Call to prayer for Upper Nile

Indeed, most of us like to be “home” with family for Christmas. Interestingly, that was not the case for two humble Jewish villagers, Mary and Joseph, living under the shadow of the Roman Empire, finding themselves far from their home on the birth of their firstborn son, 2,000 years ago. In Fashoda County, South Sudan, the situation is worse than it was for Joseph and Mary. People’s homes and communities are being burned to the ground, they are running for their lives, they are hiding in swamps, surrounded by floodwaters. The innocents have been targeted for death, the elderly, women, and children. Please pray for those in harm’s way, those who seek refuge, and those who need God’s supernatural intervention. Bob visited this area in August of this year, so it feels close to home. Two evangelists and several members of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church have been killed in Fashoda this month.

Bob in Kodok with pastors and evangelists of SSPEC this year

We want to share a ‘call to prayer’ (below) from the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) this month, and invite you to join thousands of hands and hearts in prayer for the people of Upper Nile in South Sudan this Christmas Season. Shukran! Thank you.


Dear friends in Christ,

I urge you to join me in prayer for justice and peace for the people of the young nation of South Sudan.

Within the last few months, relatively localized fighting between two groups in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan has gradually become a more widespread conflict between the Shilluk and the Nuer peoples, two ethnic groups who used to live peacefully together. The latest reports indicate that more than 3,000 people — mostly women, children, and elderly people — have been killed in Fashoda county.

This situation is made even more dire due to heavy flooding in the region, so survivors have had to flee their homes and are living on small “islands” of land or seeking shelter in camps for displaced persons. Many people have no way of contacting their loved ones, so they do not know if they have been killed or if they are alive and displaced or in hiding.

Let us be in prayer for the people of South Sudan, especially those who carry the burden of this ongoing conflict — the women, children, and the elderly. Pray also for our Global partners, the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, RECONCILE, ACROSS and the South Sudan Council of Churches. Pray that God will give wisdom to these partners as they minister to their fellow South Sudanese and that they can be a voice to the leaders of the country. Let us pray for the leaders of South Sudan that they will put peace, genuine security and the dignity of all the people of South Sudan as the priority of their leadership.

Pray also for the anticipated joint ecumenical visit to South Sudan by Presbyterians, Anglicans and Catholics in early 2023. May this visit bring hope to the people of South Sudan and prompt meaningful action to address the suffering of the people.

I would also invite those who feel able to do so to contribute to the PC(USA)’s efforts to accompany and support our partners’ ministries by making gifts to:

• DR000097-South Sudan, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s crisis response and recovery initiatives in South Sudan
• E051172, Presbyterian World Mission’s South Sudan Education and Peacebuilding Project
• E052152, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., help to amplify our partners’ voices in the public square.

Let us look to God, our help, our hope and our salvation.


Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Call to prayer published by PC(USA) News Service here.