AFRECS' Expressions of Support and Priorities

April 28, 2012

The Most Reverend Daniel Deng Bul Yak

Archbishop, Episcopal Church of Sudan

P.O. Box 110

Juba, Sudan

Dear Archbishop Daniel:

Easter greetings to you in the name of our Risen Lord from the Board of the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.  We are deeply mindful of the current crisis between Sudan and South Sudan, and of the brave efforts you and your bishops are making to bring about an end to the fighting, to relieve and protect refugees and internally displaced people, and to foster a just and lasting peace.

On behalf of our board, I am writing to transmit a summary of the actions we have agreed to take to help support you in these vital efforts for peace, efforts including prayer, public advocacy, increased efforts to provide you partners for ECS ministries, and fundraising for your peace missions.  

These efforts have already included our April 26 day of advocacy in Washington and our April 27 prayer vigil.  These efforts will continue, including efforts at the July 2012 General Convention of The Episcopal Church, additional prayer services, and more days of advocacy.  I hope  to visit with you later this year to learn how we can better aid you and your ECS colleagues in your essential ministry of reconciliation.  We deeply admire your courage, vision, and dedication to peace, carried out so faithfully for Our Risen Lord.

Faithfully,

etc.

Board Resolution

American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (AFRECS)

April 28, 2012, Adopted at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Alexandria, VA

The AFRECS board has met from April 26-28 in Washington and northern Virginia, to engage in peace advocacy, prayer, and planning to help the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) in its efforts to promote peace and mediate armed conflicts.  The Board is deeply mindful of the

·      Ongoing armed conflict between Sudan and South Sudan and other armed groups;

·      Continued “ethnic cleansing” by Sudan in the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile State, and Darfur;

·      Creation of half a million refugees and internally displaced people, hundreds of thousands of whom face famine in the near future;

·      Serious setbacks to peaceful development resulting from the failure to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the two countries; and

·      Faithful and courageous efforts made by ECS Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak and ECS bishops, clergy and lay leaders to mediate inter-tribal fighting, relieve and protect refugees, and prevent escalation of armed conflicts between the two countries.

I.            Recognizing the great suffering already occurring in Sudan and South Sudan as a result of the escalating conflicts, as well as the vital peace-making role the ECS has played and is playing in keeping the peace, the AFRECS Board has resolved as follows:

A.            AFRECS will continue to make peace in Sudan and South Sudan its primary focus in public advocacy, advocacy which will include public prayer, education, and petition of the United States government for specific steps to bring about a cessation of hostilities, return to negotiations, protection of vulnerable populations, and a just resolution of remaining political issues of border demarcation, citizenship, oil revenue, and minority rights in each country.

B.            AFRECS will focus its fundraising efforts for the ECS in the next twelve to eighteen months on supporting efforts by the Archbishop and Bishops to mediate and resolve armed conflicts among tribes and factions, and to secure relief for suffering people.

C.            AFRECS will take tangible steps to help bring about additional partnerships between U.S. faith bodies and ECS dioceses, schools, clinics, relief and development efforts, and translation projects.

II.            In aid of these objectives, AFRECS has undertaken and will undertake between now and year’s end, the following initiatives:

            A.            Advocacy meetings with elected representatives, diplomats, and aid organizations seeking to support and encourage tangible U.S. government efforts to bring a rapid end to the ongoing fighting and give aid to vulnerable populations.  These efforts were renewed with the April 26 advocacy day, and will continue with additional advocacy days, in joint efforts with other church, aid, and peace advocates, and in educational efforts about the ongoing conflicts.

            B.            Work with The Episcopal Church at its July 2012 General Convention and with dioceses and other faith bodies to make support for peace in Sudan and partnership with ECS peace efforts a high priority.

            C.            Public prayer services and private devotional efforts for peace in Sudan and for our ECS partners’ efforts, efforts beginning with the April 27, 2012 prayer vigil for peace.

            D.            Continued education through our weekly e-blast communications, blogs, and other informational materials.

            E.            Preparation of materials to help form local U.S. chapters of AFRECS, with a focus on prayer for peace in Sudan and South Sudan, and on discerning partnership opportunities with ECS church efforts or church bodies.

            F.            Fund raising to help the ECS Archbishop and ECS bishops in their efforts to mediate ongoing armed conflicts between tribal groups and efforts to prevent recurrence of armed ethnic conflicts.  To this end, the Board Members resolve to continue to pay the administrative expenses of AFRECS so that 100% of the money donated to AFRECS for peace and relief efforts will reach the ECS without bearing any such administrative costs.