This blog reports on the role of Trevor Stubbs as International Coordinator for Bishop Gwynne Theological College in Juba, South Sudan, and other work by him and Tina Stubbs for education in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan.
We are now approaching the end of the semester and exams are beginning today (4th June) and we need your prayers for the students.
It has been a successful semester. The next academic year will see the beginning of our new degree course sponsored by The Episcopal University newly established by the ECSS. I attach our principal's exciting letter.
Blessings to you all and thank you for your continued prayer support.
I have been moving up and down in the last few weeks. I left Juba on 9th May 2018, going for CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa) theological Consultation meeting in Nairobi. It was a fruitful time to hear around the region from the people who are heavily engaged with theological education far and wide. We had brothers and sisters who are head of theological institutions from Ghana, South Africa, DRC, Zambia, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan. The major subject which carried the days of our meeting was how could our curriculum be relevant to the contexts of our theological institutions. What we teach must address the issues.
Another meeting in Mombasa with Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on matters to do with "Crossing Cultures for Christ." It is a continuation of a meeting we had in Dubai 2016. Islamic is a challenge across the globe and as a church of Christ, we must move forward through cross culture in every aspect of our ministry. For example, we are teaching Islam as a course at BGC. We don't do it merely on apologetical ground but we educate our students to understand Muslim worldview.
BGC- the college has been pushing pretty well and we thank God for the performance of our students. As I mentioned in the last update, our intake is improving very well. Tina, our former BGC English Teacher and Librarian worked hard to raise the English writing standard for students who joined the college between 2010, and 2011. It was a time when South Sudan went through a linguistic shift from Arabic to English. Besides, continued war fought in the country had also deprived most of our generations.
Through her hard work to improve their English skills, those students were graduated from BGC with a great command of English. Encouragingly, some of them managed to finish their Bachelor Degree programs from refutable universities and colleges like Uganda Christian University (Uganda) and George Whitfield College (South Africa). Peter Angui Akook, and John Jal Deng, will soon to graduate as they plan to join their teaching ministry.
In recent times, primary and secondary schools, especially private schools, have tried to style up their education standards and that is a foundation which our students dearly need. We are blessed to have our pioneer class of Bachelor of Theology at BGC, and this goes in line with the vision of The Episcopal University. Our library and quality of the faculty we have are the major bases of this endeavour.
We are going to end our term at the end of the first week of June, 2018. Exams begin on the 4th June, 2018.
We request your prayers for them and they prepare to get involved in the ministry in their dioceses.
May your Easter be blessed and peaceful. May you know the deep presence of God wherever you are in the world and in your own challenges. Thank you for your continued prayers for Bishop Gwynne College.
Like the story of God in Christ, the news is bitter-sweet. There are things that hurt and things to set our hearts rejoicing; in the midst of the pain and suffering of South Sudan, there is the determination of the dedicated young men and women who seek to come to our college, despite the challenges, in order to train for a ministry proclaiming peace and the love of the living God. (John 20:21).
Food. Much of the gifts from at home and abroad is spent on obtaining sufficient food for the 90+ students currently at the college. To help with this problem, the college delayed reassembling until March instead of February this year, thus reducing the numbers of days food was needed. To compensate, the students have worked extra hard – the expectations and standards have not diminished.
Salaries. With inflation, the value of salaries is always shrinking. The college needs to constantly increase what it pays its staff to give them enough for them to provide for their families.
Our principal. We are very well blessed with our dedicated, focused and committed principal, Samuel Galuak. A man of vision, he has recently embarked on a PhD programme (based in South Africa and the UK) that will not take him away from his post.
Our students and former students. BGC students and Alumni are working in all parts of the country, including the refugee camps and war zones, sharing God’s love and preaching the Gospel.
Our South Sudanese and overseas supporters. The students pay fees which they and their bishops strive to provide but they do come anywhere near covering the costs. We rejoice in the foreign gifts that come from supporters, chiefly in the UK and the US.
The Episcopal University. In the last year the Episcopal Church of South Sudan has registered a new university of which BGC is a part. http://www.ecsssup.org/. Please pray for this infant institution.
Our Archbishop. Please give thanks for and pray for our departing Archbishop, Daniel, and pray for his successor, Justin, who will be inducted in late April. Bishop Justin comes from Maridi but has long been the chair of BGC governors so is no stranger to the college. We rejoice in his appointment and his willingness to take on this massive challenge.
Thanks so much for this wonderful news of your support to BGC. I am so grateful for what God is doing through you. It is by the grace of God that this noble college is striving hard in training the future leaders of our church in a such a hard circumstance.
The most pressing needs at the college are two basic things: first the food for students. A big portion of anything we raise both locally and oversea like your donation now goes on purchasing food. Prices are ever increasing in the market and there are times we feel exhausted but God's grace is sufficient to sustain us through. Your warm shoulder of partnership and friendship makes difference each time you step in.
At the end of April, I am intending to go to Uganda and will use that money to buy enough food items for college students and put them on the bus as we have been doing.
Secondly, salaries for college staff remain a dilemma. I shared with Canon Trevor, when I was in Keynsham, UK, to considering applying for a grant which would only go on salaries. It is a prayer of faith to God.
Please, pray with us on that aspect. It makes me feel bad seeing my dear colleagues struggling to raise their families with something that is less than $30 per a month. I believe that the good Lord will show up and bless his servants.
Trevor: Born 1948 in Northampton, England. Ordained 1974 (deacon) 1975 (priest). Anglican. Worked in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Yorkshire and Dorset (UK). ----- Tina: Born 1946 in Leeds, England. School teacher. Member of Mothers' Union.