D062 Companionship with Sudanese Christians
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 79th General Convention celebrate the witness and vigor that new Americans seeking refuge from war and famine in Sudan and South Sudan have brought to The Episcopal Church since 1983; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention encourage Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of the Episcopal Church South Sudan in their efforts to reconcile all groups in the Sudans with God and each other; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention encourage the continuation of existing and the exploration of new mission companionships between dioceses and parishes of The Episcopal Church (and other friends of the Sudans) with the dioceses and other institutions of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the Episcopal Church of South Sudan; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention commend the ongoing labor of Sudanese diaspora communities across the United States and Canada to unify their voices and overcome the destroyers of peace in their homelands.
Explanation
Following 22 years of war between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan, a comprehensive peace agreement supported by the United States and other guarantor states led to the independence of South Sudan on July 9, 2011. This separated the geographically largest and potentially prosperous Nile Valley state of Sudan into two sovereign states: Sudan and South Sudan. Since the outbreak of war between rival South Sudan leaders in 2013 and the breakdown of social order and economic activity, the South Sudan Council of Churches, in which South Sudanese Anglicans are active, has offered constructive mediation between deadlocked factions and mutually fearful ethnic groups. Episcopal Relief and Development and Anglican Relief and Development in the United States continue to supply economic aid and training through provincial and diocesan channels. The Anglican presence in northern and southern Sudan was separated into two autonomous provinces in 2017, the two having previously been a single province since 1976. Anglicans in the Episcopal Church of Sudan are estimated at 1 million, and those in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan are estimated at 3.5 million. The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and the strong membership growth and increase in dioceses in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan from 25 to 37 during the 10-year ministry of former Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul make renewal of missional links with local dioceses, theological schools, and grassroots development projects urgent.