South Sudan churches ask for prayers and advocacy to end violence

Presbyterian agencies issue action alert for immediate assistance

by Kathy Melvin and Rick Jones | Presbyterian News Service

PC(USA) mission co-worker the Rev. Nancy Smith-Mather serves in South Sudan alongside her husband, the Rev. Shelvis Smith-Mather. They work with Resource Center for Civil Leadership International (RECONCILE), an ecumenical Christian organization that promotes peace building through training in trauma recovery, conflict transformation and civic education. (Photo provided)

Global partners in South Sudan continue to ask for prayers, but also for advocacy.

The fragile cease-fire in the country is holding for the moment. The Rt. Rev. Peter Gai, chair of the South Sudan Council Churches and Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, said by phone Friday afternoon that for the moment, the city feels calm.

Presbyterian World Mission Africa Coordinator the Rev. Debbie Braaksma spoke with Gai and assured him Presbyterians in the U.S. are standing with them. The South Sudan Council of Churches has called for a national day of prayer tomorrow, Saturday, and he is inviting all PC(USA) congregations to join them in prayers this Sunday. He also spoke about the importance of advocacy.

“The advocacy is not only necessary to stop the fighting, it will provide hope so that the South Sudanese know that they are not alone and to know that people in the other part of the world are standing with them,” he said. “It will be very encouraging for Christians to know that members of the Presbyterian Church USA are actively advocating for peace. “

The Revs. Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather are PC(USA) mission co-workers in South Sudan, and are currently in the U.S. speaking to churches. They are gravely concerned for their partners and friends.

“God allows our family to accompany South Sudanese partners at the grassroots level, and as we sit together under mango trees and discuss peacebuilding, our colleagues lift up the need for continued pressure on their political leaders, encouraging them towards peace,” Nancy Smith-Mather said. “During those conversations, I am deeply grateful to know that the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. and Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations in New York are bringing our partners’ voices to the table to influence U.S. international policies. While called to different roles and functions, working together creates greater impact, and we give God thanks for uniting our efforts towards peace.”

Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Mission Agency is calling for an increase in humanitarian assistance for the people of South Sudan. In an action alert issued this afternoon, the Office of Public Witness said thousands are in need of assistance.

“The United Nations estimates nearly 40,000 people have been displaced during the crisis while at least 7,000 of them took refuge in different churches or parishes,” the alert states. “To make matters worse, the central warehouse of the United Nations World Food Programme has been looted.”

The warehouse held one month’s worth of food and nutrition supplies for more than 220,000 people.

“We know that the basic humanitarian needs of our sisters and brothers in South Sudan is vitally important to their continued work for a just and lasting peace,” said Ryan Smith, Presbyterian representative at the United Nations. “Humanitarian needs and peace are so closely linked that we need to ask that the international community as well as our own government in Washington, D.C. to focus on both in order to help the people of South Sudan live into their full potential.”

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