Three Easy Things You Can Do for Sudan this Christmas

1. Read "What is the What" by Dave Eggers.

"What Is the What" is an epic novel about the lives of two boys during the Sudanese civil war. For those who think they know about the so-called Lost Boys of Sudan, this novel will be an eye-opener. Eggers has been working on the book for four years now, deeply entrenched in the community of Sudanese refugees in the U.S., and in 2003 went to southern Sudan with a refugee named Valentino Achak Deng. During that trip, Deng was reunited with the family he hadn't seen in 17 years. What Is the What is a book about the lives of these two boys -- one, at seven, too young to know what's happening to his country; the other, at ten, old enough to fight for the rebel army. Through it all, the two boys persevere through one of the most brutal civil wars the world has ever known, finding themselves in one unbelievable, utterly surreal situation after another. Recommended by Sarah McGiverin Pastor, Newsoms United Methodist Charge in Newsoms, VA).

What is the What

2. Support UMCOR's Alternative Christmas List for Sudan:

$37.00 buys six months of school lunches, and $50 helps a Sudanese refugee return home or find safety in a new location.
Sudan School Lunches
Sudan Refugee Assistance


3. Ask five friends to sign a petition asking the President and UN to take immediate action in Darfur.

Democracy in Action New Year's Petition


And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. - Luke 2:10

SUDAN: SCHOOL LUNCHES FOR CHILDREN

UMCOR is working with the United Methodist Church in Yei, South Sudan, to provide lunches for school children. Families returning to the South after years of war are working to reestablish their lives from the ground up. The school nutrition program ensures that children who often walk long distances to go to school will receive a nutritious meal when they arrive. For many, this will be their only meal that day. You can help support this work and the fight to end hunger throughout the African continent by giving to All Africa Drought/Famine, UMCOR Advance #101250 by clicking on the link above or by:

Putting your gift in the offering plate at any United Methodist Church on Sunday.


By Mail, by making your check to UMCOR and mail to
UMCOR,
PO Box 9068,
New York, NY 10087

By Phone. Call toll-free (800) 554-8583.

Evangelicals for Darfur

From my Lay Leader Marc Jensen (via Sojo Mail):

Evangelicals for Darfur

Perhaps you noticed it when you opened your newspaper this morning. Today an unprecedented collection of 24 evangelical Christian leaders launched Evangelicals for Darfur – an urgent campaign to bring an end to the genocide in Darfur, the western region of Sudan where horrific violence occurs every day. Up to 400,000 people have already been killed, 2.5 million have been displaced, and it could get even worse very fast.

In numerous conversations over the last few weeks, several evangelical Christian leaders have discovered a profound unity on the crisis in Darfur. Believing this is a time and an issue that transcends other political differences, a number of us began talking about how we could respond to this enormous moral challenge. Those conversations have led us, in partnership with the Save Darfur Coalition, to create Evangelicals for Darfur, an effort that brings together the voices of evangelical Christians to call for an end to the incredible suffering in Darfur.

A broad and diverse group of evangelical leaders is now acting together. We do not all agree on other issues, but we are united in the conviction that our faith compels us to do everything we possibly can to bring an end to the horror in Darfur. In crucial matters of life and death, there is no left or right; there is only right and wrong.

Today, full-page ads ran in USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and a host of other national and regional newspapers calling on President Bush to use every resource and diplomatic tool available to get a U.N. peacekeeping force on the ground in Darfur. These ads are only the beginning of what we believe could be a tipping point in the world’s response to this horrible crisis.

When I spoke to my friend Richard Land - a key Southern Baptist leader - about this effort, he said, “Jim, if people see evangelical leaders like you and me speaking together on this issue, it could light a fire in America and give the president the power to do what he would really like to do.” We are acting on our faith, calling on President Bush to act on his faith and lead the effort to put a substantial peacekeeping force on the ground in Darfur - nothing else will save the people.

I am deeply encouraged by the broad spectrum of Christians and other people of faith that are speaking out on Darfur, and I hope you are, too. I truly believe this is one of those moments in our lives when what God requires of us couldn't be more clear. Like the Good Samaritan, we simply cannot pass by our suffering brothers and sisters on the side of the road. I urge you to join us now. At evangelicalsfordarfur.org, you can view the ads that ran in today’s papers, learn more about the genocide in Darfur, add your voice to this urgent message, and learn how you and your church can get involved in calling for an end to the suffering.

A final note – we are calling this effort Evangelicals for Darfur not to exclude any other denominations or faith groups, but to recognize the special impact evangelical Christians – from across the political spectrum – can have on this crisis.

I am excited to be joining with you, your family, and your church in this important effort. Together we can help make a lifesaving difference for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.

“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” —Luke 10:36-37

Fast for Darfur: Thursday, October 5, 2006

I received an e-mail today from the Save Darfur Coalition inviting us to join together with concerned people from around the world to fast for the people of the Darfur region of Sudan this Thursday, October 5. This is both an act of increasing awareness of the crisis in Sudan as well as solidarity with the suffering of the people of Darfur, who every day sees its own men, women, and children do without food, shelter, or water.

In regard to the awareness part, they are asking participants to pledge to support the fast at http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/darfurfast>

I realize that, from a biblical standpoint, signing up on a public list to fast is a bit questionable (if not outright forbidden by our Lord). Yet doing so would certainly send a message of solidarity to the Sudanese people. Of course, clicking on the link is not necessary to fast, and your conscience can be your guide.

Either way, please consider sharing this with your congregations, so that perhaps we can wash our faces and fast together for a day for the people of Darfur.

Help Make THis Blog Better

Send me your thoughts, ideas, and what you are doing to make a difference to shoutloudnow@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Doug

Sudan Rally in New York 9.17.06

Directions to Rally

Enter from 5th Ave. at 90th St., follow East Drive uptown to East Meadow

Subway: Take the 4, 5,6 to 86th Street or the 6 to 96th Street

Bus: Take the M1. M2, M3, or M4 southbound on 5th Ave. or northbound on Madison Avenue or take the M106 or M96 across Central Park.

More at the link above.

The Man Who Started the Shouting

The Christian Science Monitor has a great writeup on Eric Reeves, the Smith College English professor who writes the definitive Sudan blog.


If the Bush administration calls the Darfur crisis in western Sudan "genocide," if those green "Not on our watch" banners cropping up around the nation prick your conscience, and if Hollywood stars drop in on the issue, it's due in no small part to the work of the relentless Smith College professor with a laptop and a thick hide. "As a one-man nongovernmental organization, he has done more than any other individual or group I know of to keep the crisis in Darfur on the agenda of political leaders and the public," says Susannah Sirkin, deputy director of Physicians for Human Rights.

In the past seven years, Reeves has published hundreds of tart essays. His signature weekly analytical blog is read religiously by hundreds of policymakers involved with Sudan, and Congress has called him to testify several times.

Read the whole article here, and don't forget to check out Eric's wonderful blog.

Youths torn from camps, forced to fight

From Nic Robertson
CNN

N'DJAMENA, Chad (CNN) -- Children as young as 13 are being forced into combat by Sudanese rebels who take the youngsters from squalid refugee camps in neighboring Chad, CNN has learned.

In some cases, Chadian guards look the other way as rebels make children join their ranks, local people say.

Abdul, 16, told CNN he had no choice: "When I saw them beating some of the people, I was afraid. That's why I couldn't refuse to go.

"I'm not a volunteer -- I was forced," the boy said, visibly scared. (Watch children tell how they were coerced into combat -- 9:35)

The camps are supposed to offer shelter from the conflict across the border in Sudan's Darfur region, where 180,000 people have been killed and 2 million others forced from their homes in fighting between rebels and the Sudanese government-backed Arab militias known as janjaweed.

Fighting has continued despite a peace agreement earlier this month between Sudan and Darfur's main rebel group.

Read more at the link above.

Mission Leader is Cautiously Optimistic on Changes for Peace in Darfur Region of Sudan

New York, NY, May 6, 2006—The head of The United Methodist Church’s international mission agency says he is cautiously optimistic that a significant step has been taken toward peace in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries, responded to reports of the signing of a peace agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Army. Civil conflict in Darfur, a region of western Sudan about the size of Texas, has left two million people homeless—many as refugees in neighboring Chad—and caused the deaths of some 180,000 people over the last three years.

However, as Rev. Day pointed out, several smaller groups opposed to the government have not yet signed the agreement, which was brokered by diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom. He thanked the negotiators and urged the hold-out groups to enter the peace process.

Day also called upon the nations of the world to step up their contributions to the World Food Program’s efforts in Darfur. The food agency related to the United Nations in early May announced it was cutting back on food allotments to Darfur because of inadequate contributions from governments.

Lost Boys: FOUND

Come Hear the Lost Boys of Sudan’s Response to Darfur At George Mason University July 7-8

Why: To bring together the voices of the Lost Boys to bring advocacy and hope to the current humanitarian crisis in Sudan. This crisis is historically at a critical juncture as the peace process in the South is foundational to resolve the genocide in Darfur.

When: July 7-8 – The conference begins at 9:00am on July 7 and ends at noon on July 8.
(Conference schedule coming soon... )

Where: George Mason University in Fairfax VA

DarfurIsDying

Sent by Rev. Bert Cloud, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Disputanta, VA. This is the best Sudan-related I have ever seen. Recently featured in Time Magazine, it allows you to play a "game" to help you better understand what life is like in Darfur right now.

DarfurIsDying

Now is a Great Time to Shout

Now that the rally in Washington had increased awareness for Sudan, there is no better time than now to write to your representative about taking action. You can use the links to the right to locate your representatives, and you can sign a postcard to go to the President here:

The postcard reads:

Dear President Bush,

During your first year in the White House, you wrote in the margins of a report on the Rwandan genocide, "Not on my watch."

I urge you to live up to those words by using the power of your office to support a stronger multi-national force to protect the civilians of Darfur.

Sudan: Continuing the Work

UMCOR workers in Sudan are providing humanitarian assistance in South Darfur. The UMCOR board of directors recently approved funds to extend the work into a second year. This work includes child protection, camp management, micro-credit, health, skills training for young adults, and agriculture programs.

Last fall the result of seeds and tools program was an abundant harvest. Peanuts, millet, sorghum, watermelon, and okra were harvested. Good rainfall, new agriculture techniques such as planting several crops together in the same plot, and adequate food to eat during the growing season have yielded this bountiful harvest in the Al Daein region of South Darfur, Sudan. This sustainable ministry continues with your generous donations.


Please give to Sudan Emergency, UMCOR Advance #184385

At Church: Put your gift in the offering plate on Sunday.

By Mail
Make your check to UMCOR and mail to

UMCOR #184385
PO Box 9068,
New York, NY 10087

By Phone: Call toll-free (800) 554-8583

Online at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/give/manyways/

New Peace Proposal for Sudan

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- Mediators from the African Union joined by senior U.S. and British officials were preparing a substantially changed Darfur peace proposal, two Sudanese close to the negotiations said after seeing the new document Wednesday.

Rebels had rejected the original draft and questioned whether the AU was the right body to oversee the peace process.

The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the new proposal was not yet official, said it was aimed at meeting rebel demands for a greater share of power and wealth.

Earlier the AU extended the Tuesday midnight deadline for a peace pact aimed at resolving violence in Sudan's Darfur region that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

You can read the rest of the article here:

:

Important Stuff to Do Right NOW from FaithfulAmerica.org

The opportunity to help END the genocide in Darfur is right before us, and the time to act is now! Several things are happening at once that could mean a breakthrough:

1) NBC News Anchor Ann Curry just returned from Darfur, and reports that the crisis is worsening. Her series on Darfur is airing THIS week on "Today" and "NBC Nightly News."

2) The U.S. House of Representatives will vote this week on an amendment to the President's emergency supplemental funding bill which would add critical funding for Darfur peacekeeping.

3) The Million Voices for Darfur Campaign has recently been launched by the Save Darfur Coalition. Its timing could not be better nor the need more urgent.

The world is waking up to the nightmare in Darfur, and we need your faithful voice as never before. Here's what we are urging you to do:

1) WATCH Ann Curry's report on Today and NBC Nightly News. Watch with people in your community of care if possible, and share this information with as many people as you can. Check your local listings for times or go HERE to read the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11813095 (The first installment aired yesterday.)

2) CALL! Tomrrow (March 15) is the NATIONAL CALL-IN day in support of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.s amendment to add $100 million for African Union peacekeepers in Darfur within the FY06 supplemental spending bill. Here's the number for the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202 224-3121. If you don't know the name of your Representative, you can find it here: http://www.house.gov/, A sample "talking script" is at the bottom of this letter.

3) SIGN the Million Voices for Darfur postcard campaign. Many of you have already done this (thank you!) - but we are a long way from our goal of a MILLION VOICES. Please take this final action by going here: http://www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org. Please note that you can download printable postcards for folks in your community of care.

We realize this is more complex than the simple click-to-send request, but you know more than most just how critical this issue has become. With the NBC News story, the Jackson amendment on the floor of the House, AND the collective voices of a Million Americans, we have an opportunity to move a mountain and, more importantly, save countless lives. You, as a FaithfulAmerican, can make it happen.

With deep gratitude and blessings,

Vince Isner and your FaithfulAmerica.org Team


PS; Here is a sample script to help you in your phone call to the U.S. Capitol:

Sample call script: Hi, this is [NAME] calling from [CITY/TOWN]. I'm calling to ask Congressman/woman _____ to support full funding for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Sudan within the supplemental appropriations bill currently under consideration.

Do you know if [HE/SHE] will support the expected Jackson amendment to add $100 million dollars for critical funding to protect the millions of innocent men, women and children in Darfur?

If yes: That's great news. Please thank [HIM/HER] for me and let [HIM/HER] know that I'll tell my friends and family that [HE'S/SHE'S] supporting this important cause.

If no, or don't know: [ONLY IF NO] Do you know why not? [EITHER WAY] Please let [HIM/HER] know that these programs are keeping millions of families alive and safe.

Please ask [HIM/HER] to do everything [HE/SHE] can to ensure that humanitarian aid life support system remains intact.

Thank you for your time.

Prayers for Africa from the ECLA

These prayers can be used in worship or personal devotion.

Sudan - Prayer Ventures

For the church
Merciful God, we thank you for the church in Sudan. Protect the church in the midst of persecution and challenges, that it may continue to spread the Good News about your love and compassion.

For current needs
Gracious God, we pray for everyone in Sudan as they continue to strive for peace and justice. Strengthen them in their efforts and help them find ways toward reconciliation. Give comfort to those who have been displaced from homes. Give strength to those who are caught in the midst of famine and drought.

For those serving
Great and Loving God, we ask for your continuing support of the work done by relief workers, especially those representing church organizations. Help them in their work as they share the Good News of your everlasting love and forgiveness. Guide them as they work amidst difficult conditions.

For global relationships
God of compassion, we give thanks for your children all across the earth and for the opportunities we have to develop more personal relationships with our global Christian neighbors. We are grateful for the opportunity to reach out to our Sudanese brothers and sisters through prayer and communication, that we might find new meaning in these global connections. Strengthen us in that ministry and help us reach out in a mission of peace.

For church leadership
God of Wisdom, your insight and guidance fill our lives. Show us new ways to understand your power and presence within us. Thank you for the church in Sudan and for those who continue to share your message. Help those preaching and ministering to the members of the church, that they might understand and share the Holy Gospel in order to strengthen your ministry in Sudan.

For open hearts
God our Creator, you make all people part of your family. You make all that is good in our lives and fill us with your everlasting love. Bless us as we learn more about our sisters and brothers in South Africa. Help us to embrace our common blessing in serving you. Open our eyes to the gifts you give us in each other. Guide us to build bridges between our cultures and our churches. We ask these things in the name we name together, your precious Son, Jesus Christ.

UMCOR News: Sudan: Hope for Survival - Harvest and Hope Mark UMCOR’s First Year in Sudan

Long before the convoy of visitors arrived at El Ferdous, the sounds of drums, chants, and singing reached across the woodland savanna. These were the sounds of welcome in South Darfur, Sudan.

United Methodist Committee on Relief workers and representatives of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, Tipp City, Ohio—the congregation that has partnered with UMCOR to fund a tools and seeds program for camp residents and their hosts—were in South Darfur to meet camp and village leaders, see one of the 5,200 farms in production, and talk with residents about their experiences.

A Look-Back, One Year Later
From Jan. 26—Feb. 9, during the first anniversary of the program, UMCOR presents a series of stories about the work that United Methodists are funding in Sudan. Two stories will be featured each week.

You’ll meet Jane Ohuma, head of mission; Saba, a woman who remembers life before the war; Angelina, one of the women farming at Julha. You’ll see an innovation in camp hospitality and the bounty of the harvest.

Two stories and a photo gallery are available now:

• Harvest and Hope Mark UMCOR’s First Year in Sudan
• Harvest for the Future
• Photo Gallery
• UMCOR Sudan
  

UMCOR is working on assisting displaced people in Sudan to find their way home, to return to peaceful farming or work. United Methodists can get involved in these ministries through giving to UMCOR Advance #184385, Sudan Emergency. United Methodist Committee on Relief is a 501(c)(3) charity and all contributions are fully tax deductible. Checks may be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10187-9068. Donors using a credit card may call toll free 800-554-8583.

Ohio church, UMCOR, collaborate on Sudan project

UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, UMCOR
Feb. 2, 2006

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom

What started as a Christmas offering from a United Methodist congregation to help displaced people in Sudan has turned into a five-year, multimillion-dollar project.

For the past year, Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, has been working with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to address needs in that African nation.

Since February 2003, the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths and left some 3 million people homeless. The New York Times reported Jan. 28 that efforts by the United States, United Nations and European Union to end the conflict seemed to be collapsing with reports of renewed violence.

The Sudan Project began at the end of 2004, when the Rev. Mike Slaughter, senior pastor, challenged his 4,000-member congregation to contribute half of what they would normally spend on Christmas gifts to the "miracle offering" for Sudan.

With the $317,000 raised from that offering, Ginghamsburg and UMCOR established a self-sustaining agriculture program in Darfur. Through its efforts, 5,208 families have been able to start farming again, and 26,000 people in the camps are benefiting from the harvest.

Read more: here

UMCOR's farm program in Sudan is 'people-driven'

A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, UMCOR

Feb. 2, 2006
By Linda Beher

KHARTOUM, Sudan (UMNS) - On an August morning, Jane Ohuma points to a large map of Sudan in the Khartoum office of United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Ohuma's arm sweeps from west to east as she explains to a visitor the plight of displaced people out in Darfur, seven hundred miles from the capital city. She is head of mission for UMCOR's operations in Sudan, which began in February 2005.

Funded by a large gift from Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, and other grants, the agriculture program based in the Al Daein region of South Darfur already has crops in the ground. Some 5,200 families are working the 4-hectare farms. At an average five per family, that adds up to more than 25,000 beneficiaries.

Such a program is a bit like a puzzle. Needs and resources at a variety of levels, like interlocking puzzle pieces, must be fit together. Most importantly, Ohuma stresses, solutions to hunger and livelihoods "must address people's need and be people driven."

For example, to strengthen the local economy, UMCOR contracted with local blacksmiths to make hoes and other handheld tools for the displaced farmers, rather than purchasing them from a factory. Displaced people have no land of their own, so area landowners offered parcels of land in exchange for a portion of the sorghum, millet, cowpeas, melon, okra and peanuts.

Read more here

AU may hand over Darfur mission to UN

From CNN.com

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) -- The African Union (AU) said on Thursday it may hand over its mission in Darfur to the United Nations, saying it was running out of money for the peacekeeping operation in Sudan's troubled western region.

A report by the AU Peace and Security Council said funding for the mission -- which costs $17 million a month to maintain -- depended exclusively on the voluntary contributions by foreign partners of the 53-member body.

"At present, no commitment has been made by our partners for funding of the Mission beyond March 2006," the report obtained by Reuters said.

"The time has come to make a pronouncement on the future of the AU Mission in Darfur and the ways and means to adapt it to the present challenges, including the hand-over to the United Nations at the appropriate time," it added.

Last month Darfur rebels welcomed the prospect of the world body taking over from the AU, saying the pan-African body was doing a good job but needed more troops, help with equipment and logistics, and a wider mandate.

About 6,000 AU soldiers are trying to stop escalating violence in Darfur, a desert region the size of France, with a mandate to monitor cease-fire violations but limited powers to intervene.

Taye-Brook Zerihoun, deputy special representative for Sudan of the U.N. Secretary-General, praised the AU's work in Darfur.

"It is for the African Summit to decide and recommend to the U.N. Security Council to take over the operation in Darfur," he said, referring to an AU meeting in Khartoum on January 23-24.

"If this is done, the Security Council will consider the issue and will ask the Secretary-General to submit a report on how to proceed," he told the AU's Peace and Security Council, whose headquarters are in the Ethiopian capital.

U.N. mission

The United Nations established its Sudan mission of more than 10,000 peacekeepers and police in March last year to support a deal between Khartoum and southern rebels that ended more than two decades of civil war.

Zerihoun said the United Nations was concerned about deteriorating security in Darfur, which has seen a rise in banditry, inter-tribal clashes and armed attacks on villages and camps sheltering those fleeing the violence.

"Insecurity has also led to more instances of human rights abuse against civilians throughout Darfur," he said.

"Field missions and investigations conducted by U.N. human rights officers have continued to document violations , including forced displacements, arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, torture and the indiscriminate use of force during military operations."

The Darfur conflict began in February 2003 when rebels launched an uprising against Khartoum, accusing the government of marginalizing the impoverished area.

The government in turn dispatched Arab militias to put down the rebellion, but they have been accused of a campaign of rape, looting and murder.

Seeds and Tools

SUDAN: SEEDS AND TOOLS PROGRAM YIELDS BUMPER CROP

Good rainfall, new agriculture techniques such as planting several crops together in the same plot, and adequate food to eat during the growing season have yielded a bountiful harvest in the Al Daein region of South Darfur, Sudan. With a grant from Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, Tipp City, Ohio, UMCOR distributed seeds to some 5,200 families displaced by the Sudan war and purchased tools from local blacksmiths to strengthen the economy in the region. Peanuts, millet, sorghum, watermelon and okra were among the crops harvested during November.

Further building the economy were the activities of threshing, provided by non-farm households; packaging seed for selling at local markets; and peanut seed storage in anticipation of the next growing season. UMCOR workers led training sessions in farming techniques, market prices and seed storage. This sustainable ministry continueswith your generous donations. Please give to Sudan Emergency, UMCOR

Advance #184385. For more details, visit www.umcor.org.