To people of the Diocese:

Dear friends in Christ of the Diocese of New Jersey,

One year ago, on July 9, 2011, the human family witnessed the birth of a new nation, South Sudan.

Yet, today, as we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of South Sudan, the Sudan Committee of the Diocese of New Jersey....charged by Bishop Councell and Diocesan Convention of 2008 to provide a passionate, Gospel-based witness for the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the people of Sudan.....desires to call the attention of our Diocesan Family and Congregations to the terrible conditions of war, famine, flight of refugees and the human devastation in the border areas between Sudan and South Sudan, the struggle for peace and justice in both nations, and the courageous protest movement emerging in the nation of Sudan (North Sudan).

We remind the Diocese that the President of Sudan, Gen Bashire is sought by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur/Sudan and Bashire's government has unleashed a bombing offensive in the border areas of Sudan and South Sudan which is indiscriminate and has resulted in considerable loss of life among civilians.

The New York Times and other American media has covered this aggressive, war-like policy of the Government of Sudan--and this policy of war-like aggression has been utterly condemned by world governments and human rights agencies.

For example, the Diocese of Kadugli of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, in the Nuba Mountains, is in total disarray, its churches destroyed, its people, men, women and children-- murdered and its people made refugees by the thousands;  the Bishop of Kadugli, Bishop Andudu has fled to South Sudan in Juba---which is the location of the Archbishop of Sudan and the center of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

The Sudan Committee calls on our sister and brother Christians in the Diocese of New Jersey to:

*Pray for the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the people of Sudan.

*Pray for accountability and justice in Sudan on the part of the United Nations and the United States.

*Read news coverage and follow unfolding events in Sudan and South Sudan--by the NY Times, the BBC, The Sudan Tribune, and Al-jazeera.

*Follow the Web site of the Episcopal Diocese of Sudan (www.sudan.anglican.org<http://www.sudan.anglican.org>) and the Blog of the Sudan Committee of the Diocese of New Jersey (www.newjersey.anglican.org--under<http://www.newjersey.anglican.org--under> "Outreach").

*Consider a gift of immediate assistance to the Church of Sudan through Episcopal Relief and Development for short-term immediate aid.  There is a massive refugee problem and starvation danger at present in the border areas of Sudan and South Sudan.

*Consider a gift to the Theological Education Scholarship Fund of the Sudan Committee of the Diocese of New Jersey--seeking to provide desperate aid to empower the voice of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and its theological schools in Sudan and South Sudan-- through its clergy leadership in these times of crisis--when the Church of Sudan is in critical need of prophetic voices for justice and peace.
Checks to our Theological Scholarship Fund to the Episcopal Church of Sudan can be made to "Sudan Committee Scholarship Fund, Diocese of New Jersey, 808 W. State Street, Trenton, NJ 08618.

Thank you for your kind and compassionate consideration, in the name of Jesus who brings Good News to the Oppressed for this response to the human rights crisis in Sudan and South Sudan.

Faithfully,

The Sudan Committee of the Diocese of New Jersey

Hugh Brown, Jane Brady, Marcus Gales, Alicia Graham-Hicks, Deborah Piggins, Martin Oguike, Nancy Hite Speck, and Sharon Sutton"

Archbishop of Canterbury declares "Peace is the only option" for Sudan and South Sudan

Posted On : July 6, 2012 10:33 AM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: ACNS5142
Related Categories: Lambeth  Sudan

“Peace is the only option which can allow the flourishing of South Sudan and its neighbour Sudan,” the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the independence of South Sudan, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for urgent efforts to resolve outstanding differences between South Sudan and its neighbour Sudan. 

The first anniversary of the new nation of South Sudan gives an opportunity for renewed effort towards achieving peaceful relations between Sudan and South Sudan. The new nation was created with the support of both South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan, and the well-being of both countries depends on their mutual co-operation.  I strongly endorse the joint appeal which the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Juba have made on this significant anniversary.  As the two archbishops have warned, the current impasse is damaging to both nations.  I welcome the vision which the Sudanese Church has set before us of “two nations at peace with each other, co-operating to make best use of their God-given resources, promoting free interaction between their citizens, living side by side in solidarity and mutual respect.”

Read more at:http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/7/6/ACNS5142

Episcopal Church in Sudan makes new appeal for people in conflict-torn Malakal area

From ACNS:

Anglican Alliance’s South Sudan Appeal

Bishop John Gattek from the Diocese of Malakal, Church of Sudan is calling for humanitarian relief for communities in the Benitu area of Unity state in South Sudan.

Unity State area is on the border of South Sudan and Sudan where tension is permanent due to lack of agreement regarding boundary issues and the way in which valuable resources are shared. There is a humanitarian crisis due to the conditions in which people have to live. Among them are returnees from North Sudan and other nations, internally displaced people and the host community.  

You can read more about this situation in the Humanitarian Bulletins (4 – 10 of June) - (11- 17 of June) issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

They are in desperate need of water and sanitation supplies, food, health care, shelter and educational facilities. Humanitarian operation has also been affected by the rainy season that limits road access to settlements and connection to the capital Juba. In addition, vital infrastructure was destroyed by the war as was the church building in the Bentiu area.

Bishop Gattek is asking for help to provide the following assistance to the communities in the areas of Rubkoana, Mayom, Abiemnom, and Panrieng:

Food items: cooking oil, lentils tints, salt, etc

Non-food items: plastic sheets, blankets, buckets/basins, agricultural tools, Arabic and English bibles, drugs and medical equipment, mosquito’s nets and fuel

The Sudanese Relief and Development Agency SUDRA which is part of the Church in Sudan will receive and manage the donations to this appeal and monitor the movement of resources. If you would like to support this appeal you can donate to:

Beneficiary bank: KCB Bank (Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd.)
Beneficiary Bank branch: Buluk
Beneficiary bank account number: 5500036564
Name on bank account: ECS SUDRA
SWIFT code: KCBLKENX
Bank address: Ministries Road, Buluk, Juba, South Sudan; also Kenya Commercial Bank, Ltd., P.O. Box 48400.0010, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya

Anglicans around the world have been helping communities affected by the civil war in Sudan and South Sudan. The North American Episcopal Relief and Development and the Australian Anglican Board of Mission work in partnership to support the health service provided by the church in Sudan. They also provide emergency relief though SUDRA and have permanent appeals to help the affected communities and build the local capacity of the church.