Anglican Aid's
South
Sudan page
One of the leaders
of the Anglican Church in South Sudan has visited Sydney, seeking help to boost
theological training in the new nation.
The Republic of
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after civil strife that
stretched for more than 20 years.
Bishop Anthony
Poggio from the Kajo-Keji Diocese of South Sudan told an Anglican Aid function
that, “during the war, the church was growing tremendously – in fact at one
stage it was said to be the fastest-growing church in the world. It was hard to
meet that growth with relevant training.
“Bishops did what
they could to give people very basic training, on-the-job training, and then
ordained them. Now [peace has returned] we are doing what we can to bring this
standard up.”
Twenty-two clergy
and Christian leaders from South Sudan are already training at a high level at
Carlile College in Kenya, and plan to return to their homeland to train others.
But Bishop Poggio is seeking support for gospel workers training locally in
shorter courses.
Kajo-Keji
Christian College offers nine- month courses in three-month sessions to clergy
already ordained in the diocese who do not have a theological
qualification.
The director of
Anglican Aid, the Rev David Mansfield, said: “Young people wanting to prepare
for gospel ministry are often too poor to commit to the nine months of training
needed. Commitments to their families mean they are often hesitant to lead the
uncertain life of a minister, for which there is no guaranteed
stipend.”
Anglican Aid has begun a program to support students by providing
them with scholarships.
It has also
partnered with the Kajo-Keji Diocese to address the food security and
psycho-social needs of South Sudanese who have returned to their country after
being evicted to Uganda during the civil war.
Photo: Bishop
Anthony Poggio from South Sudan during his visit to Sydney
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