By Sharon Brugger Norton
Roger Schrock as former mission staff in South Sudan, Roy Winter as executive for Service Ministries and Brethren Disaster Ministries, and I traveled recently to Uganda to meet with South Sudan staff Athanasus Ungang and two of his team members* to consult on positioning for the future in South Sudan.
With the peace agreement of 2018 essentially broken, daily escalation of violence, and the end of US AID funds, our staff want to be ready to respond to the inevitable increase of human needs in South Sudan. We are very excited to have hired two team members, one a nurse midwife and the other a community development expert, who have a passion to serve their people who are suffering.
Even as we were making strategic plans and writing service agreements, they told us of their fear for their own children’s lives and their desire to evacuate them to Uganda if possible. When asked how soon they would do this, they said, “Immediately!” The situation is very dangerous in South Sudan, especially in the capital city Juba. Our meeting took on a new sense of urgency.
What we thought was simply an opportunity to get to know Uganda Church of the Brethren pastor Bwambale Sedrack quickly evolved into what felt like a divine plan “for such a time as this.” As Sedrack heard the stories from our South Sudan team, he was filled with concern and offered to help them resettle to Uganda, where there are currently 12 Church of the Brethren congregations. The two team members left with him the next day and stayed overnight, exploring the area and looking for suitable homes for their families. Funds for this emergency evacuation have been made available to help the families relocate, and Sedrack has played a key role in securing one home, as of this writing.
We also found out that the two church planters we are working with in South Sudan already have moved their families to a refugee camp in Uganda, which is not a healthy place to raise a family, exacerbated by global cuts in refugee aid. We are exploring ways to support or resettle their families out of the refugee camp.
Meanwhile, these team members are all committed to staying in South Sudan as long as it is safely possible. They share that it is easier to flee as a single adult than as a family unit. Knowing that their families are in safe places, with a supportive faith community behind them, helps them be able to focus on the work for their community.
We praise God that emergency funds are available and that Uganda Church of the Brethren is serving these families in this way. We ask for continued prayers for the country of South Sudan, teetering on the precipice of civil war, and for the families of our team members as they evacuate and resettle. May we continue to give generously to support global needs such as these.
*names withheld due to safety concerns
— Sharon Brugger Norton is executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren. Give to the Church of the Brethren’s work in South Sudan by choosing “Global Mission: South Sudan Mission” in the “fund” drop down box at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/all-ministries
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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