Sudanese Ministries and January Referendum in Sudan

Dear Sudanese Leaders and Supporters, I have been asked by Angela Ifill, Staff Officers for Black Ministries of the Episcopal Church, to assist in the coordination of the upcoming Sudanese Leadership Summit in December. I hope you have received information about this important event.

I am wearing another hate in writing to you. Last year I was asked to become a a member of the Government of South Sudan's US Mission Working Group which is working for Advocacy, Development and Investment. Most Sudanese in the US are anxious to find out about how to support the upcoming Referendum on January 9, including how to register to vote. I have attached a memo from Esther Sprauge, the convener of the GoSS Mission Working Group. As of today the Election Committee in Juba is still working on the details. But there are several things that local Sudanese communities can do:

1) bring your data banks up to date with current names, addresses, phone numbers and emails so that when word is passed from Juba you can immediately contact everyone. The SPLM in Phoenix, and I assume elsewhere, have done this so that they are ready to communicate immediately

2) organize a meeting with your Members of Congress and Senator's to lobby for US support of the preparation for the Referendum. Get as many Sudanese and American friends to do this. Members of Congress will be in their home districts starting in mid-August. This coming Monday there will be some Sudanese and friends lobbying Members of Congress in Washington DC. The Office of Government Relations will send out some suggestions of how to organize the visit and what to ask the Members and their staff to do.

3) the Presiding Bishop will send out a Pastoral Letter to all Episcopal congregations in September about the needs of the Sudan and
the Referendum. You should prepare now to contact as many parishes in September, even before the letter comes to ask to come and make a presentation. THIS IS A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH TO KNOW ABOUT SUDAN...YOU ARE THE AMBASSADORS! ASK PEOPLE TO CONTACT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS - GET THEM INVOLVED! Archbishop Daniel and the
Roman Catholic Archbishop will be brought to the US in October to meetwith our bishops and to lobby the UN, the State Department and Congress - more later

4) The first weekend of October 1-3 there will be a massive gathering of the Sudanese Diaspora in Washington DC. NGOs will gather on Friday for meetings, Saturday will be workshops on the Referendum and other development strategies, Sunday will be a massive rally on the Mall, Monday and Tuesday will be days of lobbying members of Congress.
There are many groups that are working with the GoSS Mission and the SPLM to bring this event off. Plan now to send people. More details later
5) The Sudanese Leadership Summit, as I mentioned earlier will take place in Phoenix December 10-13 to which two Sudanese (clergy and laity) from each community are invited along with the person in each diocese responsible for mentoring those ministries. More information will come out soon. But identify now who will to this important gathering to develop support for local congregations

Please send me the names and contact information of anyone that you feel should be on this mailing list.

Faithfully yours

Jerry Drino

Executive Director
Hope With Sudan
www.hopewithsudan.org
408-251-2059 office
408 259-2111 alternative
408-806-4506 cell