom Staal. AFRECS craves your comments, corrections, and contributions of news, photos, or reflection. Please send to anitasanborn@gmail.com.

The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Michael B. Curry, on October 1 conveyed to a group of South Sudanese pastors his regret that the Episcopal Church had not been more welcoming in the years following their 2000 resettlement in various regions of the US, from Maine to San Diego. An account by Alan Scarfe of the Diaspora pastors’ response in Kansas City appears below.

A Prayer

Captain of Israel’s host, and guide Of all who seek the land above, Beneath thy shadow we abide, The cloud of thy protecting love; Our strength, thy grace; our rule, thy word; Our end, the glory of the Lord. By thine unerring Spirit led, We shall not in the desert stray; We shall not full direction need, Nor miss our providential way; As far from danger as from fear, While love, almighty love, is near. – Charles Wesley

Executive Director’s Update

University officials report that the Episcopal University has finally been given accreditation by the Government of South Sudan as a private university offering a law degree and a theology diploma.  It is the first institution of higher learning to be approved.  That accreditation should assist University leaders in raising money to build the new campus at Rokon, which I and Fr. James Hubbard visited in August.  We anticipate a visit to the US by University officials in the early part of 2023 seeking support from US partners. I recently had an informative conversation with the Rt. Rev. Andudu Elnail, Bishop of Kadugli in Sudan, who was expecting to leave shortly from his base in Harrisonburg VA to visit his churches in the Nuba Mountains. He makes several trips each year.  He mentioned the Synod of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, scheduled for November, when the diocese is expected to be divided into two.  A key issue before the Synod is the selection of the Primate, since Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo has reached mandatory retirement age.  One possible consideration is to change the age limit, permitting the the Archbishop to remain on, but he expressed to me in August his personal desire to retire. Alex DeWaal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, has co-authored a new book on the political transition in Sudan, along with Willow Berridge and Justin Lynch: Sudan’s Unfinished Democracy: the Promise & Betrayal of of a People’s Revolution. The book notes that authoritarian regimes in Sudan have always been halted eventually by a popular uprising. Particularly interesting in the current struggle between civilian forces and the government is the role of Resistance Committees in many different towns and urban neighborhoods.  The Committees have a decentralized leadership which makes suppression more difficult.  The authors warn Western powers against pressuring these civilian groups into a negotiated agreement with the military which leaves the latter in a position of excessive power, thereby repeating a historical pattern that leads to continuous military intervention in Sudan.

Diversity and unity are not enemies when we tune to the sound of Christ’s voice

When musical instruments aren’t tuned to the same sound frequency, it’s hard to listen for long. Play an A on a violin, and the whole orchestra can tune to it.  They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to a standard with which each must individually comply. A hundred, or a thousand, or a billion Christians, each one looking to Christ and obedient to his command of love – are in heart one with each other . . . are in unity! Unity based on human agreements will never succeed; we have too many opinions.  Compromise will never yield unity.  Unity will exist, will simply be, when diverse people from varied places, cultures, and experiences tune their lives to Christ’s frequency – to Jesus’ pitch – and conform to the standard of love Jesus has set. — Martin Scott Field, retired bishop of West Missouri, to Sudanese American pastors

Where are the Sudanese Diaspora within the Beloved Community?

by Alan Scarfe, retired bishop of the Diocese of Iowa Thirty clergy and congregational leaders from the South Sudanese diaspora in the U.S. met October 1-3 in Kansas City to talk — chiefly among themselves. One major issue was finding permanent places for worship and gatherings under Episcopal church roofs, whether in Maryland, Texas, or elsewhere. Some communities had been received in Lutheran or Presbyterian churches, but the clear message from the conference was that they were Episcopalian and wanted to have their children raised within the Anglican tradition of their people back home. The Episcopal Church was said to be losing the gifted leadership of its South Sudanese American members because of the common experience of a lack of hospitality. The pastoral leaders voiced a need to understand better the American way of providing for family life. Clergy are working long hours and are generally expected to serve without church stipend. Negotiating advanced education requirements within the Episcopal Church was confusing and frustrating, especially for those discerning calls to ordination. Some feared that Sudanese children were losing pace in their faith development for lack of trained Sunday School teachers, as well as resources that would hold children’s attention in American society. Some wanted assistance finding scholarships, especially at Episcopal schools and colleges. One leader from Atlanta sends out the entire lectionary readings in Dinka to as wide a network of congregations as he can find. He has help in handling lessons from the New Testament but finds no modern translation for the Old Testament lessons, so he translates them himself, and all in his “spare time.” His desire is to know how to upload everything on the internet and make his work accessible in a digital form year by year. We hope that the Episcopal Church’s newly named Office of African Descent Ministries will be able to address some of the issues raised. See the full article here.

Comings and Goings

Mrs. Abuk Akwak of Burke, Virginia and her husband the Reverend Kwathi Akol Ajawin travelled to Melbourne, Australia in September to be with her mother during her final illness.  Abuk’s mother was buried in Melbourne.  Kwathi took the opportunity to make contact with Sudanese in several locations and to “sing with St. Paul in Romans 15, ‘from Cairo to Melbourne I have proclaimed the gospel.’” He also delivered a copy of The Autobiography of Dr. Oliver Meru Duku: Physician and Priest to Duku’s son Clement Warille Duku in Sydney. Mary Jane Hubbard and Richard Jones finish executing the Judy Smith-designed made-in-USA tukul to display the work of AFRECS Sept. 22-25 at the New Wineskins conference in North Carolina.  Board Member James Hubbard said after the conference, “I can’t remember when I was with a crowd more enthusiastic for Jesus.” Virginia Theological Seminary has announced a future visitor from London, Bishop Anthony Poggo Dagasuk, Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion and former bishop of Kajo-Keji Diocese in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. Participants in the tenth triennial conference of the New Wineskins Missionary Network in Black Mountain, North Carolina September 23-25 included Abraham Yel Nhial, bishop of Aweil in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and author (with DiAnn Mills) of Lost Boy No More; Andrew M. Rowell, rector of Christ Church Anglican in Montgomery, Alabama and sometime teacher of Greek at Renk Theological College; Carrie Boren Headington, canon evangelist of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas; Christopher Royer, director of Anglican Frontier Missions; Mary Chowenhill of SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) serving at Uganda Christian University; Steven Noll, retired Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University; and an American couple awaiting their visa to serve in the Diocese of Port Sudan under Bishop Abdul Nur Kodi. Hilary Garang Deng, retired bishop of Malakal, continues his long-distance Ph.D. studies at Uganda Christian University.  He is in conversation with the School of Fine Arts, Music, and Drama of the University of Juba about the possibility of future teaching there.

Dispatches

What the Priest Heard: Are We There Yet? Rokon and Back by James Hubbard August 19, 2022 When my children and their parents were young, and we were on a car trip, the frequent question was, “Are we there yet?”  (I’m confident that no one else has had that experience.)  Yesterday, many around us were saying, “Rokon is coming.  We are nearer it now.  It is coming soon.”  Let me tell you it was never coming.  Oh, we finally arrived, but we did all the ‘coming.’  Rough dirt roads, not unlike what we see right in Juba, but with a difference. It is a long road, 53 miles, I think I was told.  Fifty-three miles is nothing.  I ought to know.  I drive 70 to work!  Oh yes, you haven’t driven this 53 miles. No major traffic, the road was wide, the day was beautiful, the car was air conditioned, the company was congenial and it took three hours plus maybe 143 miles bouncing up and down and left and right and back and forth to cover those 53 miles. We met at the Bishop Gwynne College with the Rev’d James Aruma Ilarios, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs for The Episcopal University to be built on the foundation laid by several college level institutions throughout South Sudan.  But we were going to visit the site of a proposed new campus for all of these schools on a two kilometer square site in Rokon—yes, 53 miles outside of Juba.  Vice-Chancellor James introduced us to the University staff, a very impressive and committed group of individuals.  And then he prayed for safety and a blessed day.  Only seven us were privileged to go.  Now I realize that the other half-dozen folks breathed a sigh of relief as we climbed into the Land Rover and drove away. I’ll introduce you to the others according to their seating position.  Our driver, Joseph, an amazing driver who would be bored out of his mind driving in the U.S. after what is required and what he is so good at in this country.  I doubt if he could imagine driving in straight lines and all in one direction.  He would have to see it to believe it.   Bp. Jackson Arifa, Assistant Bishop for Juba rode shotgun.  Dane was behind him, Joseph Agang, who is about 6’4” was behind Joseph the driver. He is the Examination Officer for the Episcopal Church’s 3000 students. I sat in the middle — we all know why, because I’m short.  And in the privileged fold down ( no comfort here) jump seats were the uncomplaining, but painfully aware, Engineer,Moses Mauwa and the University Operations Manager Joseph Uyikuru. We left pretty close to 9:00 A.M. and arrived pretty close to 1:00, but who’s counting?  At our first security checkpoint Dane and I were wondering what the inside of a South Sudanese prison looks like since we were told we did not have a CID clearance.  Of course, they had done the same at the airport on Tuesday via computer, but this little policeman was not having any of that, nor that a CID clearance is not needed for a tourist, but only if you are a citizen and taking a government job.  Bp. Jackson and Joseph Agang talked the young fellow down, and the Bishop promised to bring some Bibles for him and his colleagues the next time he came through.  Fortunately, Bishops are seen as equals to government officials in this country, even if they are far superior, and the young man could not get from Bp. Jackson any kind of agreement that he, the policeman, knew what he was talking about. With the promise of the Bibles, he told us we could go — and then welcomed us cheerily.  Later we were told that these men, military and police, when they are out of cigarette papers have been known to use pages out of the bible to roll their smokes! So back into the Land Rover only to be stopped immediately at the road blockade and told that we needed to see the young man’s superior.  So Agang climbs back out and stalks over to see the superior.  The Bp is muttering, “We are not paying them anything, not now or ever.” Soon Agang was back, muttering a little himself.  No, he had not paid them anything.  I think every other security point in the, yes 53 miles, waved us through.  They knew the car or saw the bishop, or who knows, but no problems. The bush is beautiful in its own way.  Many species of shrub, grass, trees and a few birds are present.  A small dove was very common and a blackbird about the size of a starling I saw a few times. I did see a committee of vultures in a tree.  There are frequent streams, but for the sake of my grandson, Loren, they are not trout streams, not any more.  Actually,  they were probably never trout streams, we are too close to the Equator.  They are filled with erosive material and look horribly polluted. We began encountering herds of cattle, owned by the Mandari tribes people in this region. Like the Nuer and the Dinka, they are pastoralists and traditionally keep cattle.  Cattle are their wealth, part of their family, used to pay dowries to the bride’s family, and were traditionally part of their religious life.  I asked Joseph Agang if they marked the cattle to tell them apart, because I knew that families treated them family.  He said, ‘No need’ they are so familiar with every marking, every shade of color and in many other ways, that they know them as individuals, and even in large community herds have no problem identifying their own.  Each is given a special name, in fact.  This reminds me of Jesus’s assertion that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and they know him.  Well, it is true for the good herder and the cattle themselves in this very rural pastoral setting.  The horns on these cattle are probably three feet long.  The white cattle are the preferred color and Joseph says that after a rain they are beautiful. About 1:00 we arrived in Rokon, drove by Saint Joseph’s school that only a few years ago had 330 students, but now is closed for lack of money and teachers.  The students have gone to Government schools although Saint Joseph’s was originally far superior.  The headmaster told us that the schools — there are two, the other is Saint Mary’s but is a little distance away, and that region is under the control of rebels presently — have for years been the identity of the Rokon community.  They feel lost without them. The ladies ululated us into the Diocesan Office area as their way of welcoming us. They extended us the hospitality of tea which only one of us accepted.

The new university, when built, will bring new development to Rokon, much new development, jobs and training for students, of course.  We were fascinated to learn that Joseph Bilal, the Primates assistant and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for the new university, grew up in Rokon!  Agang pointed out a cluster of Tukuls (houses with thatched roofs) as we passed athem and noted thatwhere Joseph Bilal had grown up there.  Those who attended the diaspora  conference which was held at Grace Church, Lexington in 2019 will remember Joseph well.  A blind man from the community of Rokon who is quite wealthy has given the land for the university.  Surely it is not too great a stretch to see a connection between this gift and a local boy who has succeeded amazingly well.  There may even be a second gift of land as large as the first if needed after the university is built. Finally, we went to university land and walked through the bush to the three boreholes that AFRECS helped fund.  We felt as if we really were at the beginning of something great. The issue, as it is so often, is money.  The entire planning for the campus has been done by EMI (Engineering Ministries International).  Most of the engineering and architectural team was North American.  The complete onsite evaluation, electricity, water, waste water and sewage, architecture, drawings, with cost estimates have been published this year.    And their work has been approved by the Church.  Phase One A and B estimates are roughly $26,000,000.00.  It is a daunting amount of money, but U.K. participants have begun the search for large sums and intend to do so in the U.S. as well.  On one hand, we might say that our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, a propos our earlier discussion about cattle.  On the other hand, a lot of money is needed and an entire nation will eventually be the beneficiary.  Governments and large companies, even large charitable organizations are used to thinking in terms which exceed the experience of many of us in the Church.  Still a large vision is needed for South Sudan and for the Episcopal Church in South Sudan.  There will be a time not too many years down the road when this initial sum may seem small indeed, and if it is given that time will come more quickly than if it is not.  Christians can pray together to hold out this vision.  God can prepare hearts and minds.  And there is an urgency about this, because a security fence is needed before the present land and perhaps the boreholes are raided.  Security will diminish some of the urgency. Much praying and the planning have been done, initial steps have been taken.  Let us take up the praying and an offering networking that may make much more possible a reasonable calendar for construction.  Money for the security fence has been identified and the holders, Christians all, are thinking, praying and studying the practicality of it.  Let us pray with them to accomplish this first essential piece, about $1,000,000 of the $26,000,000 mentioned. This is a worthwhile vision. Click here to read the full dispatch.

What the Ambassador Saw: Pilgrimage to Rokon:  Vision of a University by Dane Smith August 19, 2022 An Episcopal University of South Sudan vehicle took us to their Juba headquarters at the compound of Bishop Gwynne Theological School.  There we met with the Rev. James Aruma Ilarios, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; George Taban, Acting Dean of the School of Theology; Registrar Paul Issa; Joseph Uyikuru, Operations Officer; Joseph Agar, head of student affairs, and Joseph Ajang, Examinations Officer.  (We also encountered Bishop Zechariah Manyok Biar of Wanglei (Jonglei), a part-time professor.) The last three accompanied us as we picked up Jackson Arifa, Assistant Bishop of Juba, who took the place of the still abroad new Bishop of Rokon, Emmanuel Lomoro Eluzai. That proved a happy circumstance, because Arifa is part-time on the faculty of the University and knows Rokon well.  He proved dexterous in moving us past a checkpoint where authorities initially insisted that James and I show a registration document we did not have. Rokon is about 65 kilometers northwest of Juba on a wide dirt road, which the rain and heavy lorries have left with deeply rutted areas.  The land is flat and increasingly populated by trees as we moved north with numerous jabls – “mountains” in Arabic, but in this area spiky rocky hills.  We passed several large herds of cattle owned by Mandari, a Nilotic group that lives in Equatoria.  As we approached Rokon, Ajang called our attention to the beginnings of the university campus plot – 2 square kilometers – that borders the road on the northwest. Continuing on some 12 kilometers into Rokon itself and the diocese office, we were greeted by Diocesan Secretary Malish Francis, the Rev. Barnaba, Provost of St. John church, and several archdeacons. We spoke with Rev. Ruth, local coordinator for the Mothers’ Union and wearing clerical collar, who stressed the importance of helping women with gender-based violence and trauma. The core of the diocesan compound is an orphanage created by missionaries which still serves 20 children.. Receiving a warm welcome, I thanked the group — in Arabic, to their surprise. On our way back to the university campus, we visited the St. Joseph’s Primary School (temporarily closed because it ran out of money) and borehole (pump broken). St Mary’s School in the archdeaconry of Keri was closed because the area is in rebel hands. Back at the campus – which those without vision might characterize as an untamed wilderness — we visited on foot, in grass as high as an elephant’s eye, the three successful boreholes.  At this point they are basically narrow well shafts protruding from the ground and sealed.

The intention is to connect the wells via pumps and pipes to a storage facility on the highest point of land in the campus, from whence water can be piped to various parts of the campus, including for access by the local community.  At this point, however, there appears to be no money for solar pumps at the wells, nor for the pipes.  Our university friends are concerned that if the pumps and initial connection pipes are not installed soon, there is danger that the well shafts will be tampered with, perhaps by youths or others seeking access to water — for example by men cutting trees for charcoal production. They are eager to have the pumps and initial pipe installed and to make the boreholes relatively untamperable. Clearly, the erection of the fence would be helpful for the protection of the boreholes. Phase IB includes construction of academic and student housing at a cost of about $25 million. With Phases II and III and some desirable options like athletic fields and a retreat center, the total is estimated at more than $76 million.

Our final stop at Rokon was at the Episcopal University sign, where we posed in the manner of an earlier photo of the Primate and Dr. Eeva John, published on the cover of the AFRECS Impact Report 2021.

We then trekked behind the sign to the actual cornerstone.

Our return to Juba was remarkably quick – 1 ¾ hours – followed by a final session with Vice- Chancellor Aruma and a late (4 pm) sandwich lunch. There is great excitement and large hopes about the university among what seems to be a very committed senior staff.  Adequate and timely funding remain a huge obstacle to its realization under the present plan. Click here to read the full dispatch.

A Call

All of our mission and evangelism begins with the mission of God. God is the great missionary who chooses in creating and redeeming love to be for us. Christ Jesus is the great evangelist who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is working constantly, faithfully and radically to draw all people to himself. – 2022 Lambeth Conference, Call on Mission and Evangelism

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 our work with the people of the Sudans and offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302.

This issue was compiled by AFRECS Board member Richard J. Jones. AFRECS craves your comments, corrections, and contributions of news, photos, or reflection. Please send to anitasanborn@gmail.com.

Executive Director’s Update

AFRECS Board member Rev. James Hubbard and I visited Sudan and South Sudan in August.   It was my third visit to South Sudan since 2018. This issue focuses on that portion of our visit. I saw a dynamic young church in operation. It counts 4 million souls. That is twice the number of Episcopalians/Anglicans in the United States. And it is growing rapidly. It has over 60 dioceses and bishops spread throughout the reaches of South Sudan. It is led since 2018 by Primate Justin Badi Arama.

In addition to the leadership, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan is “peace-operational” on the ground.  The Mothers’ Union is active in many dioceses.  Its energetic national coordinator, Mama Harriet Baka, is promoting literacy and livelihoods for women throughout the country and raising up local leaders.  In the diocese of Terekeka, in Central Equatoria, at the tiny parish of Luyari, Mothers’ Union facilitators teach local women for a year to read and write in Bari, the local language. They go on to teach micro finance so that the women can start small businesses of their own – bakeries or tea shops, for example.

The South Sudan Development and Relief Agency (SSUDRA) has a dynamic new leader, Light Wilson Aganwa, experienced in and deeply committed to development.  SSUDRA is working in livelihood generation, water, sanitation and health, focusing on areas that have experienced much violence — Jonglei, Unity State, Western Bahar al-Ghazal, and Eastern Equatoria.

I returned to the US excited about what God is doing with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan.  I hope you will continue and even expand your support for AFRECS in its funding of the critical peacebuilding work going on there.

Prayer 

The quiet sympathies of good people will not bring about true good for all people.

What of our own power, privilege, and comfort are we willing to sacrifice to bring about full human becoming for all people?

Broaden our sacred imagination.

Free us in the places where we are bound. Help us see big enough ways to give all people what they need.

Give us sacred intolerance for prejudice, exclusion, repression, and violence.

May we treat the needs of others as holy.
-Prayers of the People adapted from Abolitionist Spirituality by Willie Dwayne Francois III

Editors’ Note:

In this issue we excerpt very personal experiences and encounters from the August 2022 dispatches from the Sudans by a parish priest and a retired ambassador. Future E-blasts will  report what they learned at the Rokon, South Sudan site of the new Episcopal University, in Khartoum, about an Arabic-language seminary, and developments at a burgeoning school for orphans outside Juba.

Contact us at afrecs@afrecs.org if you are inspired to join in one of the efforts they describe.

What the Priest Heard:   From Mothering to Gender-based Violence
by James A. Hubbard, August 21-22, 2022

Mother Harriet Baka sat Dane and me down in her Mothers’ Union at the Juba Provincial headquarters on August 21 to prepare us for Terekeka.

This petite, redoubtable woman explained that when literacy training was validated as effective with non-literate groups, the pilot sites were Khartoum, Juba, and Renk. The Province gave them five years—to foster literacy, numeracy, and savings groups in the first three years, then to address trauma healing and Gender-based Violence in the last two years. “We started slow,” says Mother Harriet, “because we needed experience in how to train facilitators and in facilitating groups. We started with twelve groups in Juba, and a like number in Rajaf district.   We wanted an awareness of the power of salvation, so we started with the provincial leadership and diocesan leaders and then began to train.” “ AFRECS began contributing funds in 2017 to support the effective Anglican group Five Talents in this work.

The following morning we set out for Terekeka, some seventy-three kilometers out of Juba. Picked up by Light Wilson of South Sudanese Development and Rehabilitation Assistance (SSUDRA), we met Bishop Paul Modi on the outskirts of Juba, a few minutes before arriving at the first security checkpoint. The Bishop, who had been very clear that he would ride only with his wife and driver, met with the police by himself. He is a large, tall, imposing figure, and I was glad I wasn’t part of the security force. He was back in a very few minutes and, without saying a word to those of us in the following car, his lead car took off. At every other security point, he simply looked pointedly at the security personnel and we were waved on through.

Cars, trucks, goats and cattle all shared the highway. The herds belong to the Mandari people, who are semi-nomadic, and their boys accompany the herds. The Mandari women are persistently visible walking long distances along the highway seeking drinking water. Cattle are central to their culture, being their wealth, their source of milk and food, and the vital resource needed to pay the bride price in order to marry. Cattle are virtually part of individual families as well as a tribal responsibility.

At the end of the highway we came to a large roundabout and headed off on a dirt and gravel road for the last few bouncy kilometers into Terekeka. At the church compound, we were welcomed by forty or fifty singing children, ten men, and twenty ululating women with leis for Dane, Mother Jessica (an associate of Mother Harriet’s), who had accompanied us from Juba, and me. In our stiff American way, we mingled and greeted. After prayer and a song or two, we retired to the bishop’s office and heard from four or five women leaders and about a dozen chiefs and elders

The Chief of Tali spoke movingly about the difference trauma healing and literacy training were making in their church, their communities, and their families. (I was wondering what the men really knew about this training, only to discover later that men were always included in these groups. Though predominantly made up of women, the groups usually have around 40% men.) Lack of transport to rural areas of the diocese, conflict, and the need for peace and reconciliation were among the issues discussed. One hundred fifty-five young men were killed in a recent incident. People clash because of cattle raiding, disagreements, rape, taking children for soldiers, and killing. The entire country is traumatized in so many ways.

Women are being empowered. Many are the stories both Harriet and Nora have heard about women with this training becoming active about serious issues in their communities, calling the attention of elected officials and demanding action. No longer are they shy and quiet women, but individuals who stand up and say with a gleam of pride in their eyes what needs to be addressed.

By teaching and encouraging prayer and the study of scripture, these groups help people learn ethical practice for the family and the community, heal from the serious psychological harm done within a country that has been in the midst of war for decades, and, most importantly, become part of the loving, healing, trusting community of Jesus within the Church.

One surprise occurred when the Bishop, directly asked me to come back in the future to spend a week helping to train his clergy, who are evidently hungry for education. It was a humbling request, but immediately I saw the immense value it could bring, particularly if I could bring three or four other clergy with me.

Men’s behavior within their families has changed. Many men, particularly those who have taken the training, speak up with pride for the women in their households and their community. Traditionally, men in this culture have nothing to do with a baby once it is made. But through these groups they learn the importance of a father holding his infant child, helping with his children, and helping his wife with household matters in ways that revolutionize marriage and family life. As they explained this, these women became animated in helping us to understand the changes.

We were undone by the careful, thorough efforts which are having such wonderful success in perhaps the poorest of neighborhoods in the poorest of countries in the world.

A Declaration of Faith

You, O God, are Holy Spirit.
You empower us to be your gospel in the world.
You reconcile and heal; you overcame death.

What the Ambassador Saw:  Mothers’ Union and Trauma Healing
by Dane F. Smith, Jr.

When facilitators from the Mothers’ Union (MU) went out into villages last year, they discovered with some surprise that the women weren’t shy about telling their stories of gender-based violence (GBV). The work of the Mothers’ Union consists of preaching, of course, and inviting women to form savings circles, but their starting point has been literacy — teaching women to read and write in their own languages.  Then numeracy and microfinance were added, guided by trainers from Five Talents. Women are the breadwinners in South Sudan, because the men have no work, and the cost of living is very high.  Mothers’ Union has also been dealing with emotional trauma, which is pervasive after generations of war.

Mama Harriet Baka, the redoubtable National Coördinator of the Mothers’ Union in South Sudan, with her right hand Jessica Lukudu and other lieutenants, has begun to engage bishops’ spouses in confronting gender-based violence.

Now the Mothers’ Union is addressing gender-based violence. “So many women have been raped,” said Mama Harriet Baka, National Coördinator of the Mothers’ Union (MU), when we met in her office August 22.  Besides making the bishops aware of GBV”, Mama Harriet said, “the spouses of bishops need to be empowered. They feel a lot of frustration.”

Working with the Anglican Alliance, she spoke to 58 of them in Arabic at the recent Lambeth Conference. Caroline Welby, wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury, did a retreat with them. Now returned home, Harriet plans to begin working with the spouses, starting with a few at a time.
Harriet said that God was blessing the MU in its work scattered throughout South Sudan.  MU doesn’t have the resources to go to all 64 dioceses, but the dioceses are formed into clusters in the 8 internal provinces. MU now has an office in every cluster

On Gender-based Violence, the Mothers’ Union starts with sensitizing the leadership “from the Provincial Secretary on down,” making the bishops aware of GBV. Emphasizing that women are also created in the image of God, they teach that abuse of wives, torture, and rape are inconsistent with that truth.  The MU elicits stories ranging from the groups which cover the unavailability of schooling, to abuse in the family, to rape by military personnel. MU attempts to make clear what is fairness and justice and to give hope.  A major issue is how to handle violence in families without making the situation worse. MU is trying to illuminate men, as well as women, on the nature of gender-based violence (GBV) and its consequences. MU has confronted military perpetrators, who sometimes react with tears. Significantly, MU is collecting and documenting these stories.

GBV training is directed to men and women.  In addition to teaching that beating your wife is wrong, it enjoins against child marriage and forced marriage. It encourages the men to share in household chores like getting water and collecting wood.  In traditional Bari culture, the man never holds a baby. GBV training encourages them to hold and share in the care of children.  Sarah told us that the incidence in Terekeka of GBV is very high.  Girls are married off very young to gain dowry.  Women and girls are often raped by military personnel when they gather firewood or collect water. Challenges include difficult passage to the centers in the rainy season along impassible roads.  Intermittent internet is also a problem.

The Redoubtable Harriet Baka. We met with Mama Harriet Baka, National Coordinator of the Mothers Union (MU), in her office August 22.  Her right hand, Jessica Lukudu, who in 2020 traveled with me to Renk, was there with the other lieutenants.

Mama Harriet Baka

We were welcomed at the diocesan compound with women ululating.  We proceeded into the church, where about 50 were gathered. The Bishop welcomed us in Bari and I said a few words in Arabic about AFRECS, our work with the Mothers Union, and our pleasure at visiting Terekeka.  We repaired to the diocesan office with a smaller group of 12-15 (five women) which included a local chief, Canon Agnes, Provost of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, two male canons, the “development coordinator,” and Mothers Union officers led by Coordinator Mama Nora.

Bishop Paul is the second bishop of Terekeka, created as a diocese in 2009. (HIs predecessor is buried in a tomb on the property.) The country of Terekeka has 10 payyams. In the diocese there are 9 archdeaconries, 65 priests, including some women and 43 parishes.  Capacity building of priests is his highest priority; only 5 are educated and the rest are “vernacular pastors.”  Terekeka is a diocese of 15-20% literacy.  The area is affected by climate change which has brought unprecedented floods for the last three years.

Lunch in MU office

We said good-bye to the diocese and drove about 5km with Bishop and MU trainers to make a very brief stop at the learning center at Luyari Parish, a small building.  Local facilitators were introduced: Rev. Peter Leggay, Rev. Justin Kalong, and Santino Lak.  Then we made a quick return to Juba.

Learning center at Luyari Parish

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 our work with the people of the Sudans and offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302.

This issue was compiled by AFRECS Board members Anita Sanborn and Richard Jones. AFRECS craves your comments, corrections, and future contribution of photos, news, or reflection.

Message from the President

We at AFRECS are so happy that Executive Director Dane Smith and board member James Hubbard are in the midst of an extended visit to reconnect with Sudanese and South Sudanese church leaders and other AFRECS friends in Salisbury, London, Khartoum and Juba, as well as other parts of the Sudans.

The Covid pandemic has reminded us there is no substitute for direct human contact and dialogue. That AFRECS has been able to show up and be with our friends, for the first time since early 2020, is quite meaningful. Dane and James will get to see first-hand the progress of three projects that we support — the Glow MAPS school in the displaced persons camp outside Juba, the developing campus of the Episcopal University of South Sudan in Rokon, and the vocational and trauma healing program administered by Five Talents in Terekeka (where it has expanded from Renk). Most importantly, we get to rekindle friendships, spark new ones, and share ideas for new mission. So much more can happen face to face than over a choppy internet connection — where the video often must be turned off to make the audio audible.

Recent in-person discussions at the Lambeth conference of Anglican bishops were, of course, a reminder of our differences as a Communion.  Differences certainly remain. As the gathered bishops were able to do, however, we too can find a way forward as friends in mutually respectful relationship, working together to fulfill Jesus’s vision of human dignity by addressing the suffering of his people. The current visit by Dane and James is a reflection of that call and furthers that effort.

I pray for continued safe travel, and for stronger relationships in shared mission!

Phil Darrow

Smith and Hubbard Visit UK, Khartoum, and Juba: Selected Dispatches

Dane Smith (Khartoum, Sudan, August 15):

James and I met with Hawaya Abdul-Rahman, Coordinator of the Mothers’ Union today at the Provincial Office.  Mama Samira Suleiman, MU President, joined us late in the meeting. The meeting was in English until the latter arrived and was then translated into/from Arabic.  Hawaya said that the Mothers’ Union has been mobilizing literacy circles in Arabic in the dioceses.  Coordinators are trained in Khartoum, then they train facilitators.  There are currently seven coordinators and fifty facilitators (ten per diocese).  The training goes on in Khartoum with trainees housed locally in “hotels.”  The coordinators are Christian, but facilitators may be Muslim or any other faith.  Both the diocesan coordinators and the facilitators are volunteers but receive incentive payments from time to time. Building on the literacy work, training continues into small business.  Graduates receive up to 16,000 Sudanese pounds (about $32 today) to get started.  The bulk of them acquire simple sewing machines to enable them to create clothes, especially school uniforms.  Others go into the food business, selling tea on the streets or creating cakes or other food items.  Women benefiting from the program — often their husbands are unemployed —  have been able to pay school fees for their kids, buy them clothes, purchase goats, or even buy a house.  Mothers’ Union evaluates the success or failure of those they have trained in order to improve the program.  In one case, a graduate ambitiously attempted to build a cafeteria to sell food but ran out of money before completing it.

James Hubbard  (Omdurman, Sudan, August 13):

Saturday evening Dane and I were taken to the Mahdi’s tomb. The tomb itself is located within a huge architecturally carved wooden case, which is itself a screen with dimensions of, say, 25 x 40 feet in width and length.  A few of the devout were there to pray.

Later we were driven through mud and water (this is the rainy season in central Africa) into the grounds where the dervishes were to dance.  By the time we arrived, several hundreds, perhaps more, mostly men, were gathered to hear speeches.  We walked through the vehicles, small structures, and crowds, sticking to high ground, to see and hear the speeches—all in Arabic, of course.
Suddenly there were men gathering around us, shyly smiling, and then asking where we were from. They were fascinated that Americans were there, but over and over they welcomed us. One asked me my profession and, being a little coy, I said “Clergy”.

“ ‘Clergy’, what is clergy?” he responded.  I told him I was a Christian priest.

That he understood and then said that their holy book was the Koran.
“Yes, I said, “I’ve read it many times.”
“What do you think of it?”
“There is much that’s good in it, like the Bible”.
‘But what do you think of it?’
“Well, no disrespect, but it seems disorganized”.
“Why do you say that?”.
“Well, because it does not develop topically, logically.  It speaks of one thing and then moves to another, maybe later on comes back to a topic mentioned previously.  There are no connections between paragraphs. You write an essay and you develop a topical sentence and then a paragraph around that, and then move on logically.”

He understood that, but said that I misunderstand the logic of the Koran. Then another young man jumps in to say that it is my opinion and he cannot say that I am wrong.  He must respect my opinion.
“No, if he is wrong I must tell him so.”
Delightful. Open. Disagreement, but in a very friendly manner.

Then the discussion turns to forgiveness: “Only God could forgive.” I agreed. “But humans have to forgive each other too,” I say.

“Give me an example”, says one. So I suggested we were friends, but say I told him a lie.  When he finds out, then to retain the friendship he must forgive me. I must forgive him for something he does to me. They thought this was fascinating, seemingly a new idea.  We had an enjoyable conversation, all six or eight of us!

Impact of AFRECS

AFRECS has released our 2021 Annual Report featuring stories, updates, and reports from its work over the previous year. Read more about AFRECS’ partnerships and the inspiring ministries in Sudan and South Sudan. Click here to read the AFRECS 2021 Annual Report.

Bishops Discuss Differences at Lambeth Conference

At the recent gathering of bishops from all dioceses in the Anglican Communion at Canterbury Cathedral, known as the Lambeth Conference, some of the more difficult discussions exposed differing views within the Communion on human sexuality and same-sex marriage. Prior to the July 27 opening of the conference, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, alongside the Archbishop of Hong Kong, had announced the hope of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans that the conference would reaffirm a 1998 declaration that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. As the seven-day conference of bishops and their wives proceeded through worship and Bible study, small-group discussions, plenary responses to themes such as evangelism and climate care, a message from the Queen of England, and many corridor conversations, no voting on this divisive matter occurred. The gathered bishops instead concurred on a Call regarding human dignity that recognized the different views, but affirmed the commitment to listen and walk together despite “deep disagreement” on these issues.

See the links below for interviews with the Bishop of Tonj, Peter Yuol Gur, and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s advisor for Anglican Communion affairs, Anthony Dangasuk Poggo, former bishop of Kajo-Keji.

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2022/08/01/lambeth-conference-shifts-to-more-challenge-issues-as-bishops-take-up-anglican-identity/

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2022/08/06/bishops-wrap-lambeth-conference-with-look-ahead-to-unity-despite-persistent-divisions/

Come See Us at New Wineskins, Black Mountain, North Carolina Sept. 22-25

Dane Smith and AFRECS Board members look forward to welcoming visitors at our exhibit during the once-every-three-years New Wineskins gathering of Anglicans and Episcopalians engaged in international cross-cultural mission. Our guest on Friday and Saturday will be Bishop Grant LeMarquand, editor of the letters of Marc Nikkel Why Haven’t You Left?, recently Bishop of the Horn of Africa in Gambella, Ethiopia, and professor of New Testament at Trinity School for Ministry. We will also welcome Tad deBordenave, founder of Anglican Frontier Missions and author of Light to the Nations: God’s Covenant with the Nations and Abraham Yel Nhial, Bishop of Aweil in South Sudan.

Register now at https://www.newwineskinsconference.org. For details, contact 800-588-722, 828-669-8022, or Richard Jones at 703-823-3186.

Violence in Northern Bahr al-Ghazal Internal Province

Following a series of machine gun and burning attacks on villages between February and June, the bishop of Abyei Diocese in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Michael Bol Deng, on June 26 appealed to friendly governments and the United Nations for assistance with food and shelter for 156,000 people, including twenty pastors, displaced from their homes in nine Ngok Dinka villages. These homeless people have congregated around Aweil town, the capital of Northern Bahr Ghazal, which is 175 km. by road SW of the border of Abyei, overwhelming local resources.

The Abyei Administrative Region has been disputed between Sudan and South Sudan since independence. A proposed referendum never took place in 2011 because of a dispute over whether nomadic pastoralists were residents; an informal referendum in 2013 was boycotted by pastoralists.

Bishop Michael Deng Bol (abyeianglicanchurch@hotmail.coom) identifies the attackers as member of the Twic Dinka community, supported by South Sudan people’s defense forces, as well as cattle-grazing Misseriya Arabs from north of the border with Sudan. Baroness Caroline Cox of the United Kingdom has called the attacks a massacre. Robert Hayward, a volunteer with Christian Aid, writes from London, “These attacks are seen as attempts not only to take over land for grazing but also to break up and drive away Christian communities.”

A Teacher Makes Up Her Mind

“I decided at the outset (for me, 2005) that with the relatively small amount of money and human resources I could hope to contribute, directly and indirectly, I could make the most significant impact through improving theological education, since the Sudans are one of the few places on the planet where Christian clergy are the best educated, most trusted, and most influential members of the community. I still think that is the case.”

Ellen F. Davis, Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity School, July 27, 2022

Seminary in Exile Prepares to Uproot and Go Home

War has twice forced the theological school with the best library in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan to pack its books and seek refuge in Arua, Uganda. Bishop Allison Theological College (https://www.batcyei.org), established in Yei in 1993 by Bishop Seme Solomona, now plans to build back on property formerly belonging to Samaritan’s Purse and to return home to Yei  in 2023. Principal Emmanuel Lokosang Charles has just sent off to Uganda Christian University in Mukono his dissertation for the Master of Arts degree.

Most students pursuing the three-year residential program live in refugee camps one or more hours away from the Arua campus. These include seventeen candidates for a certificate and five for a diploma in theology. Each of the five teachers at Bishop Allison offers two or three courses per term, plus administrative duties.

To share this strenuous load and strengthen the faculty, BATC has recently welcomed students from Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina in the United States to serve as unpaid short-term teachers. Maggie Larson, a 2^nd year M.Div. candidate at Duke teaching said in June, “I love the students. Many are coming from challenging backgrounds, yet they are all joyful. Everyone has their role within the student body. Some of the students are already ministers and ordained.”

A fellow Duke student, Bri Karpovich, added: “One of my favorite parts of teaching is small group discussions. The students are able to so elegantly explain and think about all the different aspects of the New Testament. I have been really blessed by challenging questions. The students have such curious minds – so much imagination.”

Exams for students are created by Uganda Christian University’s theological faculty. UCU selects questions submitted by BATC instructors. Students then see a bank of questions and must choose which four questions to answer. In the most recent class, 100% of the students passed their exams.

Stephen J. Crupi, a Duke graduate, joined the full-time BATC faculty in 2017 and served as academic dean until December 2021, teaching Bible, history, ethics, English, and basic computer skills.  Crupi helped maintain links to supporters, including the Diocese of Salisbury, parishes in the UK, Church Mission Society Ireland, the Lipscomb Foundation in the US, and the Antioch Partnership.

The Reverend Rhonda Parker, director of ministerial formation at Duke, visited BATC in June and came home asking, “Are there ways to reduce the need for such long residential terms – perhaps concentrating education into two days per week so that students can work the other days of the week?”

Click for a video that captures a glimpse of life at BATC.

Who Funds Training?

by Robert Hayward

The Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s Development and Resettlement agency continues to train new staff. In 2018 thirty-eight Development Coordinators and Mothers’ Union Coordinators from fifteen ECSS dioceses and four internal provinces received eight days of training in Emergency Preparedness and Response. The training was conducted by CORAT Africa (Christian Organizations Research and Advisory Trust) trainers from Nairobi, paid for by Anglican Alliance partners.

In the Episcopal Church of Sudan, another supporter is the Relay Trust. As well as providing generous funding for education and development projects and training in El Obeid Diocese, the Relay Trust supports the Provincial Office, the five dioceses, and the Shukai Bible Training Institute in Omdurman to increase their wi-fi and other communication capacity, so they can better do theological education by extension (TEE).

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 our work with the people of the Sudans and offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302.

This issue of the E-Blast was compiled by Board members Richard Jones and Rick Houghton. We eagerly welcome comments, news, photographs with captions, and rejoinders from you, our readers, to anitasanborn@gmail.com.