Lenten Retreat: The Experience of God in African Spirituality

Come for a day centered in the Daily Office and for Holy Communion with African music. There will be four sessions focused upon worship, meditation, community life, and healing.

The retreat will provide witness, advocacy, and prayer for justice for the people of Sudan and Darfur in this continued time of crisis and war. You will learn from teachers of African Spirituality and prayer.

The retreat supports the new campaign by The Episcopal Church, "A Season of Prayer for Sudan", which is committed to the welfare of Sudan, its Episcopal Church, and the country's future.

Leaders (more information about all of the leaders found below): The Rev. Canon Martin Oguike, The Rev. John Thompson-Quartey, The Rev. Dr. Augustine Unuigbe

When: Saturday March 12, from 10AM to 3pm

Cost: $15, lunch provided

Where: All Saint's Church, Princeton, NJ

Register: by Friday, March 4th. Check payable to the Diocese of New Jersey must be received by this date.

Registration: Register online here or email spaige@newjersey.anglican.org, fax registration form to 6093949546, or mail for to the diocese.

Contact: the Rev. Dr. Hugh Brown, ascprin@aol.com

Leaders biographies:

The Reverend Canon Martin Oguike is the vicar of St. John's Church, Woodbridge. Canon Oguike was born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa. He completed his undergraduate work in Birmingham University, UK. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Theology from the Birmingham University, UK and a Ph.D. in Church History from the University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. Canon Oguike lived through a genocidal civil war in Nigeria similar to the situation in Sudan/Darfur from 1967-1970 on which his dissertation on "The Roll of the Church in Nigerian Civil War" is based.

The Reverend C. John Thompson-Quartey is a native of Ghana, West Africa. He received his Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University, Newark NJ in 1993, and earned his Masters of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary, New York City, NY in 1997. He was ordained to the diaconate in May 1997, and to the Sacred Order of Priests in December of 1997. He served as Associate Rector for Youth and Family Ministries at Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood, NJ from 1997 until 1999. Then as Chaplain for Pastoral Care and Director of Community Outreach Programs at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire from 1999 until July 2005. He is presently the Rector of St. Mary's-by-the-Sea in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, where he has served since 2005.

The Reverend Dr. Augustine Unuigbe is the Priest-in Charge of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Atlantic City. He is both a priest and a medical doctor, and has recent passed his medical boards in the United States.

Praying with and for the people of Sudan

From: Anglican Communion News Service
The thoughts and prayers of many in the Anglican Communion are focused on Sudan at this time, as the people of Southern Sudan prepare for a referendum to decide their future. The referendum will take place on 9 January next, and all are invited to pray and to focus their concerns on that war-torn country at this time.

Here are some prayers and background material which may help you to identify with Christians in Sudan at this time. If your Church has further material which you wish to share and to have included, do please send it to: clare.amos@aco.org

In land area Sudan is Africa's largest country and it is the tenth-largest country in the world. Bordered by nine other countries, it is central to the African and Arab worlds. Under the British administration the the north and south were governed separately. In 1954, at the end of British rule, Arab north and African south were unified as one country. Civil wars lasting about 40 years ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The CPA gave the south political autonomy for 6 years, to be followed in 2011 by a referendum to decide whether or not it should become an independent country. It is this referendum which is taking place on 9 January. A further referendum is also due then on the future of the border area Abyei which has been contested between the North and South, as well as popular consultations for the people of the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile on their future. Read the rest here

Over $3000 raised!

A word of thanks to everyone who attended and donated money at the African Evensong on October 17th. Over 200 people attended this festive service and over $3000 were raised for the new Scholarship Fund for a Sudanese Priest.

Church partners meet in Sudan to discuss post-referendum scenarios, long-term development

By Matthew Davies, November 12, 2010
[Episcopal News Service] International partners committed to the welfare of Sudan and its Episcopal Church gathered in Juba Nov. 5-7 to reaffirm their unwavering support for the country's future and to discuss possible scenarios following the upcoming referendum on independence.
Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul addressed the partners, who were joined by bishops and other Episcopal Church of Sudan leaders, about his vision for the future of Sudan and his desire for long-term commitment to development as the church anticipates the Jan. 9 vote when southerners are expected to choose secession from the Islamic north and become a separate country.

Read the rest here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_125676_ENG_HTM.htm

Sudanese Leadership Conference

The Episcopal Church
Office of Public Affairs
Episcopal Church sponsors Sudanese Leadership Summit one month prior to Sudan's historic referendum: "Considering the Past; Contemplating the Present; Collaborating for the Future"


[November 4, 2010] Members of the Sudanese community along with representatives of Episcopal dioceses will gather in Phoenix AZ for the Sudanese Leadership Summit Friday, December 10 to Tuesday, December 14. Focusing on the theme "Considering the Past; Contemplating the Present; Collaborating for the Future," the five day conference is sponsored by the Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries, Episcopal Church Africa Officer, and Virginia Theological Seminary.

With the goal of developing a national network and strategic plan for ongoing Sudanese Ministries in the Episcopal Church, discussion topics include lifelong Christian faith formation; building leadership capacity for strengthening congregations; future theological training; and Asset Based Community Development.

Registration fees are $125 for a shared room and $225 for a single room.
Fees cover all lodging and meals.
For more information and registration:
http://events.signup4.com/sudaneseleadershipsummit
For more information contact the Rev. Angela Ifill, Officer for Black Ministries, aifill@episcopalchurch.org

Sudan delegation meets with UN secretary general, 'raises alarm'

From: Anglican Communion News Service (http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/10/13/ACNS4738)

An ecumenical delegation of Sudanese religious leaders met with U.N. officials and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Oct. 11 to express its fear of what might happen if the Jan. 9 referendum in which south Sudan is expected to vote for independence from the north is not carried out as planned.

"We told him we came to raise an alarm to the United Nations," said Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of the Episcopal Church of Sudan during a press conference held at the Church Center for the United Nations, following a day of U.N. meetings.

"We are the church, we are in the ground. We are with the people. And we are knowing every thing that is happening in the ground there. So because of that we are here," Deng said.

The ecumenical delegation is in the United States on an awareness and advocacy campaign in advance of the referendum. The archbishop was joined at the press conference by Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Marko Kur of Khartoum; Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban of Torit; and the Rev. Ramadan Chan, general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches.

The referendum is the final provision of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005 by the warring Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south and the north's Khartoum-based Government of Sudan. The CPA ended a 21-year civil war -- fought by the Arab and Muslim north and rebels in the Christian-animist south -- that killed more than 2 million people and displaced an estimated 7 million more.

"Our fear is going to come if the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is not implemented accordingly, and that is going to be disaster in the country," Deng said. "And the people that are going to die are going to be innocent. And for us at the church we are always careful and mindful for those who cannot speak for themselves."

Deng explained that there is little time left between now and Jan. 9, and the delegation's visit is a signal to the United Nations, those who signed the CPA and the countries that supported the CPA, that many "things" have been left undone, he said.

The northern government has been criticized for not living into the terms of the CPA, and some believe it is deliberately trying to stall the vote, or that it may try to manipulate the outcome.

"There are some fears that the referendum will not take place because the north is not happy," said Chan, the general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches. "The southerners, you know, are ready to go forward with the referendum because they feel it is a democratic chance and a constitutional chance for them to exercise their rights in determining their political destiny … so any delay is not in favor of anybody, especially the south."

"We feel that if these things are not done properly, it may take the country back to violence and war, which as churches we are not for," he added.

The CPA also calls for equal oil revenue sharing between north and south (oil revenues account for 95 percent of Sudanese export revenues and 65 percent of government revenues, according to the International Monetary Fund); fair demarcation of north-south boundaries; and resolution of citizenship issues.

Tension already is building in the north and south, but mostly in the north, said Adwok, the Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of Khartoum.

"The north doesn't want the south to secede," he said, adding the north also doesn't want to stop its oppression of the south.

Adwok stressed that the south's freedom to vote for self-determination is a human rights issue.

"At this juncture, in the third millennium, I don't think anybody can really be expected to remain in slavery when people all over the world are fighting for independence, self expression and democracy," he said.

The delegation has two other major areas of concern: that the will of the people be carried out in the transitional areas of Abyei, Nuba Mountains (Southern Kordofan) and Blue Nile; and that the safety and human rights of the internally displaced southerners living in the north be protected.

U.N. officials and Ban assured the delegation that they would have representatives in every county of south Sudan to monitor the referendum and that they are mobilizing U.N. protective forces, said Deng.

Deng also made reference to a recent visit by a U.N. Security Council team to Sudan.

"That is an assurance to our people that the U.N. is here this time," he said.

In addition to meetings with U.N. officials in New York and a panel discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations later this week, the delegation's 12-day awareness and advocacy campaign includes a visit to Washington, D.C., where they will meet with government officials and take part in an interfaith prayer service.

"We are sitting here as the body of Christ, people of faith. We are looking for divine support. Not only political but divine support … we are also appealing to our brothers and sisters in the Lord that they accompany us with their prayers," said Taban, Roman Catholic bishop emeritus of Torit.

In mid-September, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori called on Episcopalians to observe "A Season of Prayer for Sudan."

At the close of the press conference, Jefferts Schori addressed the delegation.

"I am very grateful for your presence here and I want you to know that the people of the Episcopal Church and many, many other churches in this country and the other countries where the Episcopal Church is are praying for you, are working to mobilize their governments to join in ensuring peace in Sudan," she said. "We understand that it is an enormously difficult situation and we are in awe of your faithfulness."

The Episcopal Church of Sudan and the Roman Catholic Church in Sudan represent two of the largest non-government organization in southern Sudan. The Episcopal Church has 31 dioceses, 26 of them in the south. The Roman Catholic Church operates two archdioceses -- one in the north, including one diocese, and one in the south, including eight dioceses.

Deng and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams met Oct.7 with officials in the U.K. Government's foreign office to provide updates on the situation on the ground in Sudan and to ensure that the U.K. government plays a crucial role in supporting peace and stability in Sudan.

On Oct. 10, Deng preached at a late morning Eucharist at Trinity Church, Wall Street.

The Episcopal Church's long-standing support for Sudan is manifested through its partnerships and companion diocese relationships, programs supported by Episcopal Relief & Development, and advocacy work of the Office of Government Relations.

Article from ENS by Lynette Wilson ENS staff writer.

An African Evensong

Leader: The Right Reverend G.P. Mellick Belshaw, Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey Preacher: The Reverend Canon Martin Oguike, Vicar of St. John's Church, Woodbridge, New Jersey

Please join the people of the Diocese of New Jersey and the Sudan/Darfur Committee of our Diocese for an African Evensong featuring traditional African worship, music, dance, drums and other instruments, attire — and the fervent joy and praise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The service will be followed by a reception featuring African dishes and a visual presentation on theological education in Africa. In addition to offering a powerful witness for the people of Sudan and Darfur in this continued time of crisis and war, we will be requesting a free will offering for the new Scholarship Fund of the Sudan/Darfur Committee, to provide theological education/seminary education for a leader for the Anglican Church of Sudan, and the power and presence of the Christian church in the work of justice, peace and reconciliation. Don't miss this remarkable and inspiring evening of worship, education and fellowship as we provide a powerful voice of advocacy for the people of Sudan and Darfur! Sponsored by the Sudan/Darfur Committee.

When: Sunday, October 17 at 3 pm. Reception follows.

Where Trinity Cathedral
801 West State Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08618

609 392-3805
Contact: The Reverend Dr. Hugh Brown, 609 921-2420 or at Rector@allsaint.org

The Reverend Canon Martin Oguike is the vicar of St. John's Church, Woodbridge. Canon Oguike was born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Theology from Birmingham and a Ph.D. in Church History from the University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria.
Canon Oguike lived through a genocidal civil war in Nigeria from 1967-1970, similar to the situation in Sudan/Darfur on which his dissertation, The Role of the Church in the Nigerian Civil War, is based.

The Right Reverend George Phelps Mellick Belshaw is retired ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and was chairman of the board of trustees of the General Theological Seminary from 1992 to 2000, as well as acting dean and president from 1997-98.
He is currently a trustee of The General Theological Seminary and chairman of the Coalition for Peace Action in Princeton. He is also on the boards of The Anglican Theological Review and The American Teilhard Association.
He is former president of the Episcopal Urban Caucus a member of the Commission on Peace, Episcopal Church, and president of the Coalition of Religious Leaders of New Jersey. Belshaw served as editor of Lent with Evelyn Underhill and Lent with William Temple, and is the author of articles in The Anglican Theological Review, Teilhard Perspective and St. Luke's Journal.

NJ Scholarship Fund for Sudanese Seminarians

In Sudan, like many other parts of the developing world, the Church provides much of the infrastructure and social services needed for survival and development in war torn areas.

One priest often has responsibility for four congregations, which can touch the lives of thousands of people.

Help us put one Sudanese student theological college:
Costs:

Tuition: $1300
Travel $1500
Accommodation: $400
Books: $300
Food: $1440
Personal Allowance: $900
Misc: $250

Total ≈ $6,090 USD/ year for 4 years

We have already begun to work towards this goal, but we need YOUR help!

Can You or Your Congregation or Youth Group help with one aspect of this project?

Any gifts should be sent directly to the diocese and marked "Darfur/Sudan Scholarship Fund"

Report to Diocesan Convention 2010

The Diocese of New Jersey and Bishop Councell convened the Darfur Committee to implement resolution 2008‐1 of the 2008 Diocesan Convention which charged “The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of New Jersey to join with the government of the United States, the United Nations, and a host of other countries, organizations
and individuals around the world to call and work for an end to the violence in Darfur,” and which called the Diocese of New Jersey to establish a committee to “study the situation in Darfur and provide information to member parishes and others about the crimes against humanity taking place there along with recommendations of actions that can be taken by parishes and individuals to bring these violations and actions to an end at the earliest possible opportunity and to provide support for Darfur refugees and other displaced persons.”

The Committee has been meeting for approximately one year, beginning on February 2, 2009, and consists of the following persons appointed by Bishop Councell: The Rev. Dr. Hugh E. Brown, III, Chair: the Rev. Canon Martin U.N. Oguike: the Rev. Greg Bezilla: the Rev. Sharon Sutton: the Rev. Jane Brady: Mr. Glendon Bell,
Mr. Matt Bollinger: and Ms. Alicia Graham.

The Committee has achieved the following in our first year of meeting for 2009, which focused on developing and creating an intentional program and series of actions on Darfur Advocacy with the Diocese of New Jersey and among its congregations.
*Prayerful study and research on the history of the human rights violations within Darfur, previous advocacy by the Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion and other faith‐based organizations, action by NGOs, and interventions by the United States government. But we also desire that the committee address the larger issues of the spiritual foundations for human rights advocacy and how the church effectively addresses issues of social justice and peace‐ making.
*The completion of a Darfur Committee brochure, outlining specific ways Diocesan congregations can take action on behalf of the people of Darfur.
*The completion of a new Darfur Committee Web Site and blog entitled: http://focusondarfur.blogspot.com.
Please check it out!

*A ongoing witness on the Web Site of the Diocese of New Jersey: www.newjersey.anglican.com.
*A significant presentation at Diocesan Convention in February of 2009, complete with a visual presentation from the web site of Amnesty International, focusing on the human rights crisis in Sudan.
*A Darfur Committee sponsored workshop at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, as part of the Equipping the Servants day on Saturday, October 24th workshop, featuring a marvelous power‐point presentation on the crisis in Darfur and the wider human rights crisis in Sudan by the Rev. Canon Martin Oguike, member of the Darfur committee, with extensive contacts and experience within the circle of ministry to the Sudan.
*Congregational workshops on Darfur/Sudan in a number of different contexts including All Saints’ Church, Princeton, Trinity Cathedral, the Theology on Tap young adult ministry of Princeton, St. John’s Church, Fords and St. John’s Church, Sewaren.

2.
*Completion of a resource guide for action on Darfur for congregations, including work done by the Office of Government relations, the Episcopal Public Policy Network and Diocese of the Episcopal Church, USA, doing advocacy on behalf of Darfur. Darfur, which means “land of the fur,” is an arid and impoverished region of Western Sudan that has faced decades of graphic violence over land and grazing rights between mostly nomadic Arabs and farmers from native Darfur communities. Early in 2003, rebel groups began attacking government targets charging that the region had long been neglected by the Sudanese government based in Khartoum, and that the government was
using local Arab groups to oppress and destroying black African framers in favor of Arab nomads.
The Sudanese government responded by mobilizing “self‐defense militias” and refugees from Darfur described government links to brutal militia movement called the “Janjaweed,” accused of trying to “cleanse” black Africans from large swathes of territory. Refugees from Darfur say that following air raids by government aircrafts, the Janjaweed ride into villages on horses and camels, slaughtering men, raping women, and stealing whatever they can find.
The United States government has termed the government response to the Darfur rebellion as genocide; even though that term can provoke debate, there is no doubt that crimes against humanity have become a staple of life in Darfur and continue as we meet in Convention. Millions of civilians have fled their destroyed villages, the refugee problem is immense along Western Sudan’s borders, and United Nations estimates of the dead from the Darfur War total 300,000.
Although evidence within the past few months suggests that, in the words of the New York Times article on Darfur in January of 2010, “after years of mass killings, a fragile calm is beginning to take hold in Darfur,” there is still much, intense violence with five Rwandan peacekeepers brutally murdered in December of 2009, and aid workers routinely kidnapped and executed. Heavily armed bandits have become ubiquitous. However, perhaps the ultimate myth about Darfur is that the violence and massive abuse of human rights are over. Scott Gration, President Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, still refers to ongoing violence as “remnants of genocide.”
Such systemic violations of human rights continue to be the context of the Darfur Committee’s work.
We also note that violence continues in Southern Sudan as well, and the Presiding Bishop has issued a statement calling attention to the atrocities committed by “The Lord’s Resistance Army,” a Ugandan rebel group, which continues to terrorize people in the region, particularly Christians.
The Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, in the United States, contains an often neglected promise which is a bedrock commitment of our Christian lives: “We will strive for Justice and Peace among All People and respect the dignity of every human being, doing so with God’s help.”
The Darfur Committee, above all, seeks to call Christians in the Diocese of New Jersey to account for living out this Baptismal promise on a concrete and profound issue of international human rights. We ask for your work and prayerful engagement.
Respectfully submitted,
The Rev. Hugh E. Brown, III, D. Min., Chair, Darfur Committee and Rector, All Saints’ Parish, Princeton