Our church partner, the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, is busy preparing for a General Assembly in October of this year. This is a time when elders, pastors, and representatives of all the congregations come together to share their joys and challenges, elect leaders, and connect as part of the body of Christ. Long meetings do not sounds too exciting, but it really is significant for isolated congregations to feel connected to a body larger than themselves – to support one another and have a voice in the decisions being made.
According to the church constitution, a General Assembly should be held every
two years. However, because of civil unrest in South Sudan, it has been more
than eight years since the last General Assembly was held. Many of the
congregations are in rural areas, and some among refugees displaced to nearby countries,
which makes it difficult, expensive, and sometimes dangerous for
representatives from those regions to travel.
Finally, though, it appears that South Sudan is becoming
more stable and that people could travel to Juba. The leadership has set a date
in October and started planning and raising funds. They hope to be able to
cover some of the travel for all the representatives, but it is a daunting
task. The total budget is more than $100,000. But rather than let the funds
needed be another reason to put it off, they are pushing forward in faith,
trusting that God will provide or help them find creative ways to overcome the
shortfall.
If you would like to support SSPEC and their congregations
in South Sudan by contributing towards this effort, you can do so through their
account at PC(USA) here: https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/make-a-gift/gift-info/E052148/#
Please join us in praying for this meeting, that funds would be garnered to bring leaders together so that decision can be made and elections can be held, and that all would transpire in the spirit of Christian fellowship and love.
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