Churches in South Sudan’s Lakes State are trying to keep worship going after communal fighting in Rumbek on Oct. 8 and 9 between the Nyang and Pakam communities. The UN mission counted 60 dead, 78 injured and about 500 families displaced. Local officials gave lower numbers.
A pastor working with International Christian Concern said: “What began as a fight between communities has left the church wounded. Our people are afraid to gather.” Another said the causes are old, “land, cattle, revenge,” but the church pays the price every time. Kids who used to go to Sunday school are hiding.
Days earlier, the South Sudan Council of Churches warned that “the suffering of our people has reached a point where silence is no longer an option.”
My take
This isn’t classic persecution. It’s revenge cycles tearing up a young nation, and the church is stuck in the middle trying to be a peacemaker. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Pray for the pastors comforting grieving families, for the displaced, and for the Spirit to break the revenge cycle in Lakes State.
God Bless, and Use the Source!
