Mennonite Central Committee

The Current Situation

The situation in Sudan is at a crucial juncture. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending over two decades of civil war between the North and the South, could become the foundation for a new and more equitable governing structure and a template for peace in Darfur. Or, it could collapse, reigniting a brutal civil war and dashing hopes for peace in Darfur.

The U.S. government has the opportunity to play an important, constructive, peacemaking role in Sudan. We can encourage our government to take more effective, timely action.

By the Numbers

• 4 million: number of people who fled their homes in southern Sudan during the war
• 1.3 million: number of people who have returned to the South since 2005
• 100: number of children in many crowded classrooms in the South as refugees return
• 2 million: number of people currently displaced by the conflict in Darfur

How Your Congregation Can Respond

During the week of November 9-16, 2008, join churches around the country in an effort to raise awareness about the situation in Sudan, pray for peacemakers and justice seekers in Sudan, and to urge the U.S. government to take appropriate action. The Tents of Hope Campaign will hold their Interfaith Weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan from November 7-9. STAND, the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, and Save Darfur are also planning activities during this time. Our hope is to raise awareness around the country and to put the issue on the forefront of the minds of the new President and the new U.S. Congress.

Save the dates, November 9-16, 2008, and begin discerning with your congregation how you might plan a worship service or vigil and what specific advocacy actions you want to take. Perhaps your church can introduce the topic during a Sunday in September and announce the start of a 6-week Sunday School study to prepare for the November week of prayer and action. If, however, the November dates do not work for your church, you are welcome to select another set of dates.

First Steps

These are first steps you can take immediately to get ready for the Week of Waging Peace:

1. Sign Up: Sign up as a congregation and see what other congregations in your area are doing. When you sign up you can receive, free of charge:
   • 4 campaign posters
   • 5 copies of the 6-week small group study guide
2. Organize: Form a planning committee that can meet regularly to discuss the worship service or other liturgical events as well as begin discerning an appropriate way to witness to government.
3. Learn and Share: Starting in September, host a small group study to begin or continue to learn about Sudan’s struggles and share with others in the church and wider community.
4. Get Your Conference On Board: Call or send an email to the conference coordinator letting her/him know that the Week of Waging Peace is happening and that your congregation is supporting the event.