Travels with David, Vol. 2: Nzara, Southern Sudan
Thu, 03 Mar 2011

The Rev. David Copley, Mission Personnel Officer and Global Partnerships Team Leader, is currently in Africa visiting our missionaries and the communities they serve in Southern Sudan and Tanzania. His second report covers his visit to the Diocese of Nzara and his time with the Rev. Robert and Karen North. Early on Thursday morning (Feb. 24th), Larry, Robin and I were flying over Southern Sudan in a small 12-seater plane making our way to Yambio and from there on to the town of Nzara in the province of Western Equatoria.When we arrived in Yambio, we were greeted by Bishop Samuel Peni from Nzara and Bishop John Zawo from the Diocese of Ezo. As we were driving to Nzara, Bishop John told me about life in his diocese. The Diocese of Ezo, which is located along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, was founded in 1997. There are 22 parishes with around 14-15,000 baptized members. Almost all of the churches are grass-roofed structures. There are very few permanent buildings in the diocese. The bishop has 33 priests to serve these 22 parishes. There are more priests than parishes in the diocese because they are not compensated and therefore they also need to work on their farms to earn a living. The diocese has a companion relationship with the Diocese of Rhode Island and has also received support from the Diocese of Virginia. This is one of the many newer dioceses in Southern Sudan which is growing despite its lack of resources and, at times, the challenges of security in this border area.Missionaries the Rev. Bob North, Robin Denney, Larry Duffy, and Karen North with Bishop Samuel Peni, Diocese of NzaraOur trip to Nzara brought all of our Episcopal Church missionaries together in one place. Over the next two days, Robin Denney led a workshop on sustainable agriculture and Larry Duffy worked with the Financial Secretary of the diocese while Bob and Karen North continued their ministries in the diocese which has been their home now for over 7 months.The Rev. Bob and Karen North are missionaries from the Diocese of Iowa and are supported by Grace Church, Galena. Bob recently retired from his position as their rector. The Diocese of Nzara was created in September 2009 and Bishop Samuel Peni is the first bishop. He was consecrated in February 2010. He now has 20 parishes with 15-20,000 members, who are served by 43 priests and 5 deacons. Bishop Samuel praying before he enters the Cathedral in NzaraThere are too many images that have stuck in my mind on this short two day trip to mention here. On our flight over, Robin looked at me with a big smile on her face and said, “I just love my job.” This is certainly not the most glamorous of work, spending the next two days living in a hut with no running water and quite a hike to the “bathroom”, but you cannot beat the rewards of feeling as if you are really making a difference and doing what you feel God is calling you to do. I remember waking up to the sound of drums at 7am telling everyone that it was 30 minutes until morning worship while at the same time just a few yards away someone was calling a friend on their cell phone. This synthesis of old and new was reinforced later in the day when Karen North was teaching English to a group of adults in the cathedral using the Rosetta Stone program with an overhead projector and later using a chalk board. Technology in Africa is moving ahead so fast you see the old and new working side by side in fascinating ways making the phrase “appropriate technology” one that is hard to define. I remember seeing Bob North, with his collar undone in the heat of the afternoon, surrounded by a grass fire as he helped to clear the ground to begin building the bishop’s new home. In the short time that the North’s have been in Nzara, they have helped transform the diocesan compound. Two new buildings have been built in a matter of months and Bob has supervised the construction with such skill that they are probably some of the most economically constructed buildings in the region! The four missionaries with whom I have been this week have brought with them to Southern Sudan the love and support of the whole Episcopal Church. They have shared themselves and their lives with our brothers and sisters throughout Southern Sudan - ordinary people doing extraordinary work in a challenging and exciting new country, and working alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ to help build the Kingdom.Blessings,David

Travels with David, Vol. 1: Juba, Southern Sudan
Wed, 02 Mar 2011

The Rev. David Copley, Mission Personnel Officer and Global Partnerships Team Leader, is currently in Africa visiting our missionaries and the communities they serve in Southern Sudan and Tanzania. His first report covers the first few days of his visit to Juba and his time with Robin Denney and Larry Duffy. His next report will cover his visit to Nzara and Robert and Karen North. On Sunday evening (Feb. 20th) when I stepped on a plane in New York, the temperature was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit although with the wind chill it felt considerably colder. 48 hours later, when I stepped off a plane in Juba, Southern Sudan, the temperature was 30 degrees Celsius (86F) and would only get hotter as the sun rose in the sky. During those 48 hours, I crossed 8 time zones and went from the “New World” of the United States, to the newest nation in the world, Southern Sudan. I have come to Sudan to visit the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and to spend time with the missionaries from the Episcopal Church who serve here: Robin Denney, Larry Duffy, and Robert and Karen North. Unfortunately, our other missionary, Daniel Deng Kuot, was out of the country during my visit.For the first few days of my trip, I traveled with Matt Davies, an editor and international correspondent of the Episcopal News Service, who is documenting the work of the church in Sudan and the work of our Episcopal missionaries. Matt Davies interviews Robin Denney and Larry Duffy for an upcoming Episcopal News Service article.On our first day, we met with Bishop Elijah from the Diocese of Cueibet who was visiting the Provincial office at the time of our visit. Bishop Elijah is a modest and unassuming bishop who talked about his diocese and the challenges ahead. The diocese of Cueibet has 16 archdeaconries, 165 churches and 48 clergy. The bishop travels around this large diocese on a motorcycle, visiting communities and supporting his clergy.I was soon to learn that Bishop’s Elijah story was not an exceptional one. The church in Sudan is growing rapidly and all 31 dioceses have similar stories of expansion with limited resources and many newly ordained clergy. In the afternoon, we had the good fortune to visit the home of Benjamin Disi, the logistics officer of Bishop Gwynne College, which is one of five provincial theological colleges of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Bishop Gwynne College was closed for a year from 2009 – 2010, in part due to a lack of funds, but is now growing slowly and currently has 48 students studying a wide range of subjects to prepare them to be pastors in the Church of Sudan. Because the clergy are often seen as leaders in their communities, their education is broad and includes English, accounting, and agriculture to prepare them for their ministries of managing a church as well as being community development leaders. In the fading light of the evening, we went to the Provincial compound, where our missionaries live, and listened to their stories as the candles were lit one by one and the night enveloped us. Robin Denney, from the Diocese of El Camino Real, and Larry Duffy, from the Diocese of Virginia, spoke with passion about their respective ministries. Larry serves as the Acting Chief Accountant for the Province and Robin serves as the Agricultural Consultant for the Province. We joked about the fact that the most important gifts that a missionary needs to have are flexibility and a good sense of humor.Neither Robin nor Larry thought that they would be in the positions in which they find themselves today or living in such relatively basic accommodation. Yet they both quickly adjusted to their new lifestyle and both feel blessed that they are where they are. They emphasized that they are just ordinary people doing ordinary jobs. They are not saints or superheroes, and yet they live in year round heat of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with limited electricity and running water. They live in a house with three other missionaries, Trevor and Tina Stubbs and Rebecca Coleman from England, who are all working for the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Thankfully it cooled down to the high eighties at night which was a good thing as the electricity failed and the fan in my room no longer worked…The next day we met with Bishop Enock Tombe from the diocese of Rajaf, which is located just outside of Juba. Bishop Enock, who is also a qualified engineer, presides over a diocese of 28 parishes and 25 preaching centers. The bishop took us to visit his diocese on the outskirts of Juba where he hopes to build a cathedral and diocesan center. We then went to look at a project to divert part of the river Nile to provide irrigation and water access for the local community. We were joined by a group of community leaders and together we tramped through fields and marshes looking at where the channel might be dug. The bishop, with note book in hand, took height readings and assessed the feasibility of the project. After the work was done we sat under a tree on the banks of the Nile and ate tomato salad and Nile fish from a large communal plate with our hands. With the breeze blowing from the Nile the cooler weather was a welcome relief from the heat of downtown Juba. More to come!Blessings,David

Mission Personnel Newsletter
Tue, 08 Feb 2011

Click on the link below for the first edition of the Mission Personnel Newsletterhttp://missionpersonnel.createsend4.com/t/ViewEmail/r/4E2063890FF8E508/A69BCBBA0504354B23B7CB3C95A53812

YASC Discernment 2011
Tue, 08 Feb 2011

We have just completed our YASC discernment retreat for 2011 at Camp Weed in Florida. The past year has gone quickly and we look forward to working with a new group of young adults as they begin their discernment for mission service around the globe.

Referendum Day in the Sudan
Sun, 09 Jan 2011

Latest update from Robin Denney in the Sudan.. for more read her blog at http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/Few generations have the chance to shape the future of their people in such dramatic way as the people of southern Sudan do today. Few people get to witness the birth of a new nation. And few nations divide in peace. The success of today’s voting is a sign that all of this is happening in Sudan right now.Thousands of people were already lined up at every polling station around Juba when the voting opened this morning at 8am. Throughout the day long lines persisted, as people cast their votes. Despite the crowds and long waits, the people were patient and joyful. People congratulated each other as they voted. There was a general feeling of solemnity in the air, a state of awe at the historic event we were witnessing and participating in. It is hard to describe the intensity of the overarching feeling of joy and pride that pervaded Juba today.