It is easy to term any time of need a crisis and to stir up interest and concern as a result. It can be a manipulative thing too, creating a response driven by guilt! But when your brother or sister is in need, under threat for their lives, and facing heavy demands which are beyond their capacity to carry, it is a genuine crisis for your family.
That is how it feels to me, to know that our brothers and sisters in Maridi are dealing with a huge influx of refugees from surrounding towns and villages. It is a time of increased tension in Southern Sudan with a rise in the level of attacks by LRA gangs on vulnerable people. So the churchwardens and I are appealing for members of the parish family to make an offering on Sunday 18th and 25th January to alleviate the practical needs of Bishop Justin and his team in Maridi. The offering on Sundays (other than regular envelopes) will be dedicated to relief in Maridi. Please give generously.
Stephen Lowry