Covenant News
South Sudanese Churches Name New Officers
SIOUX FALLS, SD (August 17, 2001) - The fifth Annual Meeting of the South Sudanese Evangelical Covenant Churches August 10-12 brought together 30 delegates from six Covenant churches and two fellowship groups from North America.Outgoing chair James Tang, associate pastor of Fridley Covenant Church in Fridley, Minnesota, led the meeting, which included the naming of new board members. There were opportunities for devotions, corporate prayer and singing, as well as a leadership workshop led by Judy Swanberg. The Annual Meeting closed with a worship service August 12.
Jerry Rice, coordinator for Sudanese ministry for the Evangelical Covenant Church Department of World Mission, gave his annual report and urged South Sudanese Covenant churches in North America to unite to help Sudanese churches in Africa to do likewise. He reported that new congregations are forming in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Denver, Colorado. He also listed recent developments and the extensive ministry projects initiated by the Northwest Conference Sudan Mission fund.
"One of the best ways for you to help the churches in South Sudan and Ethiopia is to grow strong churches here in North America," he reported. "Then you can be a strong support to them by telling their story, giving them encouragement and hope, guiding their plans and ministry, and keeping the churches here aware of them and helping to raise funds."
Delegates at the Sudanese Covenant Church of North America elected new officers were elected for the next two years, including:
- Chair - Thomas Tut Nyang, College Center Covenant Church, San Diego, California
- Vice-chair - Simon Dak Bol, South Sudan Evangelical Church, Des Moines, Iowa
- Secretary - Simon Nyang Chol, Fridley Covenant Church, Fridley, Minnesota
- Treasurer - David Kuony Maker, Prairie Hills Covenant Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Information - John Lee Chuol, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Mission - Johnson Bony Thach, First Sudanese Covenant Church, Omaha, Nebraska
In addition, delegates discussed how the churches can organize to better serve and encourage the churches in Sudan and Ethiopia. The Evangelical Covenant Church of South Sudan now has more than 300 churches with nearly 56,000 people in South Sudan and Ethiopia (half of the 50 churches in Ethiopia are in refugee camps).
Covenant World Relief (CWR) is partnering with the hospital in Gambella, Ethiopia, which serves 300,000 people with a limited budget. Covenant World Relief is working to provide stable electric power and a cleaner water supply, along with better x-ray and blood transfusion capabilities.
Both Covenant administrators and lay leaders of South Sudanese Covenant churches have been in close contact with churches in Sudan in recent months, according to Rice. Last fall Rice spent a month in Gambella as a teacher and toured Covenant churches in Gambella and two other refugee Camps, along with Covenant missionaries Peter Ekstrand and Ken Satterberg. He returned in May with Covenant World Relief Director Jim Sundholm and Dr. Bruce Dahlman to start medical and health care projects. Gambella, which is in western Ethiopia near the Sudan border, has become a central meeting place for many leaders of Ethiopia and Sudanese Covenant churches.
Samuel Kuach, Roger Qualm, James Tang, Donn Hagmann, Peter Kueth, Barbara Alf and David Chopter represented South Sudanese Covenant churches of North America at the third Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church of South Sudan last February at Gambella. In May, Paul Chuol was commissioned to travel to Sudan and Ethiopia for six months to visit churches and do research. Chuol received financial assistance from the Department of World Mission. He will complete his work in November. Chuol gave a report of his activities in Sudan in May and June.
Prairie Hills Covenant Church, the host site for the annual meeting of the Sudanese Covenant Church, was the first congregation to host refugees from South Sudan. The church was then known as the Evangelical Church of Sioux Falls and was pastored by Alan Holte. From there, Sudanese congregations have developed in San Diego, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; Fridley, Minnesota; and Calgary, Alberta.
For more information about the Annual Meeting of the Sudanese Covenant Church, call Rice at 651-633-5506.
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