Dear Friends

Bishop Gwynne College – the major theological college of southern Sudan – was originally founded in 1948 in Mundri, but was moved to Juba in 1987 due to the civil war. Its role is to provide pastors to teach and train others in the Episcopal Church of the Sudan. The Church lent BGC a building originally built for a Mission and local houses were procured for students and staff, but the war and shortages all took their toll, and the College had fallen into a state of disrepair and poor management.

A year ago Archbishop Daniel Deng closed BGC, and invited Canon Trevor Stubbs, then of Bridport, to undertake the re-establishment of the college’s teaching, followed by new buildings and an expansion of its mission on a self-financing basis. The original building has now been adapted and upgraded, and 20 students are due to begin their studies again this month.

However, Archbishop Daniel needs the New BGC to take an additional 25 new residential students each year, which means expansion to a new site is critical. Trevor has found a perfect site next to Juba Model Secondary School and its sister primary schools. To secure it he needs to erect a substantial fencing, before debris from demolished buildings can be removed, existing buildings upgraded, one new building erected to house the chapel and library, and a water borehole and sanitation established as the first stage of development. Careful plans have been prepared and costed, and you can see them in the Sudan section of the diocesan website.

We hope that the full redevelopment can be complete and NBGC training 75 students by 2012. However the first phase, which they need now, will cost £66,000.

In my 17 years as bishop here I have never made a Lent Appeal or launched a specific appeal for the ECS or a project in Sudan, though I’ve supported the Medical Link regularly through my concerts. I’ve not wanted to undercut our ongoing commitment and support. However, as my time to leave you approaches, I have decided to ask you – both parishes and individuals – to work with me to raise the £66,000 they need. We need to do this as quickly as possible, but certainly by the end of June.

I would welcome donations from parishes and individuals (using the attached Gift Aid Form to maximize your donation), sent to the Diocesan Accountant at Church House, with cheques made out to ‘Bishop David’s Sudan Appeal’.

To enable this exciting and bold vision to take root would be the best farewell gift you could give me: it would be a lasting sign of our thanks to our brothers and sisters in Sudan for all they give to us, and of our commitment to teaching the teachers of the people of one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. Please continue to pray for them as they do for us.