“The needs of the people must take priority over the interests of the powerful.”
And what the people of South Sudan need is a just and lasting peace.
That’s the message shared in the UN community by the Rt. Rev. Peter Gai, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in South Sudan and Sudan.
The Rev. Gai came to New York on October 12 and 13 as part of a month long visit to call for prayer, action, and support for the efforts of the church in South Sudan to contribute to a just and lasting peace for the people.
Our ministry arranged for the Rev. Gai to meet with staff from the United States Mission to the UN and from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – South Sudan. The Rev. Gai also met with our partners Caritas Internationalis, the Mennonite Central Committee UN Office, and Amnesty International. He shared a meal and his story with the Young Adult Volunteers serving in the Presbytery of New York City.
From New York, the Rev. Gai travelled to Washington, DC where the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness will arrange visits with U.S. leaders. The Rev. Gai will attend the Sudan Mission Network meeting in Louisville on October 19 and 20, 2015.
In each place, he will bring the same message: “The needs of the people must take priority over the interests of the powerful.”
We give thanks for the Rt. Rev. Peter Gai’s visit and for the long and deep partnerships between Presbyterians in the United States and in South Sudan and Sudan. We pray for the Rev. Gai and his ministry and for just and lasting peace for the people of South Sudan. We encourage you to join that prayer.