Renewal Newsletter

Coming Together in One Faith

in the ECS Diocese of Wau

A Word from the Diocesan Bishop of Wau

Rt, Rev, Moses Deng.

“Be Honest where you are with what you have”.

Lack of integrity and creditability in our current

society has now become the subject matter,

men and women of integrity are in short supply.

Lack of integrity is now flying off the handle:

immorality is no longer big news, scandals

become part of daily life. Just about everywhere

you go you are in shock, the morale of leaders

and finance has drastically broken down.

Creditability has no place in our nation today, it

is no longer preferable.

In spite of that, the need for integrity remains the

most wanted item today in this nation. As long

as we live, we cannot deny our integrity. John C.

Maxwell said, “The need for integrity today is

perhaps as great as it has even been. It is

absolutely essential for anyone who desires to

become a person of influence”.

But in our current situation today credibility and

integrity have deteriorated, just snap the radio

on, tune into any station, listen to any church

news, world news, pick any magazine on the

street and what you will be likely to hear or read

is nothing other than

scandal in the churches

and the State, there is

no safe place. At first

church was viewed as a

pillar of transparency

but now that is

questionable, immoral

behaviour has infiltrated

into our churches but

we were exempted from

the mess at first.

I think the problem

could be that many

Christians think that

stealing a small thing, in

a small place is not

considered to be dishonest, but it is a

fundamental fact of life that if you cannot be

honest in a small thing where you are; nobody

will ever be able to trust you wherever you go, at

any time.

Because trust is built up and broken down in the

small things in one moment of life, if someone

cannot trust you with the little thing you have,

he/she will never trust you at any point, in all

things, any time. Be

honest with the little

things you have now

and here. Luke 16:10-

12 made it clear that,

“whoever can be

trusted with every little

can also be trusted with

much. And whoever is

dishonest in very little

will also be dishonest

with much. So if you

have not been

trustworthy in handling

worldly wealth, who will

trust you with true

riches? And if you have

not been trustworthy

with someone else’s property. Who will give you

property of your own?”

When you read this scripture, it’s not when you

have big money and a big position, its when you

Page Index

A Word From the Bishop......................................2

University Students Graduate..............................3

St John’s Theological College Progresses.............5

My Spiritual and Academic Walk.........................6

A New Vehicle .....................................................8

New Pastors in Tonj South ...............................10

SOMA Reflections..............................................12

God’s Work in Raja.............................................13

Standing Committee Meeting............................16

Who is Daniel? ..................................................17

No Agenda for Disability....................................19

A Hesitant Man..................................................21

Global Food Day................................................23

Hope for a New Nation..................................... 25

Contact Us ........................................................27

A Short Christmas Message..............................27

Please Pray with us ..........................................28

P a g e | 3 www.wau.anglican.org Renewal

will be faithful, a thief is thief whether it’s a

portion of something or the whole of it, it’s

stealing there is no small thief or small sin. So if

you are not trusted here and now then who and

when and where will you be trusted? “In order

to be trusted with a big thing and big leadership

a man must be first be trusted with little things

and in a small job, hence if a man fails there and

now he has also failed everywhere in life all the

time” you see, my fellow Christians! A journey

of twenty miles begin with just one step, once

you break one moral principle you have created

room for mistrust. The book of Isaiah 30:15

says, in quietness and trust is your strength- but

you have none of it”. So be honest where you

are with what you have, and you will be trusted

and put in a bigger position.

Every Blessing Bishop Moses Deng.

Over three hundred students graduated from the

University of Bahr el Ghazal

By Andrew Apiny Macham

On 15th Sept 2012 the University of Bahr el

Ghazal graduated over three hundred students

from different faculties the vast majority were

from the faculty of economics. Tagging along

were the college of Education and Public Health

respectively. This is the first graduation to take

place in an independent South Sudan. The

graduation ceremony was attended by several


VIPs which included his Excellency the

Governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state,

Bridger Rizik Zacharia Hassan, State Legislative

Assemble, Andrea Mayor Acho, Lakes State

Government Representative and Guest of

Honour Andrew Makur Thau the former

Governor of Greater Bahr el Ghazal. Numerous

other State government officials, Ministers, MPs

and hundreds of people all friends, relatives and

parents showed up to witness this flowery and

colourful graduation ceremonial day at Wau

stadium Ground.

His Excellency State Governor Bridger Rizik

Zacharia appealed to graduates to translate

their knowledge and skills into actions, He said,

“Giving you a certificate is one way to get job but

it’s not a warrant for you to stay in the position,

holding a position is another thing, it’s not

determined by the high grade you scored in

school but your hard work, commitment,

good character and flexibility. These

skills are essential and important

ingredients to allow you to get a job and

hold it for many years. His Excellency

challenged students that, it’s not how

much you had learnt that matters but

your productiveness that counts in the

end. People don’t know whether you are

a learner or not until they test your fruits,

therefore, be productive and creative”.

On the other hand, Dr Ambrose Samuel,

Dean of the University spelled out that

“the big challenge facing university

students is lack of funds, special private

students who are either self sponsored

or sponsored by others, some of these

candidates may not graduate because

they have not cleared their school fees,”

he said, “it’s compulsory here in this

institution each student has to pay all

school fees on time so that we may be

able graduate them. Without this it’s

impossible for us to proceed. I am

appealing to all of you parents, church

leaders, friends and relatives who have their

children in this university, if you have not seen

them in gowns, it’s not because they have not

finished but simply they have not cleared their

school fees, they have to pay first so that the

university administration can graduate them and

issue them with certificates, therefore you need

to pay graduation fees and tuition fees for us to

graduate your children”.

This is a real challenge to Wau Diocesan staff

who are studying in this institution, one of whom

was unable to graduate due to financial

constraints, meanwhile others are in and out of

the campus for the same reason. He also added

“Economically and educationally our nation is in

arrears, as a result such factors have

contributed badly to a dramatic collapse of our

economic and education system. It’s our hope

that the graduated will go on and make a

positive impact wherever they get an opportunity

to work to recover our system”. Andrew Makur

Thau addressed the audience he also added

that, “Today you have been commissioned to go

and make new things through competitive

enterprise, innovative solutions and the creative


open-minded process of participating in project

development; social, interactive and transparent

as one nation working for the common interest.

Above all of these be a hard working person,

this is the next task without forgetting the need

to prepare to face the challenges ahead and

working together as team. This is how we will

transform the jingling disharmony of our country

into a beautiful work of art of brotherhood and

sisterhood”. He continuing saying,

“but due to high illiteracy and tribalism the awe-

inspiring new evolution we hoped for has been

swallowed up by our communities”, Andrew

Makur said “this has led citizens to develop

mistrust among each other as a result we have

not been able to achieve our goals in a timely

way and effectively.” Andrew further threw

down the question, “if not now and us, then

when and who can transform this illiteracy and

tribal attitude, overturning it radically into

literacy, brotherhood and sisterhood. Is it now

and you, this is the question we need to answer

honestly, here and now”.

St. John’s Theological College Progresses

By Rev Andrew Apiny Macham

The Wau Diocese Theological College began

with big hopes and just three students in 2011,

but due to a lack of lecturers to teach as full time

teachers there was a major threat to keeping the

college open. But now with coming of Rev

Joseph Mamer as a full time lecturer has come

a definite improvement in student enrolments,

with now at least nine students studying at St

John’s Theological

College. Seven of these

are studying a Diploma in

Theology while the other

two are studying for a

certificate. There is hope

now that very soon the

eight Anglican ECS

Dioceses from the

Greater Bahr el Ghazal

Regional cluster and

other local denominations

when they hear about

this school will also make

good use of it. St John’s

is the only Anglican Bible

College in the cluster of

the eight dioceses in the Region.

Educational statistics indicated that there are not

any other Bible school centres in the Greater

Bahr el Ghazal cluster which covers four States,

Warrap State, Lakes State, Northern Bahr el

Ghazal state, Western Bahr el Ghazal state

itself and Western Equatoria State. The

demands for Christian education in this region


are high and because of its affordability and

being in the centre of the region it is hoped that

the college can grow and grow.

It is the intention that the college will grow very

fast and attract huge numbers of students. Rev.

Joseph Mamer Manot is the first Principal of St,

John’s Theological College. Joseph explained

that, “the challenges that are facing St, John’s

Theological College are: lack of learning

materials, there are no theological books for the

students available in school, this becomes a

major threat to the students and lecturers as

well, however, we are trying as much as

possible to do research online and download

some learning materials to teach” He added

that, “this is the only way, but it’s not as factual,

for such an institution like this to rely on purely

online materials however, we will put up with

that condition for a while until God opens the

door.

He also added that “another drawback is the

lack of desks and chairs for the lecturers. There

is not even one single cupboard, table or chair

for the college, it’s very challenging for us where

to keep the files for school and other important

documents.

Once again there is a lack of learning space,

given the fact that the college is in the centre of

the region with thousands and thousands of

people living in Wau town not to mention the

neighbouring countries, such as the Democratic

Republic of Congo, Western Africa and Sudan

which are all in need of this kind of education

and the fact of being the first offering Christian

higher education will definitely catch the

attention of the people in the near future. The

college will create a centre of attention.

Unfortunately the college doesn’t own its own

premises but is currently using the El- Salama

Private International Secondary Schools’

premises. The hope is to shift somewhere else

later if all goes well. This is the same dismal

point to the student’s accommodation, as I

mentioned earlier, the college reclines in the

heart of the region and the few students who are

learning in this college come from neighbouring

states and combine their feeding. This became

a major threat to the school, the challenge now

is how to address the issues at hand, this been

left in the hands of Wau Diocese with the friends

who generously offer support.

Regardless of all these challenges facing the

school Rev Joseph Mamer is still determined

and optimistic, he said “we are determined to

teach, we will not quit teaching, simply because

there are no chairs to sit on, classes to teach in

or tables to write on or cupboards to keep the

documents in, with time and hard work all these

things will come.” Finally he said. “One thing

that impressed me is the fact that my lecturers

and students are very committed despite the

fact they are not paid; they teach and this gives

me great courage and hope for the future.

My Spiritual and Academic Walk

By Rev Joseph Mamer

Through God’s help, my Christian and academic

life has been a mixture of both the rough and the

smooth. A journey in which life has given many

challenges especially when one strives to

achieve his or her aspiration in life.

I began my ministry with a very humble

beginning; I was ordained and served in the

Episcopal church of Sudan from 1998 and at the

same time pursued my studies in South Sudan

at a school held in the open under the trees.

This was to many unbelievable for an ordained

minister to study with young children in a

primary school but because of my determination

and zeal for learning I was not ashamed to go to

school and intermingle with young children.


Because I was serving in a certain parish as a

parish priest which was very far away from the

school, I had to walk for 4 hours to school and

back to my parish so that I could attend to

church needs and services. That was not an

easy task but I enjoyed being in school and

serving in the church at the same time.

In 2000 I travelled to the Kakuma Refugee

Camp where I also studied at the Malek Bible

School.

In 2002 I graduated with a Diploma in leadership

from the Timothy Training Institute in South

Africa

In year 2003 I joined St. Andrew’s College of

Theology and Development which is an affiliated

college to St. Paul's University where I was

awarded a Diploma in Theology in 2006.

After I completed a three year diploma course

from St. Andrew's I went back to South Sudan

where I worked with an International NGOs,

International Rescue Committee (IRC) and then

worked with Mercy Corps as a Project Manager

in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. In year 2010

although I did not have

any Scholarship, I

resigned from my work

and enrolled at St.

Paul's University,

Limuru in Kenya just

through faith. I was so

determined to return

back to school whether

I had funds or not.

When I registered in

2010 for a Bachelor of

Divinity Degree at St. Paul's University I

personally did not know that I would one day

finish my three year course because I had no

scholarship or financial support. My Diocese

does not have the financial capacity to pay for

my course but through God’s grace many

individuals, friends and colleagues considerately

opened their personal wallet for my course and

financed it. I will always be grateful for that.

Also I want to thank two Bishops, Bishop Moses

Deng of Wau Diocese and Bishop Abraham Yel

of Aweil Diocese who were so supportive

towards my studies. They once in awhile helped

through other friends and partners of those two

Dioceses.

On 5th October I graduated with Bachelor of

Divinity (BD) Degree from St. Paul's University,

Limuru Kenya, it was not only a great day in my

life but a joyous day I will always remember

forever.

The Bachelor of Divinity Degree covers many

areas of studies, such as Biblical Studies,

Systematic Theology, History of the Church and

Pastoral and Practical Studies. There are so

many courses designed for theological students

to study.

I was very much encouraged by these words St.

Paul says in Philippians 4:4 -6 “rejoice in the

Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your

gentleness be evident to all----”


My vision even before I graduated was to help

others through teaching and prepare them for

God’s work and service for humanity. This gift

and talent was also noticed by my bishops who

immediately appointed me as the Principal at St.

John's Theological College even before I was

graduated. It was not an easy task to establish a

theological school from nothing but because of

the high demand for training from our local

pastors we had to begin by faith whether we

have funds and other essentials for running the

college or not.

As I'm the first Principal in the first College in

greater Bahr el Ghazal it’s my obligation to

establish this college on a solid foundation and

this must not overlook efforts done by our

partners.

I am very optimistic that St. John's shall soon

excel in providing quality education to its

students in a conducive environment before I

again go back to school.

Wau Diocese is Blessed with a New Vehicle

Andrew Apiny Macham

The Diocese of Wau has

been blessed with a new

car. The car was bought

with money donated by

friends of Wau Diocese in

the UK.. This includes

Baroness Caroline Cox,

who is a member of the

British House of Lords.

Baroness Cox is also the

founder and of the

Humanitarian Aid Relief

Trust (HART) along with

other friends. It is a truly

marvellous phenomenon

that the Diocese of Wau is

P a g e | 9 www.wau.anglican.org Renewal to get a new vehicle at just the right time.

Bishop Moses, since his enthronement as the

Diocesan Bishop of Wau has always faced,

as possibly the biggest challenge to his

spiritual activities a lack of transport to visit

the various Archdeaconries of Wau. The

diocese is truly large and covers two states in

Southern Sudan with over 300 parishes. So

for Bishop Moses to travel to the farthest

parts of the diocese and perform services of

ordination, confirmation and blessing new

structures has been almost impossible. But

the issue has been addressed by the friends

of the Diocese of Wau who heartily

contributed some money to support Wau. It

has to be said that a completely new car

suitable to use in the rough terrain of Warrap

or Bahr el Ghazel would cost a great deal of

money indeed. So it is a great blessing that at

the time the Friends of Wau Diocese offered

their donation a government official offered

his car to the diocese. Needless to say this

car cost a great deal less, although it is is

very good condition and very suitable to the

work it will be needed for. This is a real

blessing to the diocese of Wau and we really

give thanks to God for that.

Bishop Moses really enjoyed this miraculous

moment and took pictures with his staff

outside the Cathedral to show how pleased

and grateful he was. Then not standing on

ceremony the car was put straight to work.

On a very much needed spur-of-the moment,

Bishop Moses visited the town of Raja where

he has not been since his enthronement. The

people there with help from the SPLA and UN

had built a church which he blessed,

consecrated and opened to his and

everyone’s great delight.

Now empowered to visit places he has never

gone to, Moses intends to use this card to

expand the mission of Wau diocese further

into the depths of the land and help those

who have long been isolated by distance. Of

course there will be routine journeys for the

car such as collection people and equipment

from the local airport and transporting goods

needed in a hurry.

P a g e | 10 www.wau.anglican.org Renewal This car is now the prize possession of the

diocese and will be carefully looked after to

ensure that they get the most out of it. Each

diocesan user wanting to make use of the car

must ensure that they can afford the fuel first

and pay toward the regular maintenance of

the car which is necessary to ensure it’s

effective use.

According to many diocesan staff, they said,

we had much sympathy for our bishop’s

condition. It is obvious to anyone living here

to see the need for a car, by virtue of Wau

Diocese being the largest diocese in South

Sudan covering two states, the need to

have car was really indisputable. There are

some archdeaconries that no bishop has ever

gone to since Wau became an Anglican

diocese simply because there was no means

of transport to reach these archdeaconries.

From today the bishop will visit all his

archdeaconries, especially those he has

never gone to. Thank you to the people who

donated this money to help Wau diocese to

do God’s work and to reach the lost ones with

the Gospel of Christ. It’s such a great relief

and peace of mind brought to us by our dears

friends of Wau. You really have blessed us

with your kindness.

New Pastors Graduate in Tonj South

By Daniel Machar Dhieu

Twelve disciples of the Diocese of Wau

graduated from the Bible School in Tonj South

County through the Indeed and Truth ministry, a

ministry that concerns itself with theological

training centres and with pastors. The graduates

have studied for the last three years for their

diploma courses.

The graduation ceremony was officially opened

by words of prayer from Bishop Moses Deng Bol

after hearing the South Sudan national anthem

played by the Don Bosco band. The function

was attended by the duty Governor of Warrap

State Hon. Akech Tong Aleu with his

delegations, Bishop Moses Deng bol with the

Diocesan Secretary Peter Yuol Gur, the Tonj

Wau Diocese gratefully acknowledges the help it receives from its partners and

friends in meeting the many ongoing challenges in its mission.

God bless you for all that you give!


police commissioner, a delegation from the USA

led by Pastor Jim and the entire population of

Tonj South County. While continuing with the

graduation functions the ECS local churches

performed welcoming songs followed by a team

from the Bible Study College and the Clinic

Choir performed a song entitled NHIALIC

APUↃTH APƐƐI or NHIALIC ANHIAAR WUↃK

the English translation for this is “GOD IS

GOOD AT ALL or GOD LOVES US.

Joe and Nancy the college teacher’s

representatives appreciated the pastors for their

tireless commitment to complete the course

within three years and encouraged them to take

what they learnt from their study time

everywhere they go.

In relation to the above, the USA delegation

leader pastor Jim told the gathering of twelve

pastors, just graduated that they were the vision

in Tonj South County. Jim congratulated mama

Suzy and Sebit for their tireless work in this

community. He admitted that, our team from

USA came here to teach many things to you.

Therefore, our delegation from USA will now

treat common diseases such as malaria,

dysentery and sleeping sickness. We will start

here and look to extend in to other communities

in Warrap state as whole.

The Bishop of Wau Diocese appreciated the

support given by the Indeed and Truth Ministry

as this is a gift from the Lord to his diocese. This

diocese is very young as you know, the word of

God especially in this region was just at hand.

Bishop Moses told the gathering that his

Diocese will try to train more pastors. He

encouraged the rest to join them in the process

of development toward the diocese planning.

Bishop Moses, told the duty governor to at least

solve the problem connected to the land given

to church premises. He noted that, currently we

have a land problem in Tonj, Wau, Warrap and

Kuajok. In connection the duty governor


admitted that his office will talk to the county commissioner to calm this situation.

SOMA Reflections – Such Encouragement !

With Kind thanks to Stephen Dinsmore of SOMA UK

From 11th July -17th 2012 SOMA (Sharing of

Ministries Abroad) conducted a five day

HIV/AIDS and Bible sharing conference at

the Good shepherd Cathedral Wau.

Following are two reflections from SOMA UK

team members that attended and led that

event.

SOMA Team leader Philip Kirk tells how the

delegates repeatedly saw God’s hand on the

missions in Wau and Tonj.

God’s leading - We returned one evening from

a session held under a tree and found on the

computer an email declaring fruit hidden in a

tree under which God was ministering to us.

Such encouragement!

Hungry participants - In both conferences

participants were eager to learn. In Tonj

especially, they were very hungry for the Word.

To see participants in both venues who had

been in session for long periods absorbed in

copying the many flipchart sheets pasted to the

walls was so encouraging to us.

Pastoral visits - One afternoon during the

HIV/AIDS workshops, participants were given a

choice: to receive HIV/AIDS testing or go on a

pastoral visit where they could pray with people.

In Wau, 27 people joined the two of us. We

broke into groups of five or six and walked to the

hospital, where we prayed and asked the Holy

Spirit to lead each group to pray for the sick,

either in the wards or outside in the grounds

resting under the shade of trees. The groups

returned with their faith built up and the walk

home was a march of God’s army, with much

joyful singing and thanksgiving.

Fire - On the night before teaching on

repentance and the Holy Spirit, our suitcase

caught fire in our tent at around 3am. Thankfully,

we woke and were able to smother the flames

with clothing and get outside, away from the

heavy smell of burning plastic. Our rucksack

inside the case had melted, the gifts we had

taken were burned, Jean’s purse, house keys

and some of her clothes destroyed, and the

clock was a melted lump! But we were safe.

Thank you, Lord. On our return we learned that

two of our intercessors could not sleep that night

and had been praying for us.

Death - A gang of cattle-rustling spies from

another state were spotted near our compound

and one of them was caught and very badly

beaten. He was one of the people we prayed

over on our visit to the clinic. He had a massive

head wound. That night he died. The community

were preparing themselves for a revenge attack

which they believed would come within weeks.

This was all happening while we were teaching

about renewal in the community, peacemaking

and the need to break cultural patterns of

violence and retribution.

SOMA UK Team member Wyclef Rushaju

reflects:

‘I couldn’t have wished for more. The transport

for me was the best. For starters I had never

travelled in a plane I was even scared, that’s

why I had wanted to use a bus but also because

the bus is cheaper and the security these days

is not as bad between Nimule and Juba. Thank

you so much for my transport and helping me

make history.


The previous SOMA mission opened my eyes to

the fact that church need to lead and disciple

this new nation before the reverse takes root. In

prayer, we need to humble ourselves and get rid

of the debris in our lives and keep leaning on

Him instead of our own understanding. I

remembered the inscription in Evans’ house that

I saw on the first and last days of mission, “With

God all things are possible”.’

There were many delegates waiting to give

testimony about how God had touched them

during the conferences in Wau. Here are a few:

• A pastor said, “There was malaria in my

village. The Bishop prayed with me. I went

back to my village to see a child that was

dying. Today that child is well.”

• A man named John said that bitterness in

his life had caused all pain in his body. “I

forgave and now all the pain has gone.”

• A delegate said that when he received the

Holy Spirit, he knew that he would not do

wrong again. He was relying on the Holy

Spirit, he said. This was particularly true for

him in the area of sexual immorality.

• A lady with the Youth Team spoke of an

incident when several men attacked her hut.

The police came and drove the men away.

She said that because of the Holy Spirit she

was able to forgive the man who had tried to

spear her.

• Daniel said that after receiving the Holy

Spirit he had a vision in which he saw

scattered villages. God woke him up and he

said to God, “What you want me to do, I will.

Before this the Word was hidden from me.”

• Another Daniel said he had a nasty, open

wound on his side. The hospital said there

was not enough medicine, and he felt he

was going to die. “I am now healed”, he said,

“and my child is better too.”

• A man said he had a choice: go to school,

go to the clinic, or come here to the

conference. He chose the conference, and

found he received teaching and medicine for

himself and his wife, and that God has

forgiven him.

God’s Work Being Done in Raja


This was a historical day for the people of Raja

County to witness the presence of the Bishop of

Wau Diocese for the first time since the

formation of the Diocese early in 1986. Truly,

His Lordship Bishop Moses Deng Bol arrived in

Raja County on Friday evening for first time in

the history of Wau as mentioned above. The

tour was designed officially for the opening of a

new church constructed by the UNMISS

chaplaincy in Raja County. The St. Barnabas

protestant church was officially opened on

Sunday 30th September 2012 by His Lordship

Bishop Moses Deng Bol.


The RT. Rev. Moses Deng

told the UNMISS

Chaplaincy,

“congratulations this is

God’s Work and my

special thanks go to

Almighty God and the

UNMISS Commander Lt.

Col. Gitogo who has

allowed his soldiers to

work for Christians under

his leadership in the

County”. Then the

chaplaincy under the

United Nations in South

Sudan (UNMISS)

dedicated the St. Barnabas

protestant church to the

people of Raja county as declared by Bishop

Moses Deng.

A large crowd of Christians, citizens of Raja

County both believers and non-believers

gathered to witness a dedication message for

the new church of St. Barnabas in the Salaam

area “the people of Raja county feel wonderful

to get a church in their home county for the first

time in history especially the protestant

members, after long difficulties and bittersweet

times, because it is like a dream to achieve this,”

said Bishop Moses, the UNMISS has been a

blessing to the community and to the people in

the community.

Over the past two months the organization has

built a home for a blind man said Commanding

Officer Hon. Kitoro “We are here because of

what Jesus taught in Luke, Chapter 10, and one

of the many parables he taught about was the

one of the Good Samaritan,” said pastor Goalie,

program manager for the church building. “The

Good Samaritan, we do not know his name, we

don’t know much about him except one big

thing: he was a man of compassion, and he was

a man of compassion for someone he did not

know. …That’s what we’ve

based this on. This is why

we do what we do, to help

folks who need help, taking

care of the situation and

not expecting anything in

return.”

“It’s wonderful because we

really didn’t know what to

do,” said Bishop Moses

Deng. The Diocesan

Bishop of Wau one of the

largest dioceses that

covers two whole states of

South Sudan, “We had this

opportunity, we put in for it,

we were accepted and it


was about the happiest we’ve ever been, I think.

Believers in their religion they don’t just say

they’re Christians, they live their religion, and

they really do.” The whole Diocese is pleased

for the achievement brought by the UNMISS

Chaplaincy in collaboration with local people in

the Diocese.

He added that he will never be able to give

enough gratitude to those who worked on his

Diocese development only God will do more.

His Lordship explained

that the experience of

the chaplaincy goes

beyond getting a new

church in the Diocese

and encourages them

to continue making

charitable work that

will always have a

special place in the

Diocese’s hearts.

“We have met so

many wonderful things

through this, getting

the new church is just

part of it, but being

able to meet all these

people and seeing

how good the world

can be and is—that’s

the amazing part,” He said.

While closing the celebration for the handing

over of the church to the community by UNMISS

then Bishop Moses announced the news of the

renaming the church from being called “St.

Barnabas protestant church” a name derived

from the St. Barnabas protestant church in the

UNMISS camp. Therefore, on 30th September

2012 at 10:00am this will officially be changed to

“the All Saints Community church or parish”

because this church belong to all the

Protestants living here in Raja County. He also

formed the council for administration in the

church that is now led by William Akok and

followed by Daniel, William who is also

appointed as pastor in charge.

Bishop Moses also appointed a pastor as the

chair lady for the Mothers Union in the church

and directed all of them to work for the Christian

interest.

Daniel provided four reports from the visit Bishop Moses made to Raja,

see the other three on our website: www.wau.anglican.org in the news

area.

http://www.wau.anglican.org/


Wau Diocese Standing Committee Meeting 2012


From 16th – 18th Oct 2012 the Episcopal

Church of Sudan, Diocese Wau, held a three

day Diocesan Standing Committee Meeting at

the Good shepherd Cathedral in Wau. The

purpose of the meeting was to discuss how far

the Diocese has grown in terms of spirituality,

St, John’s Theological College and plan for next

year’s Synod meeting. It was also a chance to

share experiences and challenges among

church leaders and how best they can be

addressed.

The meeting was planned for three people to

attend from each of the 18 archdeaconries but

due to the long distances and worsened by

financial constraints some people didn’t turn up

for the meeting. The Diocesan standing

committee usually takes place once a year and

this is the second time this meeting has been

held since Moses Deng’s enthronement as

Bishop of Wau in 2010.

The meeting was attended by the professor

Machar Kachuol as guest of honor from the

University of Bahr el Ghazal. He called upon the

Anglican Church leaders in general and in

particular Wau Diocese to join in wedlock and

work hand in hand in harmony without grumbling

against each other. Professor

Kachol felt strongly that this will

cause disarray in the church of

Christ, he further said, “church

leaders are the torch of the world”,

in this he meant that church

leaders should lead the flock of

God in the right way so that

everyone will follow them “based

on their good deeds”.

Minister Victoria Titus, the Minister

of Social welfare in Warrap state

added “Coming together to share

your challenges, experiences and

planning together as church is an

indication that the diocese of Wau

is moving on the right pathway”

she added “if this continues

consecutively! Let me assure you

for that in five years time things will

be different all together, coming in

concert alone is progress, sharing your

familiarity is a lesson and planning concurrently

is an achievement”.

After this the meeting kicked off immediately,

and it went on successfully, the following were

resolutions passed in the three day Diocesan

Standing Committee meetings.

It was agreed that each archdeaconry will

sponsor at least one person at St, John

Theological College, and all those sponsored by


the church will sign a contract to work in the

church for period that will be agreed upon

between the two parties. Recommendation from

an archdeacon or pastor is required for

admission and those who don’t meet the

academic qualifications will sit an entrance

exam. This will determine whether he or she will

sit for a certificate or Diploma.

It was also discussed and agreed that the next

synod will be held on 21st Oct 2013 in Romic

Archdeacony in Greater Tonj. Each

archdeaconry is required to sponsor five people

each for this meeting so the target number will

be one hundred people.

The issue of evangelism and mission to start a

fresh came out very clearly in the standing

committee meeting that pastors should reaffirm

their commitments to proclaim the gospel of

Christ in order to reach all the communities with

the Word of Christ.

It was also agreed that ordination for new

pastors remains tightly controlled, no person will

be ordained until they graduate, at least with a

diploma in theology not only that he or she is

expected to plant a church.

It was also passed in the Diocesan standing

committee meeting that any opportunities for

scholarship or development will consider three

areas that is the greater Western Bahr el Ghazal

state, greater Tonj and Greater Gogrial which

made up Wau Diocese. Only scholarship

opportunities will take into account the issue of

academic qualifications for the criteria of

selection.

Once again, the Diocesan Development wing

organizations Christian Action for Relief and

Development will only expand in to other

archdeaconries depending on the availability of

funds and concept note, nevertheless it was

also passed in the meeting that every pastor

should be involved in agricultural activities, to

help address food insecurity and it should be

preached in all parishes to take note of this.

It was discussed that the Diocesan constitution

should be reviewed in the course of this year

and earlier next year before the next synod and

passed in the next generally assemble.

After the meeting the Diocesan Bishop Moses

Deng acknowledged and thanked everyone who

contributed to the success of this meeting in one

way or another and those who also who took

part in the meeting since the starting point up to

the end, despite the fact that there was no

proper accommodation and food. Everyone had

persevered with the conditions and that was a

credit to them.

.

Introducing Myself – Who is Daniel?


Daniel, whose name is cropping up ever

more regularly, has been appointed by

Bishop Moses to work with Wau Diocese

communications. Here he introduces

himself.

Through God’s grace I greet all of our readers of

the Renewal newsletter and the general website

for Wau Diocese. I wish you Almighty God’s

blessing for this year, trusting that the daily

meditations will give you the spiritual support

you need and bring you into a closer relationship


with the saviour of the world, the only son of

God lord Jesus Christ.

I am South Sudanese by nationality and speak

many languages, both international and local

dialects including English, Arabic, Dinka, Bari,

Madi and Relli.

In my church, I was appointed by the Jol-Wo-

Lieech Nhialic (it means God look back to us)

Youth Ministry as the secretary in the Nimule

Torit Diocese in 2011 just for one year. While in

Wau Diocese, I’m the chairman of the

committee for Helping Youth in Wau Cathedral.

Since I was very young I wanted to be a

journalist. I have always been fascinated with

learning new things and I continue to challenge

myself. I was born in Twic East county of Jonglei

State South Sudan in 1986 three years after the

revolution of the SPLM/A. During the civil war in

late 1999 before separation I moved to Uganda

for my studies where I completed my high

school and qualified for a certificate in mass

communication. At the end of my middle school

years I again moved from the big city to a small

town.

During my high school I worked as a semi-tutor

for elementary students in computer training and

news editor in the Moyo Town secondary

school. After high school in Moyo town

secondary school in early 2009 I attended

Mengo University for Mass communication and

received a certificate of mass communication in

2010.

I reported news for Moyo town radio in Uganda

for nine months in 2009 before finishing my

paper and then left to return to South Sudan.

While in studying for mass communication in

2010 I was also a reporter for the Juba Post

newspaper and the Hero newspaper in 2011.

I have since continue my education by taking

courses in Bible studies, child development, web

design, and been awarded with a lot of

certificates from the East African Christian

College. Early this year I joined the University of

Bahr-el-Ghazal, college of economic and social

studies through a government scholarship, this

will take me four years.

I am currently a columnist in the “New Times

newspaper” Juba South Sudan, a reporter in

“the Christians newspaper” South Sudan, a

writer in the “New Nation newspaper” South

Sudan and also work as a reporter in the “Sudan

Tribune”. Therefore, in Wau diocese I was

asked to take part in the Diocesan

Communication Coordination, which was held

by Rev Andrew Apiny. This was due to workload

which made him too busy to do all his work.

So, I currently work in both the Renewal

newsletter and the general news for Wau

Diocese in liaison with Dave the Webmaster for

Wau Diocese.

I would like to thank all those who have shown

me love and made it good be with this family of

Wau.


There is no Agenda for People with Disabilities


Joseph Kur Deng is 35 years

of age and studies at the

Sunday Adult Education

programme in class six

evening classes. Regretfully

Kur is one of those people

who are challenged by

physical disability, both his

legs are paralyzed he a wheel

chair bicycle to move himself

about.

I Asked Kur about his physical

conditions and education, this

is what he had to say. “I am

halted in a special way in the

sense that there is some

physical work I just cannot do. Regardless of

that I am still an incredibly resourcefully person

in the community. When it comes to the

educational arena my physical disability is not

an obstacle for me to learn, I am willing to learn

because my mind is not disabled, it’s only my

legs which are affected but mentality I am as fit

as anyone. The biggest challenge now in my

view, is not the problem of my disability but that

there is no agenda for people with disability in

this country. Our government and the church

view those with a disability to be people who are

not productive citizens in our society. Hence,

there no programme for us in any institution

from that perspective, you can see why most

people feel that educating people with a

disability is a waste of resources and time”.

I asked, “Please Joseph can you justify that

statement how did you come to the conclusion

that there is no agenda for the disabled people

in this nation?”

Kur replied with this statement “I Am speaking

from my own experience, when I joined the

Sunday Adult Education programme, I asked my

uncle to finance both my school bursary and

stationery materials. I’m sorry to say that he told

me you are paralyze person I shouldn’t waste

my money on you, instead I would be better

educating those who are physically healthy and

fit. When I heard this I shed tears, it was a very

painful statement, that really hit home and broke

my heart. I prayed to God to help me because I

really wanted to be somebody in the future of

South Sudan to prove that in spite of the fact

that I am disabled I can still do something to

help myself and others.

Looking at this statement, my uncle is not the

only person who has a low opinion about

disabled persons, there are many others outside

in a nation who scrutiny disable us to be useless

people in our society. Even though this is what

many people believe, I still have hope that one

day I will be somebody. I committed myself to

finish standard level eight and if finance will

allow, I will go as far as secondary school and to

university if that is my destination, so that I can

proof to my uncle and others that disabled

people can also learn like other normal people

and be productive people in the community.


My uncles’ words are a constructive statement

in my view. It challenged me to look beyond my

present physical disability and compelled me to

take steps. I believe one hundred percent that

despite the fact that I am challenged physically, I

am still productive in one way or another not

only for myself but also to my community as a

whole.

What I really needed was/is somebody to

support me financially and the rest of the

problem will take care of itself. I tried to work on

the farm but it didn’t work out properly because

of the nature of my condition. I couldn’t make it

as you can see both my legs are ineffectual so I

cannot cut down big trees and clear the land.”

Even though he was defeated by physical work

Joseph refuses to give up, “I will never be

overcome by education since I am mentally

competent and healthy, I will learn.

That was why I went as far as teaming up with

beggars on street, hoping that it will solve my

problem. I am sorry to say that asking people

you don’t know on the street is very stressful

and not the best option. I left it after only a few

months and came home to begin to think again,

what next”.

“Why?” I asked

Joseph. He explained

to me,

“Because the one thing

I hate is depending on

somebody else for

something. You do not

have any guarantees

of getting what you

need and that is so

miserable. Not only

that even if you get it, it

is not certain to cater

for your service, worst

of all you will not be

satisfied with it. Not to

mention the hard-

hearted abuse and

insults that other

people give me.

All these systematic ruthless words pour in to

me and this hopeless situation with the need for

survival compelled me to start my own project.

Repairing bicycles as a business came to me

because I realized that when it comes to your

future you are the champion of your own dream

to make it a reality. In this nation, there are

many dreams murderers than revitalizerers.

Many people are struggling to bring somebody

down instead of building them up. Growing a

business in this location is not easy, the

government and NGOs don’t have an agenda

for disabilities. When seeing this situation I didn’t

wait to be told what to do, instead I started

repairing bicycles to pay for my own study and

of course to be able me to feed myself.”

If all disabled people could think as positively as

Joseph things would be very different. There

would be no more beggars’ today on the streets.

This is a challenge for all of us to be proactive

and consider the dreams of others in our future.

With creativity and initiative these issues can be

solved.

According to Joseph, “if the government can

improve disabled peoples socio- economic

positions, more specifically focussing on


creating and enabling an environment for them

to advocate for and improve their own socio-

economic position through strengthening

relevant organizations from the private and

educational sectors as well as in civil society

then groups targeting the disable thing will do

much good. Unfortunately, no one is concerned

about programs for the disabled or seeking to

facilitate the creation of a conducive

environment for disabled entrepreneurs to

embark on and grow their own business.

Today I am in class six and survive not from my

uncle or anybody’s pocket but with the little

money I get from my work, that enables me to

do what my heart desires. The challenge now in

front of me is the lack of tools for repairing

bicycles, motorbikes, and space with a shade.

These are the things that make my work so

difficult and are holding me back, otherwise I am

close to my dream. Because my plan is to cater

for my education first and then food if this

collapses my education will end since I do not

have any other support from anywhere, I totally

depend on this.”

Please support Joseph to reach is dream.

A hesitant Old Man Becomes a Believer

By Rev Peter Akook

This is an old man called Deng Akook

Majak, from a non christian family

background who hadn't even heard of

Jesus or who Jesus is. Deng Akook

who nicked name himself Deng Tuong

saw the issue of believing in Jesus as

nonsense and only work the poor,

useless and cowardly people would get

involved in. It happened that in 1999,

his elder son called Kiir Deng went to

church to get baptized by Rev.Joseph

Mamer Manot and he was actually a bit

C.A.R.D. is the development wing of the

Diocese of Wau and works hard to restore

hope, inspire action and transform lives.

Contact [email protected] for more information

mailto:[email protected]?subject=enquiry%20from%20Renewal%20Newsletter


late since he is trained to be a

good cattle keeper to go and

look after his family's cows. The

old man begins to ask his son

the following questions:

He asked: "Where have you

been?"

The boy answered: "I have

been to the church."

The old man again asked: "For

what purpose and by who?"

The boy answered: "For

baptism by Rev.Joseph Mamer Manot."

The old man ignorantly asked his son one more

silly question: "What then Mamer?"

The boy still respectful, wisely told his father

"Rev.Joseph Mamer".

The old man negatively asked: "Why then do

you come and try to take my milking gourd, but

what of the pastor's milking gourd?"

The boy began to keep silence and left hungry

to look after cattle. They were reconciled by

elders of the church with his son. This year 2012

- a hesitant old man became a believer. No one

in the village knew that this old man would one

become a Christian. Deng Tuong has a lot to do

with traditional magic in his life. He has

medicines, spears, gourds etc that can help him

to get riches and to protect him from any

danger. He fell sick in April 2012 which was a

very serious sickness and could have resulted in

his death. He experienced very severe

dysentery diarrhoea, becoming deaf (he can

hear but was unable to answer) for the first time,

trembling and his whole body was shaken. He

was not swallowing any drinks but closed up his

mouth so that nothing could pass through.

Our Evangelists went out as part of our outreach

program and started preaching to him about the

Good News and how powerful Jesus is. He

responded to them positively by gestures that

meant "take me to the church for baptism and

burn down all the satanic kinds of things in my

house". Deng Akook was baptized and was

given the name Micheal Deng Akook. He is now

much better but still recovering please pray for

him to recover fully.

The TEE evangelists were able to reach Michael

because they were riding bicycles like the one in

the picture. They are strong, easy to mend and

locally available. Last year 31 people were

trained as TEE evangelists and if there is

funding for 2013 we will train even more. With

patience we can reach any part of Wau diocese

and bring people the good news about Jesus.

Please consider helping us with this task.

Rev Peter is the TEE Co-ordinator for Wau diocese and recently completed a course of

studies at Bishop Gwynne Theological College in Juba.

To learn more about TEE contact Peter: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Enquiry%20from%20Renewal%20Newsletter


Western Bahr el Ghazal State Observes Global

Food Day


On 16th Oct 2012 Western Bahr el Ghazal

State joined the World in celebrating Global

Food Day under the theme “Agriculture

Cooperative-key to Feeding South Sudan”

for the very first time since independence

Western Bahr el Ghazal state held an

agriculture trade Show.

The veneration was attended by hundreds

of small farmers drawn from the every

corner of Western Bahr el Ghazal State,

NGOs representing both national and

international organizations and top

government officials. Attending included

his Excellency Governor Rizik Zacharia

Hassan, Speaker of the Legislative

Assemble Andrea Mayor Acho, the National

Minster of Agriculture, forestry, and

irrigation, the State minister of Agriculture

Forestry and Irrigation, Lillian Velantino

Riziq. Also attending were Northern Bahr el

Ghazal state Minister of Agriculture forestry

and irrigation and many other dignitaries.

The World Food Day was overwhelmed with

lots of different types of food from each

different county; each three counties

brought five of the best farmers along with

their crops products and vegetables crops.

In opening the function the State Director

General of Agriculture Forestry and

Irrigation called upon all farmers to work on

their farms and warned those who keep

animals to control their animals not to allow

them to roam randomly.

P a g e | 24 www.wau.anglican.org Renewal W.F.P Deputy country Director Stephen

also told the citizens that the W.F.P is going

to redefine its approach in addressing food

security, initially W.F.P used to distribute

food to the people, but this has

worsened condition and encouraged

laziness among the farmers. For that

reason W.F.P will be supporting

farmers with seeds and tools, W.F.P.

believes this will create long lasting

solutions and a sustainable economy.

While the Country Director of FAO

said, “The FAO will strengthen the

capacity of the farmers across South

Sudan to become self-reliant and

acknowledges the farmers suffering

during the war who worked hard

under unbearable conditions in spite

of that the farmer didn’t give up. The

Director urged all farmers to wake up

once more to go to their farms and

work.”

Her Excellency the State Minister of

Agriculture Lillian Velantino called

upon all the citizens of Western Bahr

el Ghazal State to make agriculture

their first priority at the state level as

a revenue generating income, the

minister further said, “there are those

citizens who spend one dollar per a day and

some go with nothing, in this condition; the

minister assured the citizens that the

government is committed to do something

to boost up agricultural activities to make

life better.”

His Excellency the governor Riqik Zacharia

Hassan called to all citizens to work on their

farms, he said, “There is no reason why

South Sudan should go hungry when we

have enough land, rain and peace. He

further said, it’s unfortunate that the

government relied on oil in the past, now

the government strategy plan is to boost

the agricultural sector by supporting small

farmers with all that is necessity for

farming to be self-reliant and to make the

country a better nation”.

Lastly the national Minister of Agriculture

said, “Hungry families make angry men,

when there is no food at home there will be

no peace of mind in that particular family,

everybody at home is unhappy, looking at

these scenarios agriculture is not the

second option, for us to make the right

thing our stomachs must be filled”.

In all the speeches given the government of

South Sudan and NGOs who are involved

directly or indirectly in addressing food

security need to arrange their strategy

plans in order to address the food

insecurity in better ways which are

sustainable. Food insecurity among

vulnerable populations exists as a result of

the physical unavailability of food, lack of

social/ economic access to adequate food

and inadequate food utilisation.

After the function the committee was

appointed to select the best five farmers

among the fifteen farmers to attend the

upcoming World Food Day at the national

level next month in November 2012 in Juba

where winning farmers will be awarded.


Hope for a New Nation Festival

At Dr. John Garang Memorial Park, Juba 26th & 27th October 2012

By Rev Peter Akook

The location of the festival was

dedicated on 25th October 2012

before hand.

This was a well united event and

organized as an ecumenical

festival. The festival was well

equipped with a lot of instruments

for praise and worship music such

as guitars, drums, loud speakers to

mention but few and along with

that, very committed and energetic

choirs from all over South Sudan in

all churches.

The festival was attended by high

ranking government officials,

among the dignitaries were Vice

President of the Republic of South Sudan

Dr.Riek Machar Teny, Dr.Baranaba Marial

Benjamin, Minister for information, SPLA high

commanders and UN Diplomats as well.

During the opening ceremony on the 26 October

2012 Bishop Isaiah Daau addressed the

gathering by quoting the late Dr. John when he

(Dr.John) addressed one of the rallies in

Khartoum by saying that a

country cannot be governed

by two wings i.e. " a political

wing and a military wing"

only, but it has to be

governed by three, such as

a "Spiritual wing, political

wing, and a military wing".

He commented that South

Sudan is a blessed country

which acknowledges the

spiritual wing among others

to exercise its freedom of

worship at such a festival as

this.


I am happy that the church is

well recognized by the

government and put in a

special place as a key leading

institution, setting examples in

the areas of peace and

reconciliation activities in our

country. For instance

Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul

is appointed a chairman for

peace and reconciliation by

the president of the Republic

of South Sudan.

In the delivering process of

the gospel to people was

Rev.Franklin Graham who

preached from the Gospel

according to St. Mark 10:46-

52 under the theme "Blind Bartimaeus Receives

His Sight". The blind man was just a beggar who

stood by roadside begging passersby for

something to help him survive, but when Jesus

arrived at his place he didn't ask for food again

but for his sight to recover and he said it in faith.

Jesus said "Go, your faith has healed you".

Immediately he received his sight.

Rev.Franklin referred to this as "spiritual

blindness" that we all have, and therefore we all

have the chance to come to Jesus and ask him

in faith to restore our "sight" (our spiritual sight).

On the second day he preached on Zacchaeus

from the Gospel according to St.Luke 19:2-8

who was very short but has a heart to "see"

Jesus physically not hearing his voice only.

Zacchaeus was a tax

collector who cheated

many over money

deals and he

confessed it to Jesus

that he would pay

back to those he

cheated "four times"

the amount.

Rev Franklin

challenged the

assembled gathering

by saying "let us

confess our sins and

we will be forgiven”.


Contacting Us: www.wau.anglican.org

By E-mail

Diocesan Bishop

Rt Rev Moses Deng Bol : [email protected]

Diocesan Secretary

Rev Peter Yuol Gur : [email protected]

General Enquiries

Mr Daniel Machar : [email protected]

Mother’s Union

Mrs Clarice Achieng : [email protected]

A full list of diocesan staff with contacts can be viewed on our website.

By Post:

Hai Mozephin, Opposite Wau Teaching Hospital,

C/o ECS Provincial Office,

P O BOX 110,

Juba,

South Sudan

By Telephone:

Tel +211 926954187 or +211 955602769

+254 716641233

The Right Reverend Bishop Moses Deng Bol and all

the hardworking staff of Wau Diocese would very

much like to wish all our friends and partners a very

peaceful and happy Christmas celebration. May 2013

be a year of development, success and joy for us all.

http://www.wau.anglican.org/

mailto:[email protected]?subject=from%20the%20newsletter



mailto:[email protected]


Please Pray With Us

Pray for the hardworking clergy and volunteers of Wau Diocese who work without pay in

difficult conditions.

Pray for all those trapped in Sudan unable to leave and regarded now as second class citizens.

Pray for innocent people returning from Sudan to uncertain futures and starting over.

Pray for those living with disabilities in South Sudan, struggling more than most and facing prejudice

as well as hardship.

Give thanks to God for the partners who come to us and share in helping us such as SOMA and

Jump Start Sudan.

Give thanks to God for those recently graduated and moving on in their lives. Pray for them as they

take their place in the future of South Sudan.

Pray for those affected by food insecurity and struggling to get enough to eat every day. Give thanks

also for the success of the global food day event and the awareness is brings.

Pray for the health and wellbeing of the people of our diocese.

Pray for all tribal based fighting and killing to stop.

Give thanks to God for the recent festival “Hope for a New Nation” held in Juba and the

encouragement given to many.

Church prayers needs

Pray for our Bishop the Rt. Rev Moses Deng Bol, he has a lot of work to in the Diocese, pray that

God will help him to do what needs to be done.

Pray for our two cathedrals one in Wau and one in Kuacjok, give thanks for our partners who help us

and pray that all the work may be completed.

Pray for our theological college called St John’s and the new Principal, Rev Joseph Mamer.

Pray for the priests and Pastors of Wau diocese struggling to bring God’s word to the people of

Warrap and Western Bhar El Ghazal states.

Pray for all the work of the Mother’s Union.

Pray for Daniel Machar Dhieu and his work as Communications Co-ordinator.

Pray for the new parish of The All Saints Community Church – Raja it’s pastors and laity.

Give thanks to God for those recently made Pastors and taking up new posts. Pray for them as

they take their place in the future of the mission of Wau Diocese.

Documents

Renewal Newsletter