Thanksgivings and Prayers Requests

The college has reopened for the New Year, but not much is happening here at the moment as we are still gathering together the students following the referendum. Voting continues to the end of this week. Here in Juba there is a quiet, thankful, festive atmosphere. People are full of joy that today they have been able to vote for independence from what has been an opposition from the north extending back for centuries, but especially during two civil wars raging for most of the time ever since Sudanese independence in 1956. We are very grateful for the way peace is so highly regarded here. Much still has to be resolved about the distribution of oil revenues, the border demarcation and other instruments of government. The result will be finally declared on 15th February.

We are very grateful for all your prayers.

One sadness has been the death of Revd Samuel Kayanga who was a part-time teacher of Religious Studies last semester. He completed his valued teaching duties at the end of November but was recently taken ill and died in hospital in Nairobi. Samuel has played an important role in the ECS for many years in the course of the war and beyond. He is the coauthor of But God is Not Defeated with Andrew Wheeler.

Thanks,

Trevor

Thank God for way everything has come together and that the Referendum is taking place on the exact date promised six years ago at the signing of the CPA in 2005. We thank God that, despite the sporadic disturbances in some of the border areas, southern Sudan is probably more peaceful and less divided than it was in 2009. The inter-tribal violence and cattle theft has certainly declined. Please continue to pray that this trend continues.

We ask God's blessings on the family of Samuel Kyanga as we commit him to God's heavenly care.

Pray also for all the members of staff. Especially we pray for John Turpin, a new volunteer from Texas, who has joined us as lecturer in Church History. Pray for Larry Duffee who is joining the staff part-time to teach parish budgeting and financial administration.

Thank God for the improvement in the financial situation of the college. Some of the unpaid rent has now been paid, but there is still much to do to get the college on a sound financial footing. There are houses that have yet to be let. Pray that we can find suitable tenants soon.

We give thanks that God has given us the help of Elger in the financial management of the college.

Thank God for the generosity of several overseas charities towards the development of NBGC. The Anglican Communion Fund has grated us a further £10,000 towards the completion of the first phase of the development. St Saviour's Guildford has awarded us £1,500 from their mission fund. The Slavanka Trust has given us £2,500 for the re-establishment of the library on the new site. And there have been many other contributions from dioceses, parishes and individuals in the UK, Germany and the USA - some large and some small.

Please pray that the gifts continue to enable us to finish building the second staff house, and then embark on the the second phase - the multi-purpose chapel.