April Prayer Requests

Church leaders from across Sudan are calling on Christians throughout the world to pray for the upcoming elections. The elections, which are the country’s first in 24 years, are being held from Sunday 11th April 2010 to Tuesday 13th April 2010.

These elections are crucial to the fulfilment of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which was signed in 2005 between the predominantly Islamic North and the Christian and Animist South, which brought an end to civil war that first begun in 1955.

The build up to the elections has been marred by allegations of vote rigging by the Northern Government and continued unrest in the Darfur region. This has resulted in many opposition parties withdrawing for the election in protest and the European Union has removed its Election Monitors from Darfur due to safety concerns. These problems have led many to say that next week’s elections will not be free and fair.

Christians in the South took up arms to protect their freedom to worship and to ensure they protect their identity as African Christians in the midst of attempts to impose an Islamic regime in the South by the Northern Government. Salva Kiir, President of Southern Sudan, recently announced that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which has led the fight for freedom since 1955, is in favour of an independent Sudan. Southern Sudan is expected to vote in an independence referendum in January 2011 and many analysts expect the South to vote to secede.

Bishop Elias Taban, of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sudan, and The President of Sudan Evangelical Alliance [ SEA ] said “As Church Leaders in the South, we are calling on evangelicals throughout the world to commit to praying for our nation. We have spent many years fighting for our right to freedom of worship and to protect us from the spread of Islam and now we need the prayers of the world to help us in these elections.”

Bishop Elias continued, “I was born when war first broke out in Sudan in 1955 and all my life, I have known war. We in the South are tired of war and we pray that these elections next week and the referendum scheduled for next January will be free and fair. But the people of the South value freedom greater than peace and there is a willingness to secure that freedom, even if it means returning to war. We have been telling our people that prayer needs to be our weapon but we also need the prayers of those around the world to help us win this battle.”

February Prayer Requests

Haiti

Remember Haiti, praying for a post-earthquake nation that has national unity and opportunity with an end to the spiral of violence that has in the past kept the country in the grip of fear and suspicion.

Great lakes

Through the Great Lakes Initiative, the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School seeks to serve as a catalyst that inspires, strengthens, and renews transformative Christian leadership for reconciliation in the African Great Lakes region. Please remember to Pray for this four year project; especially funding and capacity. Pray too for God’s wise African leaders in this region. Further information see http://www.divinity.duke.edu/reconciliation/pages/programs/greatlakes.html#video

Israel / Palestine

Please pray for the upcoming ‘Christ at the Check Point: theology in the service of peace and justice’ hosted by the Bethlehem Bible College during March. For information go to http://bethbc.com/christatthecheckpoint.html

Houhongo Rongo, Aotearoa / New Zealand

WEAPRI partner Houhongo Rongo is working to heal and reunite families among New Zealand’s most feared  and notorious gangs.  In particular they are working in conjunction with Salvation Army New Zealand to help members recover from methaphetamine addiction as well as develop better relationship skills including parenting. Please remember Sam Chapman and his team in this important work.