Pray for Sudan on Sunday, November 9, 2008

Pray for Sudan on Sunday, November 9, 2008

Lectionary Text and Prayers for Sudan: Matthew 25:1-13

Prayer for Sudan

God of arid deserts and of rainforests.
God who hurts when we are hurt,
who cries when we mourn, and
who stands as a living witness to the atrocities that unfold
on this planet you created to be a lush and serene paradise.
We lift our hands of supplication up to you
seeking your blessing on those whose backs are scorched by the sun,
on those who suffer under the interrogator’s lash,
and on those who search feverishly for nourishment.
And we ask, O God, that you fill our hands
with an impassioned resolve to hope beyond the confines of despair,
to enter into solidarity with those who suffer,
to be fully engaged in the struggle for liberation and justice
for all peoples victimized by the Caesars of the world.

Remind us, O Holy One, that our fate is inextricably bound with theirs,
that we are unable to fully breathe the air of freedom
while others’ lungs are filled with the stench of enslavement.

Hear this, our prayer for hope and liberation,
that we lift up to you
in the name of the Resurrected One.

Amen. 

The Rev. John Tamilio III

  • Pray for all those who have been affected by genocide in Darfur, Sudan
  • Pray for the injured, the raped, the tortured, the slaughtered
  • Pray for those robbed of their childhoods and those orphaned
  • Pray for the men detained with no representation or trial
  • Pray for the 2.7 million people who have been forced from their homes and now live as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees
  • Pray for the thousands of people of faith from across the U.S. joining in Washington D.C. at the Gathering of the Tents to lift up the ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan

Global Ministries International Partners in Sudan:

The country of Sudan has 35 million inhabitants, 70 percent of whom are of Arab descent.  Christians make up 3-5 percent of the total population; Christians are largely concentrated in southern Sudan, where the Sudanese of African descent are located.

  • The New Sudan Council of Churches was established to address the situation of conflict in southern Sudan.  Its sister council, the Sudan Council of Churches, could not adequately cover needs of southern Sudan.  The New Sudan Council of Churches has six member churches including the Anglican, African Inland Mission, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic churches.  It’s administrative and program headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, which borders southern Sudan and also has received many Sudanese refugees, numbering more than 600,000 in refugee camps at the height of the conflict. When it was first formed, the New Sudan Council of Churches emphasized relief and humanitarian aid to areas affected by the war in southern Sudan.  The leadership quickly realized this was not sufficient and organized program areas in:
    • Peace Program – advocacy; participation in peace processes together with the All Africa Council of Churches, World Council of Churches; promotion of reconciliation at grassroots levels in southern Sudan;
    • Education – largely scholarship support;
    • HIV/AIDS – raising of awareness and education in churches;
    • Women and Youth – capacity building and promotion.

Global Ministries Missionaries in Sudan:

None at this time

Global Ministries Links

Sudan Resources
Tents of Hope
Tents of Hope: Gathering of the Tents in Washington DC