Voice of Hope Newsletter of the Diocese of Kajo-Keji Issue 9 November 2014 Canon Benaiah Poggo College Michael Blyth Editorial Fools for Christ Rev. Jacob Haasnoot In 1 Corinthians 4:10 the apostle Paul talks about church leaders as fools for Christ. That does not sound very flattering! Paul is using irony here but his point is that as servants of Christ we should not be afraid to go against expectations of people around us. In Kajo-Keji we have witnessed that a number of Christians have protected Ma di people against threads and violence from their own Kuku people. These Christians were seen as foolish by some. Why would you help the other side? Why would you risk your own safety? In this issue Editorial (Fools for Christ) 1 Word from the Bishop 2 Week of Witness 3 Church leaders for peace 4 2014 House of Bishops 4 Cress conferences 5 Cress Family Day 6 Equipping leaders 7 Confirmation at Cathedral 7 The message of the Gospel is not so much about believing the right thing but it is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Even if people label our actions as strange or foolish. That is our calling. Saint Francis of Assisi, a fool for God, wrote: Lord, make me a channel of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 1
Word from the Bishop Rt. Rev d. Anthony D. Poggo During the month of September the Kuku and Ma di communities experienced a conflict that resulted to the death, injury and displacement of many people from both sides. The Kuku of Kajo-Keji County in South Sudan and Ma di of Moyo District are neighbouring tribes. They have had a history of good neighbourliness and intermarriages with occasional conflict between them. The recent conflict can be traced back to an August incident related to the Ugandan national census exercise, when a group of leaders from Moyo led by Chairman of district local authority, known as Local Council (LC) 5, went to a contested area at the border. This team was arrested by the South Sudan police and upon their release relationships deteriorated, especially when the LC of Moyo came up with resolutions which were interpreted to mean the expulsion of all Kuku people from Moyo district. On the 15 th September there were demonstrations, which led to the burning of Kuku grass thatched houses in Moyo and a Church in Afoji (Moyo district) that is used mainly by Kuku people. The torching of huts continued as a number of Kuku people crossed over to Kajo-Keji in large numbers. On Thursday 18 September a group of people crossed from a village in Moyo to A baya village where they killed one young man. Several other people were also beaten and cut by machetes, including a pregnant woman, Mary Pita, (at the time of writing, Mary had been discharged from Juba hospital where she was evacuated and was again re-admitted within 24 hours, this time to deliver a healthy baby). The incident of the 18 September led the Kuku people to organize themselves to retaliate. Despite the efforts of the Commissioner and church leaders to call for peace, many people went to the border with bows and arrows to fight. Peace was only restored when the two governments arranged for high level discussions in Moyo on Saturday 20 September which brought an end to attacks. One of the resolutions reached was the deployment of joint security forces at the common border. This has helped improve the situation. Bishop Anthony Poggo On 13 October religious leaders from Moyo and Kajo-Keji met to work towards peace between the Kuku and the Ma di communities. We were also keen to find the causes of the conflict and work towards reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness. We concluded our statement with the following words: Jesus Christ has made the ministry of reconciliation at the cross and has reconciled us to the Father, now we are given the same charge to reconcile others. From 2 Cor 5:18-21.. We realise that this is going to be a long process. Pray with the leaders as we work towards this at the grassroots level so that it goes to the county/district level and on to the national level for a resolution of this conflict. Week of Witness In spite of all this, we have been able to go ahead with our annual evangelistic week, the Week of Witness, known in Bari as, Jima Tokoret. Evangelists from across the diocese shared the word of God from Sunday 12 to Sunday 19 October. We thank God for the response to God s word. Our theme this year was taken from 2 Corinthians 6:17 which says Come out from them and be separate (...) and I will receive you". Pray for the people who responded to God s word that they would continue to bear fruit that will endure forever. Reconciliation As religious leaders, we have been distressed to see people who have lived together hate and kill each other. Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 2
Word from the Bishop cont. House of Bishops in Kajo-Keji We are also busy with the preparation to host this year s meeting of the House of Bishops that is taking plac from 20 to 24 November. We are expecting over 36 Bishops with their spouses. Pray for the preparations and also for this important meeting. Week of Witness Rev. Joseph Aba The whole body of Christ, in obedience to the last powerful commandment of Christ in Matthew 28:19 reached the whole Kajo-Keji County with the Gospel on 12-19 October, 2014. Our theme was: Come out of them and be separate. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17). Over 250 missionaries were sent to over 110 places for 8 days. The mission teams met up with local teams at each location. Every day they went to visit villages, homes, centres, markets and individuals. Crusades were launched in big towns like Wudu, Mere, Jalimo, Bori, Liwolo etc. Over 120,000 people were reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With thousands we prayed for healing and hundreds were converted to Jesus Christ. There are incredible and amazing testimonies of healing and deliverance throughout the Diocese. The Name of Jesus be praised! Photograph by Stephen Tomor Kenyi Week of Witness in Liwolo Listeners at Week of Witness in Wudu Town Below: Rev Joseph Aba & Rev Canon Emmanuel Murye at the Open air preaching in Wudu Audience at Week of Witness in Wudu Town Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 3
Church leaders for peace 2014 House of Bishops Bishop Anthony The Archbishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan has selected the Diocese of Kajo-Keji to host this year s annual meeting of the House of Bishops. This will take place from Thursday 20 to Monday 24 November 2014 in Romoggi, Kajo-Keji. The over 36 Bishops will be accompanied by their spouses; we are also expecting Bishops from overseas to join the ECSS & S Bishops in this meeting. Church leaders meeting to promote peace On 13 October 2014 church leaders from different denominations from both Moyo district (Uganda) and Kajo-Keji County came together in Kajo-Keji to work towards peace after the unfortunate incidents between Kuku and Ma di communities. The meeting was chaired by Bishop Anthony Poggo. Please pray for the various committees that are working hard to prepare for this meeting which will be the first of its kind in Kajo-Keji. Pray for the needed resources for holding such a meeting. If you would like to contribute towards the budget in cash or in kind, please call +211-9556736992 or write to hobkk2014@gmail.com The main purpose of the meeting was to establish the causes of the conflict and work towards reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness. In the resolutions that were passed the council urged both governments to look into the demarcation of the international borderland resolve this issue with haste. It also called on church leaders, government and local authorities on both sides of the border to encourage reunion of alienated and broken families. The council itself resolved to give public acknowledgement of those who helped on both sides of the border during this conflict. It also wants to organize meetings to promote reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness. An Interdenominational Committee (IDC) was established, charged with implementing the proposed resolutions. The council concluded its statement with a verse from 2 Cor. 5:18-21: Jesus Christ has made the ministry of reconciliation at the cross and has reconciled us to the Father, now we are given the same charge to reconcile others. Above: Emmanuel Cathedral. Below: Organizing committee for the House of Bishops meeting in Kajo-Keji Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 4
Conferences for Clergy & Sunday school teachers Rev. Joseph Aba Pastors with Bishop Anthony in the centre at the CRESS Conference Building the capacity of Clergy and other church leaders is one of the benchmarks for fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission. The Diocese of Kajo-Keji together with her partner Cress and St James Parish, Devizes Deanery (UK) organized conferences for Clergy and Sunday school teachers from 9-12 September 2014 at the Emmanuel Cathedral in Romogi. The conferences attracted 150 participants from Kajo-Keji and the neighbouring dioceses of Rajaf, Lainya and Terekeka. The aim was to train, equip and empower leaders to become more grounded in their relationship with God, family and self. The four days were fully engaged by worship, devotional Bible study, inspiring lessons, ministering to heart, praises, dancing and good meals. Lesson topics were (among others): A vision for Christian family, My vision and my calling, Dealing with disappointment, Being empowered by Holy spirit and Communicating well. We were really blessed with anointed, gifted and competent facilitators from St James Parish and Chalke Valley Deanery for both conferences. Every single participant appreciated the conference and there was a clear manifestation of the presence of Holy Spirit among his children. Many testified healing from various sickness and diseases. Every person went back refreshed, rekindled and empowered. We appreciate St James Parish and Cress for funding and facilitating these conferences. Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 5
Cress Family Day 2014 Rev. Joseph Aba Duduka Rev. Canon Charles Kenyi gives a testimony Time to play games with the children Christian Relief and Education South Sudan United Kingdom (CRESS-UK) is an organization formed in 2010 to help poor South Sudanese to meet their basic needs. Cress partners with the Diocese of Kajo-Keji, supporting Diocesan staff members who work sacrificially and sponsoring (their) children for primary and secondary education. The sponsorship is done on a relationship base. It is reciprocal relationship. The child is linked directly with the sponsor. The child writes a letter to the sponsor every year and a school report and thanksgiving letter from the parents is attached. The child and parents always pray for the sponsor. The sponsor treats the child as his/her own. Next to school fees, the sponsor sends a gift to the child once a year. Daniel Batatis is one of the sponsored students at Comboni School These gifts are presented in colourful function, Cress Family Day, that brings all the parents and their children together. This gives opportunity to fellowship together with the Cress team from the UK, some sponsors, the parents and their children. They eat and drink together, get to know each other better, listen to Bible stories and play games. We also listen to testimonies of the impact of the sponsorship. We appreciate Cress so much for lifting this huge burden of our shoulders. It helps us to concentrate on our calling with no worry of school fees. CRESS family day 2013 Michael Blyth Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 6
Equipping church leaders at CBPC Rev. Jacob Haasnoot Diocese of Kajo-Keji Confirmation at Cathedral In Pictures Above: Candidates for confirmation Below: Those confirmed with Bishop Anthony This semester we have almost 40 students studying fulltime at our theological college (CBPC). We are running a Certificate and Diploma programme in English and a Special Pastoral Training for one year in Bari language. Next to these theological programmes we offer a course in IT-skills. One of the 16 students in the Special Pastoral Training is Mrs. Jerisa Jaguru (see picture above). She comes from Lakuru parish and has been a Lay Reader there for three years. She wants to learn more about preaching and about leading a church service during this course. She is also interested to learn more about her own cultural traditions. She would like to be a pastor in the future. On 23 October 2014 our bishop Anthony visited the College. He met with staff and with students and he shared some of the lessons he learned through the study of the book of Nehemiah. Both students and staff were encouraged by this visit. Upcoming events House of Bishops meeting 20-24 Nov. 2014 Diocese of Kajo-Keji C/O The Episcopal Church of South Sudan & Sudan P.O. Box 110, Juba, Republic of South Sudan Email: newsletter@kajokeji.anglican.org Website: www.kajokeji.anglican.org To subscribe/unsubscribe: newsletter@kajokeji.anglican.org Voice of Hope Issue 9 November 2014 Page 7