Office of Public
Witness Director Meets with United States Embassy Officials in South Sudan
Washington, DC, February 3, 2015 – The Reverend
Dr. J. Herbert Nelson returned this past weekend from ten days in South Sudan.
While there, he investigated ways that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) can better partner with World Mission to more effectively engage partner churches and organizations, mission
co-workers, and other personnel, for more effective justice advocacy.
Before
leaving Juba, South Sudan, Nelson spoke with officials at the United States
Embassy and appealed for their intervention in returning South Sudan pastors
who had been arrested in Sudan, back to their families, congregations, and
communities. A Presbyterian News Service article dated January 21, 2015, reported that Reverend Yat
Michael, a South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) pastor was
arrested after preaching on December 21, at Khartoum North, a congregation of
the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church. Subsequently, the Reverend Peter
Yen, a SSPEC pastor who was also visiting Khartoum, hand-delivered a letter
from the SSPEC General Secretary. The letter called for the release of Reverend
Michael. A few days later on Sunday, January 11, Yen was asked to report to
security and he too was detained without warrant or charge. No further
information is known at this time about Reverend Yen. Click here to See full PNS article.
“I
went to South Sudan on a missionary experience and ended on a mission of
mercy,” said Nelson. “It is important that we prevent the intimidation and
possible loss of life among Church leaders and others who are expressing the
gospel’s call for love in a militarized and war-torn part of the world.” The
U.S. Embassy in South Sudan was not aware of arrest and promised to investigate
the matter with the U.S. Embassy in Sudan. According to Human Rights Watch, since December 2013, up to 10,000 people have died, one
million people have been displaced, and 400,000 have fled to neighboring
countries. According to those we spoke with on the ground, some estimate the
death toll to be as high as 40,000 persons since the beginning of the most
recent outbreak of violence.
The PC(USA)
Office of Public Witness is now in the fifth year of a plan to revitalize and
strengthen the work of advocacy in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Of the
trip to South Sudan, the Reverend Nelson said:
“We are intentionally focused on reaching out to entities of
the denomination that are working with marginalized people -- those who most
often face injustice in the world. World Mission is one entity within the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) that has historical connections with church partners and global
reach to persons and communities. Given the political significance of South
Sudan to global politics and the longstanding mission of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) in Africa, it was important for me to witness first-hand the
recent devastation that the people of South Sudan and mission co-workers are
encountering.
“It is imperative that we make a connection in the
denomination regarding mission and justice. We tend to view mission as an
essential element of our historic role as Presbyterians, but oftentimes we fail
to see the connections between our mission work and efforts to challenge
systemic injustice in our country and our world. We must seek to uphold the
human rights of all persons in the United States and around the globe. Jesus
affirmed both mission and justice in his ministry. He taught that they are both
essential to the promotion of the Kingdom of God. The bible reminds us of both
prophecy and mission. These two elements are not mutually exclusive in living
out the fullness of the gospel’s intent.
The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, II, is the Director for Public Witness
at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC.
