J. Herbert Nelson Visits South Sudan; Meets with U.S. Embassy Officials

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.

Advocacy Training Needed

Presbyterians Know Mission but Little About Advocacy

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

"Justice-centered advocacy work calls nations,
powers, and principalities to account on behalf of
God’s people for the sake of God in the world."

I am grateful for the privilege to have served the PC(USA) as the Director of the OPW for the past two years. The greatest aspect of my work is meeting Presbyterians who are both passionate and committed to the work of justice. My travels have taken me to 44 presbyteries and numerous congregations to preach, train, organize, and introduce persons to the work of advocacy. Oftentimes, Presbyterians will raise the question “why should the Church have an office in Washington, DC?” Or, “Why is the church involved in politics?” I discover upon further inquiry that many Presbyterians are not familiar with the term advocate or the work of advocacy as an aspect of our Christian calling to serve Jesus Christ.

In John 14:26, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible uses the word “advocate” to describe the Holy Spirit.[i] The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) indicates that the word “advocate” comes from two Latin words “ad” and “vocare” meaning “called or summoned to another.” More specifically, the OED continues, “advocate” means, “called or summoned to plead another’s cause in court.” In this text, Jesus reminds us that God sent us an Advocate, One called to plead our case in the court of judgment. The Spirit is an Advocate. Therefore, we, who are filled with the Spirit, are called to a similar task as we work for the coming Kingdom of God. In our discipleship, we stand between humanity’s brokenness and the need for redemption through the lives we lead for Jesus Christ in the world. It must be noted that we do not serve as redemptive voices because of our righteousness. Instead, we serve by God’s grace.

The writer of I John writes “my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1b). The word advocate in this passage comes from the Greek word paraklηoς (paraklētŏs – par-ak-lay-tos), meaning an intercessor or consoler. The writer reminds us of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, which relieves us of our sin, in order to assist us in living in the light. He reminds us of the importance of earnestly confessing our sins, which causes God’s justice to prevail (I John 1:9). In short, justice is sought through speaking truth to power in love.

Justice-centered advocacy work calls nations, powers, and principalities to account on behalf of God’s people for the sake of God in the world. This prophetic work is often misunderstood, but is linked to the work of faith as a preventative measure against unjust powers that deal out human pain. These powers include, but are not limited to political, church, governmental, and corporate entities. On the other hand, mission is our response to the consequence of human pain. Through mission, food is provided for the hungry; clothing for the naked; and visitations are made to the sick and imprisoned. As we, in the OPW, act in the tradition of the prophets, we encourage you to learn more about the work of advocacy that your denomination is doing with Presbyterians, as well as ecumenical and interfaith advocates.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of the Washington Report to Presbyterians. To download the entire newsletter, click here.

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[i] In previous Revised Standard translations, the word was translated “Counselor.”