PWP conference on Luke's Gospel a successful event
In a first for the Poole-Wau Partnership, a Teaching Event on St Luke's Gospel on Saturday 18th October 2025 (appropriately the feast day of St Luke) attracted 40 participants from several Poole Deanery churches to St Michael’s Church, Hamworthy. Based on the 3-day conference presented at St John’s College, Wau, South Sudan in February 2025, but shortened to fit into one day, the conference had a South Sudanese flavour, with music and slides from our visit to Wau, as well as substantial teaching from Luke's gospel. The programme was as follows:
PWP funds seed distribution to flood victims in Aweil villages In late 2024, serious floods drove many people in parts of Warrup state and Wanyjok Diocese from their homes, and the Poole-Wau Partnership was able to send a total of £2350, raised by a short-term emergency appeal, towards relief efforts for people affected by these floods, as reported in Newsletter 68. Part of this was used by Peter Akook, Director of the Rural Development Committee, based in Aweil, to buy seeds to enable the people in villages near Aweil to sow for this year's crops. PWP has been able to make a small additional grant from general funds in May 2025 to cover the transport of this seed to the affected villages ready for sowing. We heard from Peter Akook on 24th May that the delivery and distribution of seed has taken place, as the photograph below shows: "Each full sack of both sorghum and groundnuts," Peter writes,"was divided between six households, so that a household received five malous (tins). 120 households (a composition of 600 family members) have received the seeds with gratitude and prayers for PWP to win more supporters in the combat of poverty." 
|
Conflict in Sudan
[Last update: 15/04/26] Berlin talks mark third anniversary of start of civil war, as conflict continues in Sudan On 15th April 2026, British Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, addressed a conference attended by representatives of a number of countries, as it was reported that only 16% of humanitarian aid needed for Sudan had been provided by the international community so far this year. Cooper pledged to double British government aid to £15million to fund more Sudanese frontline responders. Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/15/uk-sudan-war-berlin-talks-aid-rsf-hunger-saudi-uae The conflict in Sudan continues to have an effect on neighbouring South Sudan: reports published in British media on 3rd March 2026 revealed that an armed raid across the border from Sudan has killed at least 169 people in Abiemnom County in the administrative area of Ruweng on Sunday 1st March 2026. It is alleged that the raiders had connections with the suspended vice-president of South Sudan, Riek Machar. We have heard from Rev. John Bol, founder of Thurlith School some 70 miles from Wau, who tells us, “The attackers besieged the town of Abiemnom on Sunday morning around 4:30 am, killing 200 people including children, women, elders and also the entire local government, the commissioner and all his staff. They burned down the whole area including the local Church, clinic and marketplace. All the survivors fled for their lives and took temporary residence in Abyei region and its neighbouring areas in miserable lives without food and shelter.” More details of this incident may be accessed here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/south-sudan-risks-return-civil-war-violence-escalates https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mgkvy4wr8o Canon Ian Woodward, Chair of the Salisbury-Sudans Link, frequently posts bulletins on the diocesan website with up to date news from Sudan and South Sudan; here is his latest post: https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/supportforparishes/communications/news/1000-days-of-sudan-conflict.php Archbishop Moses Deng Bol, in his capacity as a Peace Envoy representing churches in South Sudan, has been taking part in peace talks which have been going on in Nairobi for almost two years now. Please keep praying for these talks and for Moses as he continues to work for peace and greater trust between different groups. These sources, which are frequently updated, also have more about the crisis in Sudan and its effects on South Sudan: https://unrefugees.org.uk/learn-more/news/news/humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan-latest-news/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/sudan https://unmiss.unmissions.org/ https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/South+Sudan Links to find out more about South Sudan News Organisations: Sudan Tribune: https://sudantribune.com Radio Tamazuj: https://radiotamazuj.org/en Eye Radio: https://eyeradio.org Associated Press: https://apnews.com/hub/south-sudan The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/south-sudan BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=South+Sudan Radio Miraya: https://audioboom.com/channel/radiomiraya News Now: https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/South+Sudan Regular publications: Diocese of Salisbury Sudans Link, including quarterly Salisbury-Sudans Link Bulletin: https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/mission/the-sudan-link Renewal Magazine: https://anglican.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=bc17f2b699f53a98ce265ecab&id=69d5549620 The Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan, including twice-yearly Sudan Church Review: https://www.casss.org.uk AFRECS (American Friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans), including fortnightly E-Blast: https://afrecs.org Church organisations in South Sudan: St John’s College Wau: https://stjohnscollegewau.org South Sudan Council of Churches: https://sscchurches.org The Epicopal Church of South Sudan: https://southsudan.anglican.org ECSS Northern Bahr El Ghazal province: https://www.facebook.com/northerbahrelghazal/ International organisations and charities working in South Sudan: Anglican International Development: www.anglicaninternationaldevelopment.org CRESS UK (Christian Relief and Education for South Sudan): https://cressuk.org/blog/ ECSSSUP (UK-based charity supporting The Episcopal University of South Sudan, of which St John's College Wau is a constituent institution): https://www.ecsssup.org/copy-of-home Health Initiative South Sudan: https://health-initiative-south-sudan.org/homepage TEAR Fund: https://www.tearfund.org/about-us/our-impact/where-we-work/south-sudan UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan): https://unmiss.unmissions.org World Food Programme: https://www.wfp.org/stories/south-sudans-road-out-hunger ECSSSUP: https://www.ecsssup.org/copy-of-home |
