Jerusalem
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A year ago, Andrew Proud was ordained bishop with responsibility for the Horn of Africa within the diocese of Egypt and North Africa. The hope is that in due course the area will become a diocese in its own right. It is too early to assess how near that time is, but Bishop Andrew writes:

The site

“Imagine a twenty thousand square metre site if you can…that is what we have in the Gambella region. There we will be able to set up the office, the library, the training facilities, the priest’s house, student and guest accommodation and canteen. There we will have land set aside for domestic agricultural use and there we will be able to start producing the stabilised soil blocks which will be used to build the new 300-seater church.” It’s a positive and exciting vision, but like all visions, it costs money, serious money. On the financial side, Bishop Andrew is thankful to have a USPG volunteer, Sally Chapman, leading the fund-raising by preparing a detailed proposal and budget for potential donors.

The Courses

Bishop Andrew has been hugely impressed by the response to the TEE (Theological Education by Extension) courses in the Gambella region. There are 150 students and at the recent TEE Conference he ordained the first five: Moses Chuol Gatluak (Regional tutor) Jeremiah Maet Pol (for a new parish at Matar) as priests with Deng Mark Kor (Mission Centre leader at Lare on the Sudanese border), Meshak Majok (Debre Zeit south of Addis), and Isaac Momma (Sherkole refugee camp) who were made deacon. It was the first Ordination he had conducted and he wries “think of early evening golden light, grass church, more heat (what’s new?), long processions, drumming, singing, ululating, the serious faces of the ordinands, beautiful Addis-made vestments, the bishop nearly falling off the compacted mud chancel step - and you’ve come pretty close to being there” He asks us to pray for these men “we are very proud of them all” Conference Lectures

The Conference agenda was pretty gruelling, bearing in mind the temperature reached 42 degrees. The visiting teachers were Father Grant Le Marquand the NT professor and missiologist at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry USA and his wife Wendy who is a doctor and gave sessions on basic health and hygiene and the place of prayer in healing. The Conference sat under the Neem tree for the five morning sessions (five hours each!) on the History of Christianity in Africa. “ We sat on hard benches in this huge temperature for hours and hours, it was hard work but everyone was thrilled – and thirsty for more!”

We’re making history!

At the end of the Conference Bishop Andrew spent two weeks teaching on the TEE course seventh module (the Church) with Mary Witts, the course director. He says the most inspiring thing was the keen faces, the intelligent questions, the growing enthusiasm and the sense that “we’re making history….training the future leaders of the Anglican church in Ethiopia”

Sadly, both Bishop Andrew and his wife Janice have suffered bereavements. Janice’s mother died just before Christmas and Bishop Andrew’s father just after Christmas. Janice was able to be with her mother but Bishop Andrew was in Gambella when his father died, though he did return in time to arrange the funeral with his family. All readers will extend sympathy and increased admiration for the work they are doing.

Editor

Information on the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa