Beginning Again in Faith, Renewed by God
The Archbishop Speaks
By the Most Rev, Moses Deng Bol. Are You A Quiet Passenger? As a member of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan I find that it is important always to know the season and what season is coming. In case you do not know in the church year we have seasons that help us to think more about different parts of our faith in God. While I am writing the season of Ordinary Time is coming to an end. This is the season in which we celebrate the Holy Trinity. When Ordinary Time ends we begin the season of Advent which will lead us to the season of Christmas. I like to think of the season of Advent like it is a journey that takes us to Christmas day. As an archbishop I must travel a lot and this is really both a blessing and a curse. Truly I often get time when I am travelling to think, which I would not otherwise get and in travelling I get to see and experience many things. But I am away from home and many times separated from the people I care about and want to see. But travelling is a part of everyone’s life and there are important lessons to learn from it. We can see in the Gospels that there was a very important Journey that Mary took with Joseph when they travelled to Jerusalem as part of the Roman census. You can read about this story in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2 verses 1 to 7 but if you do not know then let me say that Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Jerusalem which is a journey of about 90 miles with him walking and Mary riding on a donkey because she was close to giving birth. I think that truly Mary might not have liked making this journey and if she had a choice would have stayed at home. But this was a journey they had to make and it had very serious consequences as you will see if you read the whole story in the Gospels.
Index The Archbishop Speaks.........................................2 Bore Hole Repaired…………………..........................4 The Role of the Church in Nation Building............6 A Bad Experience………………….….…........................8 Religion and Politics……….……...............................9 Introducing ADARD in Abyei Diocese…….……......11 Baptism and Adventure in Wanyjok….................12 A Terrible Event…………….……….…….....................15 Lion of Judah Medical Centre Project……..………16 Mission and Preaching…….……………….................20 A Preacher for the Luo Community....................23 Archbishop Moses Book Celebrates 10 years.....24 CARD Issues Hygiene Kits………..........................25 Mary Aliny’s Amazing Story.……..……………………..26 Contact Us...........................................................27 Please Pray with us ...........................................28
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I like to think that our country of South Sudan is on a journey, moving from one place to another. I want to believe that it is moving from civil war to peace. There have been celebrations recently in South Sudan to celebrate the recent peace negotiations that so many people have worked so hard on, not least Bishop Enoch Tombe of the ECSS. Just like Mary and Joseph this is a journey that we must make whether we want to or not and it too may end with profound consequences. We cannot continue to have a country that does not feed its people and kills its own people because of their tribe. Mary and Joseph had to be registered in the Census by the Romans. The Romans were an outside power who controlled Israel that Mary and Joseph lived in. But if the Romans thought that they had all the power they were wrong. The birth of Jesus had been foretold and we can see this in two prophets Isaiah and Micah : Isaiah 7:14—where Isaiah prophesies that a pure young woman will give birth to God’s son Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6—where Isaiah prophesies that Jesus Christ will come as a baby; Jesus is described by several names. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Micah 5:2—where Micah prophesies that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” So really even though Mary and Joseph had to do what the Romans wanted this was all part of God’s plan for mankind. This begins for me a really interesting thought. When I am travelling I am usually a passenger. I go in a bus or on a train or even an aeroplane then I sit in my seat with everyone else and some one else takes me to the place I am going.
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I do know where I want to go but it is not me that is making the decisions of how to get there. If I were riding a motorcycle or driving a car I can choose to go any way that I want, so if I want to drive through a village and not around it I could do that. But when I am a passenger I trust the driver to take me safely to my destination. How many times do you see people on an aeroplane shouting directions to the pilot? Being a passenger is a very submissive thing to be. I think that many people in our country of South Sudan are passengers. I believe that our country is on a journey and many people are sat looking out of the window hoping that they will go to the place where they want to be. I want to ask you, do you think like this? Are you hoping that South Sudan will one day get better and that you will not have to do anything to make it happen. I think that a bit like the idea of passengers shouting at the pilot we all have a right to demand that the right course is set for our destination. We all know the place that we want South Sudan to go to, so I think that we should always have a right to demand that the people who are driving our country steer it in the right way so that we may get there soon. In the journey that Mary took with Joseph to Bethlehem she was very much a passenger and trusted in God that she was going to the right place. It is a great joy to me that I can put my hand on my heart and say that you can always trust in God. God has a plan for you and if you will come to him with an open heart admitting your sins then you will be set on a journey to a better life. From the very beginning Mary trusted God and we can see this in a piece of scripture that is part of many church services, it is called Mary’s Song. We can see it in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 1 from verse 46 47 “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will
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call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” Mary suffered many hardships as a young woman but in her bravery she became the Mother of our Lord Jesus whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas. So Advent for us is a time of trusting and travel as we journey from Ordinary Time to Christmas, but we are not simply passengers. At every step we have choices to make about whether we will stay on the path that God has for us. God challenges us everyday to live by the ten commandments that were given to the people of Israel in the time of
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Moses, if you do not know them they can be found in the book of Exodus Chapter 20 starting at verse1. I urge you to read them and try hard to live your life by them. So now we are passengers who know the directions that God has given to get to the destination that he has prepared for us. I want to ask you now, if the driver is not following the directions should we correct them or simply hope that all will be well? I think that it is right that we correct the driver, I think that we should all have a say in the direction that we travel. This is our country and it is our future that we are travelling to. It is our children who must live in the land we create and I think we must create the very best future for our children that we can. I also think that it is for all of us join in this process to help and educate one another so that we can be passengers that correct the driver and not just quiet passengers. When you read this the season of Advent will have begun, please take time to join me on the journey of Advent to the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.. Every blessing
++Moses
Good Shepherd Cathedral Borehole Repaired By Rev. Zechariah Dut Kuot This water project was supported by the Scottish Episcopal Church Mission Association (SECMA) who donated money to repair the borehole at Good Shepherd cathedral in Wau Diocese. The neighbour Mrs. Mary Achol thanked the ECSS Diocese of Wau and her partners for repairing the old borehole at the ECSS Diocese of Wau compound. “On behalf of the neighbours that are near to the ECSS Diocese of Wau and on my own behalf I would like to
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sincerely thank and appreciate the Diocese of Wau under the leadership of Archbishop Moses Deng Bol for the repairing this borehole, which I can say really comes in the time of need.” I would like to take this opportunity to add that the neighbours are so much excited to see the borehole is successfully repaired. As the neighbours we are not going to be worried again by where to get water because our borehole is now repaired and we must appreciate and thanks the ECSS Diocese of Wau administration for allowing us to get water for free. May God bless the Diocese of Wau and her partners”. The Diocesan Secretary Rev Majok said “this borehole will be providing clean drinking water to all insitutions that are in the ECSS Diocese of Wau compound and it’s neighbours”. He also said “this borehole will give clean drinking water to the students & lecturers of St John college, students & teachers of Sunday Secondary School, pupils & teachers of Sunday School, CARD staff, Diocesan staff, the congregation on Sunday and our local neighbours. The repairing of this borehole will release our people from the worry of where to get water if their insitutions do not have money to buy water. Although one borehole may not be enough for these big insitutions it will help for the time being as the diocese looks for a long term solution of connecting a water tank that will supply water to all these insitutions.” The Diocesan Administrative Secretary, Rev William Majok thanks the donors for their generous support, “I sincerely thank our donors, especially the Scottish Episcopal Church Mission Association (SECMA) for their generous support financially toward the achievement of this project. We pray that God may shower His blessings upon them and their partners to continue supporting the charity work of God in Wau, South Sudan and beyond.” Majok added.
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The Role of the Church in Nation Building in South Sudan - Poverty Reduction and the Promotion of Transformation Development By Rev. Peter Angui Akook Introduction Addressing the House of Bishops meeting at All Saints Cathedral in Juba last year, the former Chairman of Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) President Festus Mogae said that he told the South Sudanese Generals in one of their meetings that he too is a general fighting against poverty, ignorance and disease. In my opinion church leaders are also supposed to be generals fighting against poverty, illiteracy and disease. In this article we will look at what the church can do to reduce poverty in South Sudan. In his book walking with the poor, Principles and practices of transformational development, Brian Myers argues that understanding the nature and causes of poverty is very important as it determine the way we respond to poverty.
What is poverty? There has been progressive view of poverty and its causes in the history. In the early days of development poverty was seen as absence or lack of things and later followed by absence of ideas and knowledge. In the 1980s Robert Chambers introduced a systemic view of poverty in which he defined poverty as a system of entanglement. In the 1990s John Friedmann described poverty as the lack of access to social power and Amartya Sen argued that poverty is more the result of a lack of freedom than the lack of money. More recently community psychologists Isaac Prilleltensky and Geoffrey Nelson have argued that poverty is
a result of oppression that Diminishes personal and relational well-being of the poor. Coming in from a Christian perspective and building on Chambers and Friedmann, Jayakumar Christian describes poverty as a system of disempowerment that creates oppressive relationships and whose fundamental causes are spiritual. Finally Ravi Jayakaran joined the discussion with his holistic Framework of poverty as lack of freedom to grow.
Causes of Poverty Building on Jayakumar Christian, Brian Myers argues that the causes of poverty are fundamentally spiritual and its nature is fundamentally relational. “The poor are poor largely because they live in networks of relationships that do not work for their wellbeing. Their relationships with others are often oppressive and disempowering as a result of the non-poor “playing god” in the lives of the poor. Their relationship within themselves is diminished and debilitated as a result of the grind of poverty and the feeling of permanent powerlessness. Their relationship with those they call “other” is experienced as exclusion. Their relation with their environment is increasingly less productive because poverty leaves no room for caring for the environment. Their relationship with the God who created them and sustains their life is distorted by an inadequate knowledge of who God is and what God wishes for all humankind. Poverty is the whole family of our relationships that are not all they can be (Myers 2011)”.
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Myers argues that the relationships of the poor don’t work for the well-being of the poor because of spiritual values held by others and by the poor themselves that do not enhance and support life. “Selfishness, love of power, and feelings of ordained privilege express themselves in god complexes. Loss of hope, opportunity, and recognition mar the identity of the poor. Racism, ethnocentrism/tribalism, and ostracism erode the intended blessing of having many cultures. Fear of spirits and belief in gods that cannot save obscure the offer of the God who desires to save. At the end of the day, the causes of poverty are spiritual” (Myers 2011).
What is Transformational development? To community Psychologists Issac Prilleltensky and Geoffrey Nelson described development as enhancing personal, collective and relational power. Robert Chambers defined development as responsible well-being, built on the principles of equity and sustainability and pursued by means of increasing the livelihood, security, and capabilities of the poor. Amartya Sen proposes that human freedom is both the goal and the means to development. Jayakumar Christian describes development as a kingdom response to the powerlessness of the poor that exposes the web of lies about the identity and worth of the poor and the god complexes of the non-poor to the transforming truth and demands of the kingdom of God. Brian Myers argues that because the causes of poverty are fundamentally spiritual and its nature is fundamentally relational, the twin goal of transformational development is therefore a changed people and just and peaceful relationships. He described “changed people” as people who have discovered their true Identity as children of God and who have recovered their true vocation as faithful and productive stewards
of gifts from God for the well-being of all (Myers 2011). The role of reduction.
the
church
in
poverty
If we agree with Myer that the causes of poverty are fundamentally spiritual and its nature is fundamentally relational, then the fight against poverty is a spiritual warfare that requires spiritual weapons (Ephesian 6:1020). In his book theology of development Rev Zablon Bundi argues that one of the main responsibilities of the church is to empower people with knowledge and skills so that they can make maximum use of their talents and materials to develop themselves and in effect reduce poverty in the society. He recommends that the church could provide information on where to get resources from; for example small business loans, youth and women development fund, constituency development fund etc, because the church has a broad network that links people in their social and economic activities.
Conclusion The church is a community of believers in Christ (Acts 2:42-end). So you and I are the church and we have a role to play in poverty reduction in South Sudan as our contribution to the building of our great nation. God bless South Sudan
References Myers B (2011) walking with the poor, Principles and Practices of Transformational development Bundi Z (2011) Theology of Development, Integral Mission Model of God-Centred Development.
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It Was A Bad Experience But God Took Control By Rev. John Bol Angui You can achieve nothing without passing through some difficulties and some bad experiences. However the result may become the most important thing in your life at the end. But all in all things, the successes are from God. Please read my story. We had been given a long holiday from our studies from Uganda Christian University (UCU) in the middle of August, which every student decided to go back home and spend time with their relatives or family. So then, we left Kampala, Uganda and the bus we boarded for transport to Juba, South Sudan was burnt on the road by an unknown fire incident while it was running. That happened on 21/08/2018 at 11:20 am. The bus name was ECO and its number plate was 249 A. A middle tyre burst and fire began which advanced its level toward the whole part of the bus. All of the passengers ran out from it to save their lives. There were not any serious injuries caused by this un expected fire incident though there was fearful emotional looks on the faces of passengers.
One of the passengers, a lady, shortly cried out very loudly claiming that she had left a baby boy inside the bus. Fortunately, we got him within a few minutes among the people while he was also trying to find out. He was still searching for where his relative had headed when all the people ran away from the heat of the burning bus on the road. This an incident happened on the Nimule road about 18 miles from Juba on the above mentioned date. All the passengers were saved however some of us lost their property because of the rapid fire which covered the whole part of the bus and blocked people from removing bags out of it. We thank God so much for that special care and I would like to acknowledge the support from government soldiers who provided our transport to Juba. Finally, I would also like to thank all brothers and sisters, friends, relatives, and colleagues for their prayers toward our journey mercies. Your prayers have been heard by God. Many blessings to us and all of you.
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Religion and Politics Today in Africa By Rev Peter Angui Akook In their quest for personal wealth and power some African leaders have impoverished their countries and perpetuated corruption. Reference notes that independent Africa has witnessed more violence of human rights, corruption, injustice and oppression than it did in colonial times. Many political leaders own public lands and assets wrongly. A number of African heads of State have been trying to endure and get support, if not survive on power from some religious leaders.
asked to be the vice president of the country while people were looking for means and ways to end the civil war. Former President Nelson Mandela appointed Archbishop Desmond Tutu to lead the Truth and Reconciliation commission to deal with the crimes of apartheid and bring about reconciliation. South Sudanese President H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul to lead national committee for peace and reconciliation (CNHPR).
Reference shows that during the last two decades religion has again come to the forefront of socio-economic and political life of many countries. Religious organizations have been actively involved in various efforts aimed at conflict resolution and peace. The people of Africa turned to the churches for direction and solutions. African Churches suddenly became the centres of sociopolitical life. For example, the Churches initiated the peace agreement in Liberia. They also conducted National conferences in Benin, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Togo, Liberia, Mali and Democratic Republic of Congo. These National Conferences, usually led by religious leaders, brought all political, social and economic forces of the country together to analyse the political situation of the country, to draft a provisional constitution and to institute an interim government to lead the country's transition.
After fragile democracies have been installed in many countries, several issues are emerging. These issues require the church to reposition itself and redefine its ministry because the church's call for change generated conflict with those who wanted to preserve the status quo. Where elections have been held there is need for unity and co-operation that are pre-requisites for peace and reconstruction. In Uganda, for example, the churches have formed an organ called "Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC)" which combines the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches.
Reference notes that the Religious organizations helped many countries to draft the new constitutions. In countries like Benin, Congo, Togo and DRC, religious leaders were asked to be speakers of parliament. In Togo, for example, a bishop acted as speaker of parliament for two years and in Congo, a bishop acted in the same capacity for almost four years. In Liberia, during the war, the head of the Lutheran Church was
They engage themselves in civic education of the whole population and are at the forefront of political and social issues of the country, especially election monitoring. They insist that they have the God-given moral duty to enlighten Christians to see that in advancing the values of democracy, they are advancing the values of God's kingdom. Reference notes that at present, Professor John Mary Waliggo, who is a Catholic priest, was appointed by Government to be head of Uganda Human Rights Commission. This is a major breakthrough of the recognition that the church has a stake in the socio-economic and political advancement of the country.
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Reference shows that in Kenya, the church has played a significant role in the politics of the country. The first Joint Pastoral letter of the Archbishops, bishops and Prefects Apostolic of Kenya was in July 1960. This letter was written at the time when Kenya was still finding its political bearing. Kenyatta and other leaders were still in prison. The letter was encouraging Kenya to independence. The concern for peace and pastoral admonitions against tribalism and revenge must be understood in the context of the Mau Mau struggle, which was still fresh in people's memories. The next significant letter was written on Independence and Peace on the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of Independence, 12th December 1973. In it the Bishops speak about peace which was threatened by greed for power and wealth. Other letters followed some written directly to the president. In 1988, the Kenya Episcopal Conference established a "Justice and Peace Commission" which provided inspiration and support to promote peace and justice. Through this Commission they have spoken for the people during times of elections. They have assisted through "National Ecumenical Civic Education Program" to monitor elections. To this day this program is actively involved in the Constitutional Review process. There are also individual religious leaders who speak out whenever people's rights and freedoms are at stake. Notable among the vocal religious leaders are retired Archbishop Raphael Ndingi of the Catholic Church, The Anglican retired Bishop David Gitari and Sheik Balala, of Mombasa, a Muslim who was very political minded but later became silent for reasons which are not clear to the public. Other religious leaders have occasional political outbursts whenever there is a crisis although not out of principle. It’s a pity that in Africa, some African religious leaders avoid
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political issues affecting their countries and support the established order. The leaders argue that their role is to pray and not to be involved in politics. This category of leaders holds that politics is a "dirty game" that any religious person worth his/her vocation must disassociate and distance oneself from. They are quick to quote the Biblical episode concerning the payment of taxes to the Romans in Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 22:1522; Luke 20:20-21. In these texts, Jesus gave the answer: "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar." They read into this answer a general principle of the legality and autonomy of states in regard to religious associations. There are such Churches in Kenya like, Seventh Day Adventists, Salvation Army, Society of Friends, Africa Inland Church, African Gospel Church, Pentecostal Assemblies of God and the Church of God, that have distanced themselves from the National Council of Churches, partly because of its involvement in politics. Such Churches take the view that involvement in politics is not within their institutional interest and violates their understanding of Christian mission. Religious leaders who despise politics give the impression that God is not interested or concerned with people’s socio-political, economic issues but only the salvation of their souls. To them religion has nothing to do with the social life of the people and politics is the sin of the highest order. This kind of religion is built on the foundation stone of the Hellenistic idea of the disembodied soul in which matter is sin. This is the kind of Christianity that some missionaries preached. Our reaction is that if God is interested only in the salvation of souls, many people do not need such a God. Man is much more than the soul; the love of neighbour means also caring for the body as well. Jesus made this statement to the tricky political question he was asked, whether it is lawful to pay tax to Caesar or not. The fact that, Jesus answered the questions quickly shows that he had interest in political matters. The master of
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Christianity, Jesus, was involved and committed to politics. Therefore, the actual religious leaders should be committed to politics. It should be noted that, since religious leaders are God's servants for
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ensuring promotion of justice and righteousness, they must criticize the state if it does not promote justice and human dignity.
Diocese of Abyei for Relief and Development By Rt Rev Michael Deng Introducing ADARD United behind the simple phrase or motto “sustain hunger, rebuild broken wall & revive faith” Anglican Diocese of Abyei has a new organization formed to provide direct action to alleviate the most pressing social beyond. ADARD is seeking Partners and Donors who have similar aims by making extensive connections to the world so that its existing projects might be funded as its’ created a potent force in terms of good governing that witnessed in public faith. Known by its acronym ADARD the aim of this organisation is to sustain hunger, rebuild broken wall and revive faith and positively transform the lives of disillusioned and disadvantaged people, through relief, education, improved health, economics, agriculture and evangelism in Abyei region and entire of South Sudan and beyond. Food insecurity, illiteracy, and poor health facilities combine to take a terrible toll on the people of Abyei-South Sudan, stifling development in a newly free country. ADARD will also work towards capacity building of the South Sudanese so that they are able to mobilize and utilize their own local resources for peaceful co-existence, sustainable development and for their collective and individual wellbeing. As an organization ADARD believes that the most important asset that Abyei-South Sudan has is its people and so it is looking to build up the people of South Sudan without segregation
or discrimination and encourage them to make the best use of scarce resources for the good of all. In a country peppered with people affected by the traumas of War and revenges, ADARD will work hard to support people getting rid of hatred and tribalism. ADARD will help in education, health units, water sanitation, peace building and reconciliation. Already ADARD has established headquarter in Agok town –Abyei region and has so far opened branch office in Juba to monitoring its projects. ADARD also raised some money to fund agriculture sorghum farm with approx. to 3km in order to support local projects such as two primary schools, one clinic in Agok Unit, Mother Union embroidery, Abyei Anglican Bible School known by its acronym (AABS), evangelism and orphans. Future plans for CARD include opening a Girls Boarding School with 25 Dormitories, 10 classrooms and 5 offices for 500 students. ADARD will also submit its concept paper for a food security programme in Abyei Special Administrative Area in an attempt to address food insecurity in the region. ADARD is an organization that seeks to offer the practical assistance to the basic and ordinary people needs to attain dignity and self-reliance in life. www.adard.org
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Baptism and Adventure in Wanyjok Area By Rev Marach William Dear brethren I greet you in Jesus name. We went to the high land to open a new church but with our great happiness we found 58 people prepared for baptism. People were so happy in the church now some of our vision is about to be achieved in Wanyjok area to spread good news to everyone within the vicinity of Wanyjok. We faced some challenges and these were the issues of mobility but we were able to make it to our destination and come back though some of our members were injured by motor bike accident and some have different accidents we still thank God. We went to the high land in place called RiangAbuk- Arol. That church was planned by me and our youth information officer Michael WOL
Garang. As of now he is the one leading it and will run the activities as well in collaboration with me. The pastor who went to baptise people and confirmed the leadership was Rev James Dut Majok. In transport we have no motorbike so it was a struggle to get a motor bike for hire and it was the one who was hired that caused an accident on the way. The church itself has no building but is a church that gathers on the open under a tree, we will be working on it to make a church building as soon as we can. I visited Rumkeet Archdeaconry on one Sunday, the attendance of youths was very high but few elders came. The church was actually going on well, I was preacher on Sunday there. The 1st reading was 1 kings 12:1-20 and it was talking about giving good advice instead of the wrong advice. The second reading gospel was from Matthew 12:22-28 and it was talking about accepting the power of God as real instead of rejection as Jesus helped the man with demons
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who was not able to see and speak. So people said it is not God’s power but the power of the Devil so we as Christians we have to distance ourselves from the worldly desires of evil and to accept that God has all power. In this area is the
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church building that had fallen down the local people said they will be working to make bricks at the dry season to rebuild it now which is wonderful news. Thanks God bless you
Please pray for everyone who was baptised and came to faith on the day of this visit and for the team that brought Jesus to them.
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Pictures from Rumkeet Parish
Please pray for the people of Rumkeet parish especially the Youth there. Please also pray for the rebuilding of the church.
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A Terrible Event By the Most Rev Moses Deng Bol Sadly some people have decided to burn the home of the Governor of Gogrial State the Hon Atem Atem at Mayom Chol near the Headquarters of the defunct Gogrial East County, Lietnhom. They burned a hut with 18 cows and 50 goats in it, a traditional food granary with food inside and two traditional houses in which family members were sleeping. According to eyewitnesses the attackers had woken the wife of the Governor and children up and told them to leave the house before burning it. This at least save their lives of which we thank God for. The motive of the attack is not yet clear, however it is widely suspected that this attack is related to the Governor’s crack down on perpetrators of the Apuk-Aguok conflict. Since his appointment as Governor of Gogrial State Hon Atem has been working hard to ensure that the perpetrators of Aguok- Apuk conflict are punished and the conflict is resolved once and for all. This is said to have angered some politicians who used the Apuk-Aguok conflict as a tool for lobbying for appointment into the position of the Governor of Gogrial State. According to reliable sources these politicians fear that President Kiir may not remove Hon Atem from the office as Governor of Gogrial State any time soon if he succeeds in resolving the AguokApuk conflict. Hence there will be no chance for any of them to be appointed as Governor. May the Lord encourage and strengthen Governor Atem and his family in order to bear the pain and touch the hearts of those who did these evil acts to repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness and blessing for them and their families and all the people of Gogrial in particular and South Sudan in general. God bless South Sudan.
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Lion of Judah Medical Centre Abyei Diocese A Construction Proposal by Rt Rev Michael Deng
Proposed Budget:
1,771,000 SSP = $9,000 USD
Duration of Project:
12 months
Commencement:
As soon as fund available
Beneficiaries:
5,000 children and 7,000 adults
Introduction – A brief history of Abyei Since 08/2011 (independence of South Sudan) Abyei has suffered over land disputes. We believe that the land belongs to the nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdoms who transferred from South to North by the Anglo-Egyptian condominium in 1905. The first war erupted in 1955; the people of Abyei fought effectively with the people in the South in order to gain an autonomous government. People of Abyei were given a chance to conduct a community referendum during the Addis-Ababa Agreement in 1972, to decide whether they will remain independent in the North or join the Southerners. A comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 in Kenya gave nine Ngok Dinka tribes a right to vote whether to remain in North or join their brothers and sisters in the South, and also gave the Arab Misseriya a right to access land in Abyei with their cattle during the dry season. Unfortunately the referendum was not conducted, and that increased tensions between South and North Sudan. Sadly, and through this tension, Abyei was burnt down to ashes twice by the Armed Forces of the Khartoum regime in 2008-2011. Hundreds of innocent civilians were killed and the fighting
forced thousands to flee their neighbouring states and towns.
home
to
Currently the Community Referendum conducted in 2013 was not recognized by both of the two Sudans, and this makes the place dangerous as people are vulnerable and frequently afraid of attacks, harassment and intimidation by Arab Misseriya supported by the Khartoum regime. The ECSS/Diocese of Abyei has a better move to address the issues of people by having a clear vision on the needs of our people in terms of medications, food security, agriculture schemes, relief, shelters and evangelism. The Diocese hopes to embark on this and begin with a reflection on its past and present situation and possible alternative ways that could follow moving into a bright future. The Diocese believes that there is an opportunity to work in partnership with organizations and agencies who share in the same vision, mission and core value statements, so that we can be able to move our people effectively into a better life. Summary of SWOT Analysis: The Anglican Diocese of Abyei’s current position is best defined by the summary of its strengths,
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weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) as presented below: 1. Strengths: (a) Its image as a Christian entity working for the Kingdom of God, (b) Good credibility and reputation that the Anglican Diocese of Abyei enjoys with church constituency is highly ranked as the second largest church in the Abyei region. (c) Presence of a good organizational structure of diocese administration with a committed staff working voluntarily to spread the Gospel of Christ to unreached people. (d) A well managed church council that is working effectively for transformation of society around to love activities.
3. Opportunities: (a) Adopt a more proactive marketing campaign. (b) Opportunity for creating an endowment fund. (c) The existence of stronger relations with the donor community. (d) Availability of a physical assets base with potential for future development.
4. Threats; (a) Encroachment of Islam into the Abyei region. (b) Declining funding from donors partly due to shifts in donor focus. (c) A growing poverty situation in whole South Sudan
2. Weaknesses:
(d) Economic generally.
(a) Poor offertory is made by church members resulting from the large number of churchgoers who are living without salaries or daily income.
5. Core Values:
(b) Many people that come to the church are expecting to get something out of the church by assuming that church is a source of life including daily food rations, shelters, medicines, schools, money, water sanitation and so forth. (c) Inadequate clear and proactive marketing strategy. (d) Having few self-funding projects to assure sustainability. (e) Inadequate defined human resource functions and support of church activities. (f) Inadequate well-defined quality assurance processes.
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Sudan
(a) We are committed to providing professional services with integrity, ethically, accountably, transparently, ecumenically and in keeping with Anglican (ECSS) Christian principles. (b) We accept the call of love and care in Christian relationships with clients and other organizations.
6. Overall Project Goals: This proposed project is to build the Lion of Judah Anglican Medical Centre in Agok church compound to reduce the Queue in Agok Government hospital and MSF, to contribute in developmental programme in the Abyei region. So far, the ECSS Diocese of Abyei is taking a proactive approach to ensure a sustainable and self-sufficient future by campaigning in the development process, using a strategic plan for
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promoting income generation projects such as a Medical Clinic and Agricultural schemes. Therefore, to eradicate chronic diseases such as Malaria, Typhoid, Diarrhoea and Cholera, the ECSS Diocese of Abyei “Lion of Judah Anglican Medical Centre” will address the abovementioned issues. The Clinic will be run by highly professional trained personnel ready to serve the patents in a good manner. Medical facilities will be providied immediately after the completion of building project.
5. Project funding and support: ECSS/Diocese of Abyei is looking for donors and partnership to fund this important project for the benefit of the Abyei community and other beneficiaries in the region.
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walking are compelled to cross a river to gain treatment at Agok community hospital. Hence, the Lion of Judah Anglican Medical Centre will therefore, address these enormous challenges once the construction is completed.
b. Project Objective -To provide 7,000 adults and 5,000 school children with treatment, by constructing a Medical Centre at the ECSS Diocese inside the church premises. - To assist pupils and sick people to easily access their local medical check ups here, rather than having to cross the river during the rainy season when it is flooded with water looking for treatment. However, if a case is beyond ECSS Agok Medical Centre’s capacity, then there would a possibility of referral of a patient to different Hospitals like Abyei/Agok Hospitals and MSCF.
6. Vision Agok town has been divided into more than four suburbs or villages. The Diocese of Abyei Primary School including the church compound is located in the north part of the riverbank. This School has more than (4,000) pupils, and it has become so difficult for them and for elders as well, to cross the river to Agok main Hospital, when they get sick. It is upon this background that the ECSS Church community members would like to build a Clinic, which will help pupils and elders to easily access their treatments inside the Church/School compound during the rainy season without much difficulty.
a. Problem Statement During the rainy season, the small river (brook) is usually flooding. It becomes very difficult for pupils and elders to cross the river to have treatment access at Agok Hospital with ease. The situation even becomes more complicated when very sick elderly people who have difficulty
c. Project Beneficiaries Anglican Diocese of Abyei is building a Medical Centre with the following standard for 5,000 pupils, 7,000 outpatients and only 3-4 (24 hours) inpatients. Other people within Agok town and surrounding areas are targeted to this important project.
d. Project Context This project aims to address the needs of people in Agok village who have a significant number of challenges during the rainy season as far as concerns crossing the river looking for treatment. The most vulnerable groups are pupils and elderly sick people. Construction of the Lion of Judah Anglican Medical Centre in Agok-Unit will solve this problem for good.
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e. Proposed Budget for the Project S/N
Item
1.
Logs of (teak 400 pieces tree) 1.5 m long Bricks 100,000
2 2. 3. 4 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Quantity
Sheet of Zincs Truck Aggregates Bags Cement Timber (4X2) Nails (4 inches) Labour: Skilled Unskilled Transport Miscellaneous Grant Total Amount in SSP Pound And in Required
Dollar
Unit Price (SSP) =400X4, 000 =
Amount (SSP) 160,000 SSP
200 pieces 3 trips
=200,000X6, 000=1,200,000 SSP =200X4, 000 =3X20, 000 = 60,000 SSP
=1,200,000 SSP =80,000 SSP =60,000 SSP
100 bags 200 pieces 50kg 2 people 4 people
=100X8, 000= 80,000 SSP =200X2, 000=40,000 SSP =50X1, 000 =25,000 SSP 1,000X2=2,000X30days=60,000 SSP =500X4=2,000X30days= 60,000 SSP
=80,000 SSP =40,000 SSP =25,000 SSP =60,000 SSP =60,000 SSP 100,000 SSP 50,000 SSP
1,771,000 SSP=
$9,000 USD
f. Implementation Body
8. Role of local government
The ECSS Diocese of Abyei Development Committee will implement this project in a participatory approach-involving representatives of the community, community leaders and local government staff.
The local government of the Abyei Special Administrative Area will participate in the awareness campaign on the needs of people and children in North-bank of Agok town for medical treatments. They are concerned about the risk and danger of children and elderly people when crossing this small Brook (river) especially in flowing season between August and October looking for medicines.
7. Monitoring and evaluation The Diocesan council will monitor and evaluate in terms of internal and external outcome of this project. Monitoring and evaluation of this project will take place after six months and finally at the end of the project period. Reports will monitor how inputs are being made and how outputs are being achieved. Financial reports will reflect the budget description and projected costs. Financial reports will have an income, expenditure, shortfall or balance remaining.
9. Accountability and Transparency So far, the ECSS Diocese of Abyei will be accountable and responsible for the funds given by our partners to construct the Lion of Judah Medical Centre. Again, our council will work openly with our respective partners or donors, so that transparency, monitoring and evaluating will be clear for all stakeholders. The ECSS Diocese of Abyei as a facilitator will arrange and present accurate reports by the end of the project for all partners concerned.
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10. Project Conclusion: In Summary: Again, we believe that the context in which we are operating now, makes such a project imperative. This project so far, has proved to be a favourable proposal and strategic plan in terms of a Health developmental scheme of ECSS Diocese of Abyei church members, the entire community of the Abyei region and beyond.
We thank God, the Father Almighty by making us moving well in His ministry to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving relief to the needy and treatments for sick people. Rt. Revd. Michael Deng K. Bol, Bishop of Diocese of Abyei- South Sudan E-mail Address: abyeianglicanchurch@hotmail.com Ph.: +211925120000
Mission and Preaching in Wanyjok Area By Rev Marach William Leaders Trained The Episcopal church of Wanyjok Area at St Paul’s cathedral have trained 94 church leaders of both pastors elders and Mothers Union in the following archdeaconries : 1 Malual Bai Archdeaconry from its far north of Majok Yienhthiou in the high land to its low land of Adoor. 2. Wanyjok Archdeaconry from its far north of Rumakeer to the low land Mayen Adhoot. 3. Yargot Archdeaconry. 4.Rumkeet Archdeaconry from the high land of Warlang Garam to the low land of Mangok. 5. Wunyiik Chaplaincy.
The topics covered in the training are:
Church development.
Discipleship and church planting.
Live the life of a Christian.
Resource mobilisation and their management.
Stewardship.
Roles and responsibilities of the church council.
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OBJECTIVES These are the objectives of the training that was provided 1. Transformation of the churches and development. 2. Strengthening the faith of church leaders. 3. Keep the usual unity in community 4. To be self-supportive. 5. To know each other.
ACHIEVEMENTS. The trainees achieved much from their training including these points: 1. They learned how to bring people to Christianity as in Matthew 28: 1-20. 2. They gained knowledge about how to get resources. 3. They understand responsibilities.
their
roles
and
4. They understand the way of using available resources and management.
CONCLUSION. The training had given all the church leaders awesome love to be Christians who are able to support themselves and also have the desire to plant more churches. This will help everyone to come in repentance of their heart and ask God for forgiveness and to be saved in his kingdom. In addition the participants were very grateful for the successful work done and they are In need of such a training to keep on being organised after every three months if possible. We indeed are thankful to God for this wonderful achievement and
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thank Rt Rev Bishop Joseph Mamer Manot and his administration, may God bless Wanyjok Area AMEN!
Primary School Gospel The Episcopal church of Wanyjok Area and Wunyiik Chaplaincy have extended the Gospel to school children on 3rd of October 2018 at Santo Ayang primary school. The reading used was James 5:11-17 it was talking about patience and prayer. The school administration was very happy and pleased for the word of God to have been extended to the school children and wish it to continue. The pupils also expressed their happiness for hearing the Gospel. We are also very happy for the word of God to have been accepted to be preached in the school. Santo Ayang school is lacking a football for pupils and volley ball as well, if they could get one they would be grateful to the donor. Thanks God bless you by Marach William
Prison Preaching The number of inmates planned to attend this event was 152 but on the day of this particular Sunday were 151, so one lucky person was released. The prison administration thanked the Episcopal Church of Wanyjok for the bold decision taken to share the Gospel with them and the prisoners. They were rejoicing and they are requesting that the church leadership does not discontinue this initiative. They also said no other church denominations came up with what the Diocese of Wanyjok have done for them. They said it will help them to have peace with
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the inmates now and they will not again escape themselves to put them in to a problem situation but they will repent their hearts and ask for release instead of trying to escape. This mission contributes to the development of Wanyjok since the mission of Wanyjok Area is to preach the gospel to all people so that they can be saved in God’s kingdom forever. This is our concern and
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hope to be rewarded by Almighty God as it is written in Matthew 28:16-20 go and make every one my disciples and teach them all that I have commanded you and surely I will be with you always even to the end of the age. Rev Marach William is the Wanjok Area communications officer.
A Preacher for the Luo Community By Unang Arkangelo Jacob The Luo community were very blessed recently to receive preaching in the Good Shepherd Cathedral by a guest preacher introduced through Rev Andrew Apiny the director of the CARD NGO agency. The people right at the front of the congregation and listening intently were the youth of the Luo congregation in Good Shepherd cathedral in Wau Diocese. During the welcome of the visiting preacher who came with Archbishop Moses she was asked to preach on that Sunday morning. The sermon that was preached was about Philip who was led by the Holy Spirit to assist an Ethiopian minister in the book of Acts. The story can be found in the New Testament of the Bible in the book of Acts chapter 8 verses 26 to 40. In this story we can plainly see that Phillip’s preaching to the minister was the main thing that let the word of God come to Ethiopia (Sudan). The congregation thought about God blessing them through the words of a stranger. So they were all happy and for me my opinion is that as I was the programmer I saw them so happy. The youth and all the Luo community present on that Sunday listened quietly showing that the preacher’s words were so interesting. This woman guest was also special because she was the first person who is a white pastor to visit our community in Wau.
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The Role of the Church in Nation Building: Words of Renewal (2009-2019) A Book by the Most Rev Moses Deng Bol – Available through Amazon.com The Role of the Church in Nation Building contains sermons from 2009 to 2019. These are indeed words of renewal as the subtitle confesses. These handpicked yearly sermons educate your mind about what it means to be a born again Christian. This book helps you think about your individual roles in nation building, before you complain about what others aren’t doing right. The book defines Trinity as a unity we all must embrace as individual Christians in South Sudan, Africa and as the body of Christ all over the world. It teaches us how to relate and be united with God in a personal level. This personal relationship with God affects how we treat our own selves and others around us. The book divides the year into church times and seasons, where different things happen. This yearly division occurs throughout the book for a purpose of making each year’s plans and actions as clear as possible. As the book itself is made of words, sentences, paragraphs and pages, each year is made up of microseconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. As you read this book, we pray that your soul may find true peace—peace beyond the written documents. We hope that you will experience
personal identity with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We pray that this union with God will bring true peace and joy into your life, family, tribe and nation. God bless you
This book celebrates 10 years of ministry for Archbishop Moses and can be had as either a Kindle book from this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JCR74BF or The print edition can also be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1726630943
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CARD Distributes Hygiene Kits in Barwol By Rev. Andrew Apiny CARD and Islamic Relief together distributed non food items to Internally Displaced Persons in Barwol who had settled there in July and August. CARD was tasked in August by the WASH cluster to carry out verification of this IDP group. The Verification showed that hygiene was a major concern. In the second week of September the two organizations distributed Hygiene kits, flash sheet, mats, water jerrycans and hand washing facilities to improve the situation. These images were taken during this deployment.
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Mary Aliny’s Amazing Story By Rev Joseph Uyu Mary Aliny was born in Nyoch village in 1996 and was married to Daniel Ucuir in 2012. Mary Aliny got mad in 2016, the madness was caused by the devil called King Gordit living under the Hill called Gotmaron. King Gordit is the divine powerful god, who has his soldiers. They caught Mary Aliny and drove her to their dwelling place in 2011 before she got married. Mary gave birth to three spiritual children with devil Gordit, two boys and one girl they are by names: Nhial, Awien, and Dut and three physical children, one passed away and two lived. When she got married, the devil feel bad about that, and sent his soldiers to Mary Aliny and drove her to Gotmoron where they are living, when she reached there, Gordit gave her an object to swallow which is containing powers of the devil, but after swallowing that object, she got mad at the same time and came back home while she was making noises and fighting with people. Her husband took her to 17 witch doctors but there was no remedy, the madness was increasing. Then King Gordit said, that Mary Aliny will produce physical children but they will be killed. When Mary gave birth to her first born, the child died shortly after, and the devils ate the child in presence of Mary Aliny, the mother. Mary was visited by an Evangelism team. When
the Evangelism team prayed for her, she vomited an object which the devil had given her and she swallowed. Now Mary Aliny is free from the devil’s prison. When she realized herself, she felt happy so much and has seen the blissful day as a good time for her to resume her house work as she was doing it before. Mary had joined the Evangelism team in the villages, she gives herself to everyone as an example.
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Contacting Us: www.nbg.southsudan.anglican.org By E-mail
Internal Province Archbishop Most Rev Moses Deng Bol : nbg_archbishop@southsudan.anglican.org Internal Province Secretary Rev Peter Akook (acting) :
nbg_secretary@southsudan.anglican.org
General Enquiries Rev Samual Mabith :
nbg_communications@southsudan.anglican.org
By Post: Hai Mozephin, Opposite Wau Teaching Hospital, C/o ECS Provincial Office, P O BOX 110, Juba, South Sudan
By Telephone: Tel +211 926954187 or +211 955602769
Warrap State Peace Mobiliser Mrs Rose Aciendhel Kacthiek
+254 716641233
+211 914191558 roseaciendel@yahoo.com
Lord we pray that the coming time of Advent may be a peaceful time for South Sudan. We ask that as we celebrate your coming to us as a baby in Bethlehem at Christmas that we remember that you came as Prince of Peace for all. Amen. - Amen
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Please Pray With Us Pray for the hardworking clergy and volunteers of Northern Bahr el Ghazel Internal Province who work without pay in difficult conditions.
Please pray for all people exposed to famine and danger in South Sudan, that they may be safe and fed. Pray for the hardworking students at schools in Church Schools in all five NBG Dioceses Pray for the South Sudan Pastors Fellowship as a way to spread peace in South Sudan. Give thanks to God for the successful Baptism event and the foundation of a new church. Give thanks to God for the opportunity to preach to prisoners and school children. Give thanks to God for the safe escape of people from the burning bus. Pray for the work of ADARD in Abyei Diocese that it may help many people there. Pray for the work of the rebuilding of the collapsed church. Pray for the various diocesan and parish staff working in different parts of the Internal Province. Give Thanks for the generosity of many partners supporting projects both large and small. Pray for the situation of food security in South Sudan so that people may have enough to eat. Pray for security in South Sudan so that ordinary people can live their lives peacefully.
Church prayers needs Pray for Bishop Justin Badi the Primate Elect of the ECSS that God may protect and guide him. Pray for Archbishop the Most. Rev Moses Deng Bol, who works so hard, pray that God will help him to do what needs to be done for the new internal province. Pray for Bishop Abraham Ngor – the Bishop of Gogrial Diocese. Pray for Bishop Peter Yuol Gur – the Bishop of Tonj Diocese. Pray for Bishop Joseph Mamer Manot – the new bishop of Wanyjok area in Aweil Diocese. Pray for Bishop Peter Garang Akuei– the new bishop of Nyamlel area in Aweil Diocese. Pray for all pastors, priests, deacons and assistants in Northern Bahr el Ghazel. Pray for the Mothers Union, their work and the new provincial leadership of Mary Achol. Pray for all newly trained church leaders taking up leadership tasks that God may guide them well. Pray for the development of theology colleges in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. Pray for the work of the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Committee. Pray for all Christians working hard to build and sustain peaceful co existence in faith. Give thanks to God for the successful House of Bishops meeting for the whole ECSS held in Juba. Give thanks to God for the repair of the borehole in the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Wau.