Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leader meets with
United States Embassy Officials in South Sudan
The Reverend
Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of
Public Witness, recently met with United States Embassy officials in South
Sudan. Nelson spent nearly two weeks in the country investigating ways that the
Office of Public Witness can better partner with World
Mission to more effectively engage partner churches and organizations, mission
co-workers, and other personnel, in justice advocacy.
Before
leaving Juba, South Sudan, Nelson appealed for the U.S. Embassy’s 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. 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 Nelson 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.
As
of press time for this article, there had been no news about the whereabouts or
wellbeing of Reverends Michael and Yen. Click here for a
more recent report from World Watch Monitor.
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.
