The Death of an Archdeacon

The Institute On Religion And Democracy ^ | October 23, 2009 | Faith J.H. McDonnell

[lastchance]

...On Aug. 29 a militia of Lou Nuer killed 43 people and wounded 62 in Wernyol, a Dinka town. Among the dead was Episcopal Church of Sudan archdeacon Joseph Mabior Garang, killed while officiating at a morning prayer service.

Most likely, the militia (and its sponsors) targeted Mabior because he was a prominent, beloved leader in the community. He had recently become archbishop of Twic East diocese, newly formed to accommodate the fast-growing church in Bor county, which is part of Jonglei state in South Sudan.

...After Mabior's death, Daau phoned Nathaniel Garang, the bishop of Bor. "Son, I lost a strong man, a follower of the living Christ who never hesitated to preach the gospel of Christ to our people," Garang said as he wept. "He was like my frontline captain as he and I preached the gospel . . . a great intercessor . . . a pastor and a leader . . . full of patience and love . . . very humble. . . . He would always want to care and serve in any circumstance."

[lastchance]

Please pray for all the martyrs of the faith.

[mckenzie7]

The article finished with "President Obama's Sudan Special Envoy, Major General Scott Gration, has expressed willingness to help renegotiate terms of the CPA at Khartoum's request. But a big question for the administration is whether Khartoum can renegotiate in good faith. At a July hearing on Capitol Hill, SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum Okiech warned that the Khartoum regime had distributed 79,000 AK-47s to militias throughout Sudan. At the same time, the government of South Sudan is under pressure from the UN, U.S. Agency for International Development, and others to collect guns from civilians in South Sudan. The imbalance leaves Southern villages vulnerable to war, not peace.

Once the good are disarmed, the criminals have free reign!

Heavenly Father, please look with compassion on your people and all peace loving people in the Sudan and keep them under your heavenly protection, I ask this in Jesus name. Amen!

[SuziQ]

I just finished a fascinating, if depressing book set in Africa. It's fiction; several short stories written from the point of view of children, and how they deal with the chaos milling around them. The book is "Say You're One of Them", written by Uwem Akpan, an African Jesuit priest.

No resolutions, and tragedy abounds, but fascinating, nonetheless. What I took from the book, is that Africa will never be prosperous until it learns how to deal with the problem of 'tribes'. Christianity has helped, but unfortunately, it is sometimes a thin veneer over the long held animist beliefs of the people, and their tribal loyalties often over-ride their Faith, leading them to do unspeakable things to each other.