Pilgrim Prayers for Women in Conflict Situations

The World Council of Churches has been mobilizing Christians all over the world to pray, walk and work for justice and peace with our brothers and sisters living in conflict countries. In 2017 and 2018, “Pilgrim Team Visits” highlighted gender injustice especially during armed conflict. Visits took place to Nigeria, Burundi; Colombia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In July 2020, a Pilgrim Team Visit to South Korea was held, when women from across the world gathered online and in person to listen and accompany Korean church women speak of decades under brutal militarized patriarchy and efforts to overcome the pain and injustice that remains today.

These reflections and prayers come from these visits, to raise wider awareness, strengthen solidarity, and add to the momentum for justice and peace. They are shared as part of the WCC Thursdays in Black campaign.

34. The Power of Perseverance

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming (v. 1-5 of Luke 18:1-8)

I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (v.1-2 of Psalm 121:1-4)

Reflection

God of Justice,

What exhausting and unending work is this desire for peace here on earth as it is in heaven! So much so that there are times when we want to give up, let go, and run away from it all. It is indeed overwhelming to see the state and sin of our nature, nations, and humanity.

But we see the importance and power of perseverance and resilience through the persistent widow, who did not take “no” for an answer, and fearlessly bothered the judge, the one who did not even fear God. We are empowered by the example of this marginalized woman, whose spirit of tenacity and resolve can also be seen in the consistent Wednesday Demonstrations for the past 30 years, demanding justice for the victims of sexual slavery and violence in Korea.

The widow cried out day and night but I cannot keep awake night and day. Only You can, O Lord, for You are God who watches over Israel, over us. You do not slumber nor sleep. And through this pilgrimage to Korea, I realized that God does not slumber through the woken spirits of my sisters around the world. God does not sleep through the tireless diligence and determination of those who will not rest until justice is fulfilled and fruitful. I cannot be the persistent widow alone. Only in handing the baton of peace and justice to the next time zone, the next country, the next context, and then taking it back can we collectively become the woman of persistence, crying out day and night, night and day.

Prayer

God of Peace, Keep us stubborn and steadfast, alert and awake to keep alive this hope for peace and justice, until it becomes a reality for us all. Only through community, and in solidarity as sisters, can this be achieved. May it be so, according to the promise and power of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev. Eun Joo Kim, Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)

33. Instruments of Peace

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink" ...  The story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, John 4:3-15.

Reflection

I’ve thought so much about the wars, the lingering discord, the bondage women have endured for so many years on the Korean Peninsula.  This Pilgrimage also opened my eyes to the resilience – 70 years of fighting for women’s rights and peace! – and the determination – 30 years of demonstrations! – and the sisterhood that is so visible by the women, our sisters in South Korea, and how their positive energy inspired us.  It also showed me our strong oneness in Christ and how we can support and sojourn together, even though we are physically separated.   As the passages in John reveal to us, Jesus gave women a value and attention that was radically different.  Jesus made the water of life available for everybody – including women!  We must continue the journey together as we speak out for peaceful solutions and work for justice and peace on the Korean Peninsula.  Peace is worth fighting for – without weapons!

Prayer

Lord, help us all to be instruments of your peace.  Help those in power to exercise it wisely, and with compassion, recognizing the devastating consequences of war and the need for peaceful resolutions.  Lord, you created every person in your image and you’ve given us each special gifts.  Help us to use these gifts as we work together, as partners, to boldly speak out against the injustices and to bring all nations and peoples to wholeness and restoration through your love and healing powers.   Amen.

Pam Snyder, Presbyterian Women in the PC (USA)

32. Until Justice Prevails

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.(Luke 18:7-8)

Reflection

Women serve women in the “Camptowns” (places near to US military bases in South Korea). They create space for those who had to prostitute themselves. These women had to offer a “friendly service” in the name of the South Korean State towards the US military. We looked back to the Japanese occupation. The militarization and all its negative consequences are still seen as a part of necessary efforts to fight communism.

On our virtual pilgrimage we saw places like the Sunlit Center and “Durebang” (a place where sisters help each other, a place to rest). Deeply traumatized elderly women come to these centers. They are encouraged to express themselves through music and theatre. They receive medical support. They connect with advocates, who fight for the recognition of the evil they had to suffer. Their stories are heard. In these centers we saw signs of resurrection. Resurrection happens right there, at the same places where dreams, hopes and bodies of women were destroyed.

Prayer

How long, o God? How long does it last until justice prevails? Justice, here on earth, for your beloved daughters, the chosen ones?

How long, o God? How long does it last until swords will be beaten into plowshares and peace with justice will transform the Korean peninsula?

How long, o God? Grant our sisters in Korea perseverance, resilience, cleverness, and boldness as they work for a better future.

Jesus Christ, you are here. You are in these suffering women. You are their strength, their hope and in their pain and suffering. Your spirit is at work.

Triune God, you hear our cries. In your name we continue the work for peace with justice.   Amen.

Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, World Methodist Council

31. Pressing on toward the goal

“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, NRSV)

Reflection

The experience at the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum in Seoul touched me deeply. I felt weary, sad, and uncomfortable as I walked in.  The faces and hands on the wall in the entry evoked deep emotion in me.  The messages on the wall from women who experienced the horrors of war, and life in the aftermath of war, brought me out of my uncomfortable feeling.  The messages made the faces and the hands real, and they made me feel more relaxed and no longer weary. The statue of the woman sitting in the chair softened my heart, and hopefully it helps the world to remember that these women must not be forgotten, and we must not allow the powerful to take advantage of women ever again.

Philippians 3:13-14 reminds us to work toward a goal of living in peace under God. We forget the horrors inflicted upon the body, but we press on to fight for the rights of women, continue to work for the oppressed, and bring people together again.

Prayer

God of love and peace, help us to become people of love and peace.

We know you put us here with love and peace in our hearts and minds, but we have suppressed these virtues for greed, control, de-valuation, exploitation, and exclusion.

God, strengthen the will and stamina of our sisters in Korea and around the world who are making peace each day. These women are faced with many obstacles, but they continue their work to bring love back into your world.

We ask you, Lord, to awaken our government official’s minds to the realization that colonization, guns, nuclear weapons, and nuclear energy plants are not the route to love, peace, care, and security for your people.

Great, and merciful God, guide us back to your way, where we love each other; see each other as equals; care for each other wherever we come from, or wherever we live, north, south, east, or west.

Guide those on the Korean peninsula back to being one nation under your Heavenly Realm.

We pray to you and thank you Lord for giving us Love.  Amen.

Jo Ann Burrell, Presbyterian Women PCUSA

30. Lasting Peace with Women at the Table

“Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness - and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed.” Jeremiah 22:3a

Reflection

The team of pilgrims met virtually with our sisters in Korea. During her insightful presentation about the division of Korea, Rev. Moon-Sook Lee asked, “Who is America to Korea?” She continued with another question – why has the U.S. robbed Korea of its unity? Lee shared that the U.S. was instrumental in separating Korea and continues to maintain the division. The U.S. domination of South Korea is patriarchal and thus, sinful, The U.S. assumes it knows what is best for South Korea. It does not. Since liberation from Japan, South Korea has been besieged by American influence in almost every arena – the military, academia, popular culture, etc. – essentially robbing South Korea of its cultural heritage and identity.

We are called to join our Korean siblings to work for the reunification of Korea and the dismantling of the Demilitarized Zone, a heinous scar on its country. Ask your leaders to affirm UN Security Resolution 1325, to assure women’s participation in this peace process. UN data verifies that a peace process with women at the table results in a peace that lasts 35 years longer than when women are absent. If you live in the U.S., ask your Representative to support HR 152, which calls for a peace treaty, instead of the 1953 armistice, for an end to the ongoing Korean War.

Prayer

Gracious and loving God, we give all praise, glory, and honor to you. We confess the sin of domination and division perpetrated on the country of Korea. We ask for forgiveness and that you work in a mighty way to restore Korean unity and solidarity as one country. Amen 

Ms. Joy Durrant, Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)

29. Remembering her name

“Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20

Reflection

On the very impressive virtual pilgrimage to South Korea, the team visited the Sunlit Sister's Center in Pyeongtaek, an American soldiers' camp. The initiative advises and helps the women from Korea and other Asian countries who serve the soldiers as prostitutes. In the video we are shown, the camera pans to a cemetery. Many of the women are buried there. Over the decades, new graves have been built. The names of the women are not visible there - nameless graves.

The fate of the so-called comfort women comes to my mind. In my mind's eye I see young women and girls who were brutally abused by Japanese soldiers during the occupation. And after the war until today, women are again available to men, this time American soldiers. What was once the life dream of these women? How many of them were forced to work there as prostitutes? How many do it because they see no other way? Can they leave if they want to? Are they still recognized in their families? Would they be able to belong in their families again? Question after question. And now some of them are buried there.

Who remembers their names?

Woman's dignity includes her name, even after death.

Prayer

Merciful God,

With you no one is lost, neither in life nor in death. You look lovingly at those women whose name does not count, whose personality is not socially important, who are used as objects for the fulfilment of desire.

Help us all to follow your gaze and to see the uniqueness of them, to want to know their names, to respect their dignity.

Give strength and courage to all those who are at their side to advise and help them.

Let the Camptown women feel their dignity and let them experience solidarity. Help them discover perspectives for their lives and put people at their side to help them realizing their dreams. Amen.

Rev. Claudia Ostarek, Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD)

28. Lament for a Divided People

By the waters of Babylon,

there we sat down and wept,

when we remembered Zion. (Psalm 137:1, ESV)

Reflection

The women who participated in the Virtual Pilgrim Team Visit to Korea witnessed the ongoing sorrow of the Korean people that their ancient country has been divided at the 38^th parallel since 1945.  Christians are working today for a peace treaty and for unification among all Koreans.  The Korean people had no say in this division of their country.  However, the division led to the establishment of two competing governments and eventually to the Korean War in 1950.  The war ended in stalemate, and North and South Korea emerged from all of this as uneasy, suspicious, and antagonistic brothers.  For 70 years family members have remained torn apart as a result of this artificial division of the peninsula by foreign powers.  Today the situation at the DMZ remains volatile and dangerous for all Koreans, and ultimately for the world, due to the nuclear weapons involved.

Prayer

O God our Creator, you who are eternal and righteous, hear our lament for all the Korean people, in the North and in the South.  For seven decades, families have been separated from each other in a land which was for centuries one land and one people.  Men and women have been born, have lived, and have died, never able to see some family members after 1950.  This deep injustice cannot go on!

Dear God, we trust in you.  We remember that you restored the Hebrew people from exile to their homeland and that you united Joseph’s family after years of separation.  We know that you alone will able to restore the land of Korea to peace and to unity.  For this blessing, we confidently pray to you.  Amen.

Julie Stilwell, Presbyterian Women PCUSA

27. Shame and Honor

Greatly honored are you who weep now, for you will laugh.  (Luke 6:21b, Translation by the Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer)

Reflection

Dr. Aymer who authored Confessing the Beatitudes prefers to translate the Greek word makarios into ‘honored/honorable/awesome’ rather than ‘blessed.’  She does so by providing the linguistic context of the culture in which this word was used.  According to her, it was “a culture in which honor is more important than gold, and public shame is one of the worst things that could happen to anyone” (p7). Such a culture employed professional ritual mourners in times of grief because weeping in public was a shameful act.  By honoring those who weep, Jesus turns this cultural paradigm upside down.

Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945, but it took 46 years for Kim Haksoon to come out to the public as a survivor of the system of sexual slavery of the Japanese imperial army, and she was the first Korean woman to do.   To cry in public for the injustices she suffered would have brought her public shame rather than empathy.  After all she was a sexually defiled woman. But around 1990 a small movement had been building to bring attention to this suffering of women in times of war, and when Kim came forward, she was met by those who were ready to honor her.  A weekly protest vigil that was started a year later to demand justice from the Japanese government for its war crime of sexual slavery is still going on.  In the meantime, some survivors have emerged as strong women’s human rights activists.  There are only 18 Korean women survivors still living as of August 19, 2020.

Prayer

Jesus, who greatly honors those who weep, we come to you honoring all the women who were forced into sexual slavery of the Japanese imperial army because we have heard their weeping.  May they receive the gift of laughter soon and very soon. Amen.

Rev. Unzu Lee, Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)

26. In Search of Refuge

And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (Exodus 33:14-16 KJV)

Reflection

“The South Sudan conflict remains a source of displacement and the dislocation of millions, destruction of property, and the loss of so many lives. With both sides of the conflict unwilling to compromise, thousands of children, the elderly and women continue to bleed and die…”  Dr. Agnes Aboum, moderator, World Council of Churches Central Committee 2018.

South Sudanese women desire rest from the horror of violent conflict, displacement and dislocation. Yet the perilous roads they travel seeking hospitality and rest are challenged by the sobering and even fatal realities of the journey and their destinations.  The UNHCR states that the South Sudan is an origin and destination country of forced migrants and a transit country for irregular migration routes. There are close to 1.9 million South Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers and close to 1.9 million internally displaced persons in South Sudan (2017). A large portion of South Sudanese refugees entering Uganda are women and children.

The impact of forced migration on women in and from South Sudan includes large-scale violence, sexual abuse, abduction, hunger, and forced labor. There have been groups of migrants stopped by armed groups who forcibly recruited men and boys. As a result, a large portion (around 85%) of South Sudanese refugees entering Uganda are women and children; they therefore face higher risks of sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation. As for migrants in South Sudanese refugee camps, they face increased challenges due to the recent influx and the resulting shortage of international humanitarian assistance (Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS). They are also recruited illegally and subjected to forced labor, human trafficking, or forced prostitution. Another major problem is the situation in detention facilities. Prisons are often overcrowded and underfunded and access to food and water remains low (Human Rights Watch, 2015).

Still, hope abides and lives in the resilience of South Sudanese women and girls who claim their faith and resist harm and danger. They are coming together and lifting their collective voices which was exhibited in the WCC visit earlier this year.  We give thanks to God for their witness and for the Christian churches and agencies that have come alongside of them.

Prayer

O God our help in ages past and hope for days to come, our South Sudanese sisters seek rest from conflict, war, hunger, poverty, desolate spaces and roads of peril that threaten their lives. They are forced to migrate to new places that may give new possibilities of life for them and their families. We know they are vulnerable but have still made the difficult decision to leave their homes of birth and seek new destinations of hope. We affirm the scripture that teaches us that God goes with them on their difficult roads and destinations of peril. We pray for their protection and sustenance for their lives. O God, help lead all of us to find just-peace solutions to the root causes that create these conditions so that rest becomes a real option for our beloved South Sudanese sisters and their families. Amen

Rev. Angelique Walker-Smith, President of the Historic Black Church Family, Christian Churches Together; Senior Associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church Engagement, Bread for the World (USA); member of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.

25. Transactional Sex/Droit de Seigneur

Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

“Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. …  So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down … “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. … he grabbed her and … since he was stronger than she, he raped her. [2 Samuel 13 selected verses]

Reflection

Many young people have been given over to those in power in exchange for protection during times of war. As the WCC Pilgrim Team learned during their visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the war continues when potential employers - within the church and without – expect that the young women in the DRC must become ‘wives’ if they wish to be hired.

What can we say to the young women of the DRC who would like to keep themselves for their husbands but are expected to provide financial support for the family in this season of scarcity? Some of these employers are church men with wives and children the age of the girls they are pressuring. It is not good enough to preach the Gospel, without offering hope for sustenance and survival outside of bartered bodies. We cannot (tacitly) offer our daughters to the Amnon of this world!

Prayer

Holy God, we ask our girls to preserve themselves for marriage, and yet we are guilty of turning a blind eye to the pressures they are under through poverty and power. Opportunities to move up in communities and develop a profession seem so few and far between. Forgive our seeming inability to offer real solutions and our complicity in perpetuating such wrongs.

Grant us courage to speak out against the abuse of our women; to contend on their behalf even when we can’t ‘see’ the way out and to identify other means of sustainable development for our youth.

The systems and powers have failed; may our diligence not fail in seeking the wellbeing of our women and girls. Guide us in the establishment of employment without abuse; so that transactional sex becomes a faint nightmare of yesteryear. We pray all this in your name. Amen

Rev. Nicole Ashwood, WCC Programme Executive for Just Community of Women and Men

24. Creation Care

You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things and by your will they are existed and were created. Rev. 4:11 (NRSV)

Reflection

God’s creation transmits wisdom and is a dynamic participant (agent) in the community of life. A visit to the Congo River during the WCC Pilgrim visit reminded me of this. Its dominance of the landscape and majestic pulsating presence cannot be missed. It “declare(s) the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1) and it nourishes life.  But there is a visible human footprint along the Congo River, evident in the plastic and other kinds of garbage strewn along its banks. It would seem that the trauma that affects people affects the Congo River too.

In African thought life is understood as interrelated and interdependent. The solidarity that we witnessed among Christian women in the Congo demonstrates a relational outlook to life. One hopes that that outlook would be extended to non-human life and to the Congo River in particular, for its sake and for the sake of the life it sustains.

Prayer

O God, creator and giver of life, not just human life but all life. Help the people of the DRC to harness the gift of the Congo River. Help the women who nurture the life of the community to be custodians of all that is life-enhancing. Let the children of the Congo inherit a wholesome environment, especially around the river. May young and old tread the banks of the Congo gently, relate to it lovingly and reverently as God’s gift to past, present and future generations of all the life forms it sustains in the Congo and beyond. Amen.

By Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, United Church of Zambia/United Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa

23. Orphan Care

Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Ps 82: 3 (NRSV)

Reflection

The Kimbondo Paediatric Hospital and Orphanage was the epitome of the care that the Good Samaritan gave to the Jew on the side of the road. The institution cares for 800 children orphaned and/or abandoned due to chronic illness, mental disability, displacement and poverty. A Chilean Catholic Franciscan Priest runs the hospital and orphanage and treats every child like his own.

While the orphans of Kimbondo are not necessarily there as a result of the Congo Wars, we were told that the women’s groups provide support for orphans from the war as well as the offspring of child soldiers/young girls raped during the war. The women were matter of fact about their duties to the orphans of Kimbondo who struggle for survival in a world closed to the mentally or physically disabled, as well as to the under-aged survivors of war who still struggle to move beyond the memories of conflict, abuse and abandonment.

Those who visited the hospital and orphanage were challenged to address issues of orphans and chronic illnesses in their own contexts. God expects us to care for orphans, widows and all those who are abandoned in our communities.

Prayer

Creator God, show us how to love and care for those whose are less fortunate like the orphans and vulnerable children at the Kimbondo Paediatric Hospital and Orphanage in the DRC. Grant the women strength and love to continue caring for orphans and vulnerable children representing you, Lord Jesus, as you have taught us to love and care. Move our hearts to address issues of orphans and vulnerable children in our homes and communities. Hear us for Jesus Christ ‘sake. Amen

By The Rev. Canon Nangula E. Kathindi, Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

22. Identity and socialization

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. Ps 139: 14 (NRSV)

Reflection

The Democratic Republic of Congo RC is a beautiful country endowed with all the resources any land could wish for in this world. Nonetheless life in this country is one of the most difficult to live in this same world. The Church continues to be a source of hope in the midst of immense suffering and hopelessness. The disheartening historical realities and the dysfunctional present have created a situation in which the Congolese people struggle with identity to the extent that they alter their outward appearance by bleaching the skin among other self-rejecting practices. The government should legislate the use of  skin lightening creams and other cosmetic strategies because of the adverse health implications for people. Moreover, the church should do its part in helping people to accept themselves as being made in God’s image, fearfully and wonderfully so.

Prayer

Loving God, the people of the DRC are crying out to you for your love, care and acceptance. May they feel your presence in whatever situation they find themselves. Touch them in a special way so that they will know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Give them justice, peace and full restoration in their minds, bodies and souls. In your holy name we pray. Amen

By the Rev. Canon Nangula E. Kathindi, Anglican Church of Southern Africa

21. Youth as peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. (Mt. 5:9)

Reflection

The team of WCC pilgrims attended an ecumenical gathering of the youth in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were enthusiastic, articulating and solving issues of their generation. They spoke about the prevalence of political patronage that lures youth who are contracted to commit acts of violence, especially during an election cycle, as was the case during the time of the visit. Unscrupulous politicians take advantage of young people’s economic vulnerability and exploit them for political expediency. The Christian youths we met made it clear that they would promote peace by naming and rejecting the evil of violence. Taking a stand for peace in the face of so many pressures takes commitment and demonstrates a desire to follow Christ against all odds.

Prayer

God of peace, lead the young people of Congo to seek reconciling peace. Please raise a generation that will reject strife and choose reconciliation. Help them to stand for what is right and to inspire an activism for peace in the Congo, founded on love of neighbour. Open all our eyes to the systems that perpetuate violence in our communities and make our efforts at peace-making be holistic and founded on love and compassion. Amen

By Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, United Church of Zambia/United Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa

20. Imago Dei – Considering people with disabilities

Then God said, ‘Let us make [humanity] in our image, to be like us’ … Genesis 1:26a (NLT)

Reflection

What does God look like to you? Tall, slim, male, female, wrinkly and old, vivacious and young, able-bodied, disabled, ‘normal’ skin tones, albino, cataracts, hunched, dwarfed, giant? And, based on our perspective of God, how do we treat those who are not perceived as perfect?

Abandoned by her father when she was born disabled, one of the hostesses of the WCC Pilgrim Team visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo shared her story of tribulation and hope. Despite being abandoned by her father, her mother and siblings saw her as God’s special gift. This was not the norm.

She fell in love and married. Several children later, the abuse began.

She was abandoned by her husband, left with limited means of support.  In that regard, she was like many women with disabilities in the DRC – used and abandoned. Again, her mother provided the much-needed emotional and financial support. For that is what Congolese women do. They help the weak, support the fallen and try to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of all.

It is also what Iman’Enda offers to persons with disabilities. By offering a space for skills training, support and networking, they give voice and representation to persons with disabilities, affirming their human right to be treated with dignity and respect.

Where do you see God’s face?

Prayer

Lord of mercy and grace,

Teach us once again to love. We look at those who are not like us, and we stigmatize, separate and strengthen prejudices. We cast value judgements using criteria known only to us yet claim that it is godly. We offer hope to the vulnerable, but we fail to remember those who are disabled or outcast, often providing little or no support, while expecting them to fend for themselves!

Today we praise you for the examples of wisdom, grace, giftedness and love we experienced with sisters and brothers on the journey. We crave your support for the DRC disabled community which has had to carve a space for themselves in a society where they are often unwelcome and abandoned. Bless those who offer hope as well as pastoral care and occupational therapy in its own way to the community of persons with disabilities. Help us to see You in them and in each other and to remember that each of us is called to be in fellowship with You through living with and loving each other.

Hear, heal, help and keep hope alive we pray, dear Jesus, Amen

Rev Nicqi Ashwood, WCC Programme Executive for Just Community of Women and Men

19. Sex for Employment

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NRSV)

Reflection

Even though the young women were the quietest participants among the young people that the WCC pilgrim team visited, when probed, their contributions were incredibly moving. They shared how women graduates are forced into sex for employment with older men as concubines. Refusing this arrangement leaves them with only the option of conventional prostitution on the streets of Kinshasa.

The harsh reality facing women in the DRC reminds us of the suffering and humiliation endured by Tamar who was raped by her own brother;  her father, the king, did nothing to bring justice to her situation. The government and church leadership in the DRC need to respond and address the root causes of this despicable culture with specific programmes and projects targeted to improving the security and economic condition of women and youth. The wider church community must take faithful and positive action against the culture of sex for employment.

Prayer

Most Gracious God, we beseech you to protect the women who are raped and violated at the work place and on the streets in the DRC. Deliver them from the harassment they face from those that should be protecting them. Bring hope and healing to their hearts, minds and bodies. Move the hearts of government and church leaders to create programmes to protect their rights and raise awareness in the DRC to respect every human being’s dignity. Bring lasting peace and economic stability and prosperity to the land. Lord. Grant us all these in the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen

By The Rev. Canon Nangula E. Kathindi, Anglican Church of Southern Africa

18. War and its socio-cultural impact

There shall be wars and rumours of war. Matthew 24:6a

Reflection

I arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo with full expectations to see the immediate visible impact of the civil war all around me. I forgot that wounds are not always visible, even when they are festering and wreaking havoc within. There seemed to be a great concern about the upcoming elections, which is intricately enmeshed in the DRC conflicts as the last elections were held in the shadow of the Congo War. This move to elections came with its own share of conflict and protests with the president opting to step down having overstayed his term by two years.

In our official conversations during our WCC Pilgrim Team Visit, there was no mention of war. And yet, the women’s ministries in Kinshasa has an active ministry with rehabilitation of former child soldiers, caring for ‘orphans’ who were abandoned or born to women who were raped or whose births were induced during the wars, and ministering to casualties of war who are not necessarily provided for by the government in any sustained way. This they have undertaken as the Christian compassionate duty to care for widows and orphans.

War’s toll is reflected in the Congolese peoples’ resilience and fear. Resilience as they make a new life for themselves amid the ashes, and fear of what the December 23 elections will bring.

Prayer

Gracious God, War devastates the mind and psyche of all people. Today, we think of the altered lives, the abandoned children, the former child soldiers who seek other ways of living in the DRC, who may not know the provision and security to be found in You. Lord, it pains the heart when we consider the silence and the fear, even when we celebrate the Congolese resilience amidst the threat of violence and the aftermath of devastation.

As elections loom in the DRC, we crave your intervention and grace in the electoral process. We seek integrity among the current and soon to be elected leadership and crave Your divine intervention in the rebuilding and democratic electoral process. May we offer ourselves to the joint effort of rebuilding and provision of resources for those impacted by the Congo wars. Continue to strengthen the women’s ministries which provide for those impacted by the wars.

As pilgrims on this journey of life, help us turn a helping hand, a thought, a prayer, tangible help to those in need instead of turning a blind eye and a judgemental ear. Bless the DRC we pray even now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Rev Nicqi Ashwood, United Church in Jamaica & the Cayman Islands

17. Theological education through song

The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” John 4:25

And Mary said (sung), “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in my Saviour, for (God) has been mindful of the humble state of (God’s) servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed...” Luke 1:46-48.

Reflection

The songs of the Christian women of the Congo exude a deep knowledge and faith in God. They are a resource for ongoing theological education of the women and the wider community. Song is an important medium for teaching theology informally, which could also be appropriated by the academy. Developing the repertoire of songs intentionally to lament the plight of the Congo, inspire hope and mobilise for movement towards that hope would be an important contribution. Could this knowledge base become a starting point for formal theological education of women?

Like Mary and the woman at the well, the Congolese women’s faith is not expressed in academic discourse (although it could be). It is wrought in the crucible of experience. Their song, dance, ululation laments the injustices and woes of a country that groans in expectation. It is a public theology performed, demonstrated, creating strength where lives are broken. The healing, humour and hope of the songs of the women of Congo recall the faith confession of the broken woman at the well. They affirm Mary’s song of exultation in the upheaval of becoming an unwed mother.

Prayer

Lord God, let the wisdom, defiance, faith and hope in the songs of the women of Congo deepen our knowledge of you.  May their songs and stories of broken bodies and broken promises nurture courage in us all, inspire our actions and nourish our hope.  Like the women of Congo who grapple with systemic violence and marginalization yet remain defiantly hopeful nourished by song and deep knowledge of God. Let their example educate our quest for peace and justice in your world. Amen

By Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, United Church of Zambia/United Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa

16. Managing fertility/infertility

There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children….

On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb…

Therefore, Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”…

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.” (I Samuel 1: 1-11)

Reflections

In all African societies, a marriage is only complete when there are children. In patriarchal societies it is not just children but male children. It is also not just one male child but many children. If a couple are not having children, it is quickly assumed that it is the wife’s fault. African barren women go to great lengths to seek help to have children - male children.  The story of Hannah resonates with the experiences of barren African women who despair even when they are in a monogamous loving relationship. Hanna’s story also echoes the patriarchal interpretation that when a couple is unable to have children it is a woman’s fault. It also brings in the belief that God causes barrenness but through prayers God also opens the womb. The bible story ends well. Hannah conceived and had a baby son whom she dedicated to the Lord. This story is a source of encouragement to many barren women.

However, when women are living in the context of war like the girls and women of South Sudan, being able to conceive is not received as good news.  When we visited South Sudan, we learned that in the context of civil war where there is shortage of food, threats from sexual harassment and rape, the women talked about not wanting to have more children. However, even in relatively peaceful African countries, there are too many children whom the families and governments are not able to take care.

Prayer

We thank you God that when you created the first human beings, you were very pleased with your creation. We thank you for giving humanity the responsibility to take care of themselves and all your creation. We thank you because marriage and having children is also part of your plan for humanity. We thank you for your teachings that remind us about being good stewards of our bodies and our families. We pray to you God for forgiveness where we have brought children into the world and failed to take care of them. We pray that as we take care of the earth, you give us the wisdom to be good stewards of our own fertility.

We also pray for all the couples who are suffering from infertility that you answer their prayers according to your will and purpose for their lives.

We pray for the girls and women of South Sudan who are unable to manage their fertility in the context of war. We pray that the war will come to an end and that your lasting peace will prevail. We pray for that you protect girls and women in conflict countries who live in constant fear. May they find comfort in the knowledge that you will never leave them or forsake them. May they feel your presence with them all the time. We thank you for all those organizations who are working in South Sudan to provide health care to the vulnerable, especially girls and women. We are praying in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, Deputy General Secretary, World Council of Churches.

15. Family Life

She rises while it is still night

and provides food for her household

and tasks for her servant-girls.

She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strengths,

and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 31:15-17 (NRSV)

and I will be your father,

and you shall be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”  2 Corinthians 6:18 (NRSV)

and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed[a] in you and in your offspring.  Genesis 28:14 (NRSV)

Reflection

During our pilgrimage to South Sudan, we heard multitudes of heart-wrenching stories of families facing insecurity, dire economic circumstances, and traumatizing experiences. The on-going conflict in the country has disrupted daily life, and many South Sudanese are unable to participate in the local economies in meaningful way due to lack of jobs, pressure to find food and provide for their families, rampant inflation, and lack of wages. Even while some women and men try to better themselves for their family and for their children by earning an income, such as participating in programs run by organizations like the Daughters of Mary Immaculate, they then fear that they become targets for those who may choose to rob others in the face of desperation.

Many of those we met emphasized by many that the only real employment in South Sudan is in the militia and your “salary” is the gun you are provided. While many men are faced with the temptation of leaving their families and joining armed groups, seeing it as their only option, often women and children are left behind without jobs or access to food. Familial connections are challenged and broken, and most South Sudanese are continuing to pray for a wholeness that seems so far out of reach.

However, despite the challenges faced by most, Bishop Justin Badi Arama, the Primate and Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, explained that when you go to the grassroots level, people see themselves as one family, even as politicians seek to separate and divide. “We call God our father, not my father; we are all children of one father” he was quoted.

While family life is challenged and the bonds of connection that hold us together are weakened in the face of such trials, we must ask ourselves if “family” is only a noun. Perhaps we must see “family” as much of a verb as it is a noun. In the midst of death, fear, and hopelessness, we must learn to “family” one another. The people of South Sudan deserve to be cared for in a familial way by the international community so that they may have the chance to reunite broken bonds, to heal wounds, and to restore relationship. When the family of South Sudan is healed, perhaps then we can begin to restore wholeness to God’s vision for a global family.

Prayer

We thank you God for giving us the gift of family and for the hope that abides in our communion with Jesus Christ and with each other. We pray that the families of South Sudan remain strong in your bond and upheld by your spirit in the challenges they face. May the church in South Sudan continue to minister to its families and may we continue to learn by your grace to embrace family as not only a noun, but also a verb. May we “family” one another, focused on your vision of all God’s people living together as one people in harmony. In Jesus’ name we pray that you continue to hold South Sudan in your arms, believing that peace will be restored. Amen.

By Jillian Abballe, Advocacy Officer, World Council of Churches United Nations Office

14. Healing of Trauma

The human spirit will endure sickness, but a broken spirit – who can bear? Proverbs 18:14

Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress. Proverbs 31:6

Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. Ecclesiastes 4:1 (NRSV)

Reflection

The WCC pilgrim team visit to South Sudan learned that many of the people need healing from experiences of trauma. As in many conflicts, women and girls suffer rape as a weapon of war, including gang rape, rape of young girls, and rape in front of siblings, spouse or parents. Even in refugee camps women and girls are not out of danger as other refugees and even those charged with helping them – aid workers and peace keepers - may violate them. Rape is used to humiliate and inflict pain to the heart of the individuals and communities. “We will rape your women” is a common threat between warring tribes or communities and it demonstrates that rape is used as a symbol of conquest. There is no regard to the dignity of the victimised women.

Worse still, rape and other forms of sexual violence are strongly stigmatised in South Sudan. Women and girls who have been assaulted sexually are segregated in school and discriminated against in social life. They are not accepted in society, and when they report the cases to authorities the culprits return for a so-called retaliation. These people have to carry their sorrows alone and in silence.

To be victimised again for rape or sexual violence, and to have to suffer in silence, is a double tragedy. Such a situation indeed can cause a person to have a “broken spirit” or to be in “bitter distress”. The severity of the psychological trauma in such circumstances is underscored by the desperate prescription in Biblical days of a near-toxic concoction that was prescribed: strong drink, or strong wine. This is what was given to those on death row for the various capital offences they had committed to numb the physical and mental pain of the impending death.

It is abundantly clear that any efforts to build peace in South Sudan should include strategies for the healing of memories for the women and girls who have suffered from all forms of sexual violation, and for making communities healing, rather than stigmatising,spaces.

Prayer

God our Creator, you see the oppression that your daughters are enduring in South Sudan; you see those suffering from the trauma they have experienced. Their tears and cries have reached you. You also know the power of their oppressors. Arise strong on your daughters’ side, O God; and as you arise, Creator God, we pray that you will awaken us, your church and all your children, to rise with you on behalf of the weak and the oppressed suffering from trauma, in South Sudan and in all places under your sun. In your mercy we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Dr Mwai Makoka, Programme Executive for Health and Healing, World Council of Churches

13. Sex Education

She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do anything so vile!  As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the scoundrels in Israel. Now therefore, I beg you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” 2 Samuel 13:12-13 (NRSV)

Reflection

When we visited South Sudan for the WCC Pilgrim Team Visit, we heard stories which confirmed that war brings disorder to society and that cultural and religious teachings about chastity are no longer upheld. Teachings that value a girl’s body and give her the space to keep her virginity are no longer practiced.

The story of Tamar and Amnon in 2 Samuel 13 shows similar disregard of morals even when not during war. Amnon had told his friend Jonadab that he was in love with his own half-sister. Jonadab gave Amnon very wicked counsel to enable Amnon gain unlawful (sexual) access to his half-sister and he raped her in spite of Tamar’s desperate pleas that this thing is not done in Israel. Amnon breaks Tamar’s virginity and then turns around to hate her with a deadly hatred after having satisfied his selfish lust.

What can we learn about sex education from this story? It is clear from this story that rape in our society today and particularly in South Sudan is not a new thing. Another thing we can learn is that Tamar knew some regulations (i.e., she had some sex education) that only with proper permission from parents, siblings could marry each other. On the other hand, Amnon, it appears, did not have any proper sex education or disregarded it.

Sex education that teaches respect of oneself and others is necessary particularly in contexts where the experience of violence threatens to break down morals and religious and cultural values.

Prayer

O Lord our God, we pray for courage and wisdom for parents in South Sudan to give all their children proper sex education while they are growing up in the context of war. We pray for protection from those with wicked intentions to harm and rape. May no one be lured into temptation but be transformed and renewed in their minds to turn away from evil unto you, O Lord.

Lord we pray for emotional healing for those who have been victims of rape either in their own homes or out of their homes in South Sudan and other countries.

We are in days of trouble where sex education is lacking and even where it being done, it is inadequate. Lord, do a new thing in the lives of both perpetrators and victims of especially rape and other heinous crimes. Let them experience your love and hear your tender call to repentance and salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior we have prayed. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Amen.

Rev. Dr Dorothy Bea Akoto and women and youth of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Kisseman District, Accra, Ghana

12. Prayer for Grandmothers

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31 (NIV)

Reflection

The Bible recognizes the contribution of elders in our community. It clarifies the value of old people, they are full of wisdom and knowledgeable. This is the general perception of the elderly in Africa.

Human Rights Watch (May 2017) writes that in South Sudan elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of war. They are being shot, hacked to death or burned alive in their houses. This is because they are unable to fight back, which makes them more vulnerable to starvation and abuse.

Young people who are supposed to take care of the old people have run away to protect themselves.  The elderly are now helpless and the only hope they have is God who is protecting them. Grandmothers are vulnerable in a particular way as they take care of the sick and the many children who are left in their care while they have limited resources to take care of others. Grandmothers are now struggling with their health because of their age. The context of war makes it difficult for them to access medication.

Prayer

Dear Lord, the giver of life,

We acknowledge your mighty protection in our lives and especially to our grandmothers,

You have granted them many years of life and the young people depend on them for traditional knowledge and wisdom. We feel blessed for that wonderful gift from them.

We come before You, our Creator, praying for all the elderly, especially the grandmothers who live in countries going through conflict like South Sudan.

We pray that they feel your comforting presence in their moment of suffering from different types of abuse, hunger and diseases.

Oh Lord, you are their only hope, as you have promised to protect and rescue them,

May your presence continue to be with them in every situation.

We also pray for the people and organizations who have devoted themselves to take care of the elderly, especially grandmothers in armed conflict situations. 

In Jesus’ name we pray, believing that you will restore peace in South Sudan to the Glory of Your Mighty Name. Amen.

Esther Ngulwa, Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT)

11. Polygamous marriages

"But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female’. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh’. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Mark 10:6-8

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Reflection

When the World Council of Churches Pilgrim Team to South Sudan met with the Women Caucus of the South Sudan Parliament, one woman said: In South Sudan, all married men are polygamous. Maybe the church leaders have only two wives. But most men have many wives and children.’ No one challenged her generalized statement which bothered me.  In this context, the woman parliamentarian used a popular definition of polygamy which is a man marrying many wives. The technical meaning refers to marrying many wives or husbands simultaneously or marrying many times - that is, consecutive marriages.

The traditional African reasons for polygamy are many. One reason was for “immortality”. The understanding is that with more wives the higher the chance of having more children. The more the children, the more the number of one’s descendants and therefore the higher the chance of being remembered by one’s descendants for a very long time. In the context of the South Sudanese who have experienced civil war since 1955, no wonder polygamy has normalized even among Christians as a way to replace the many people who have been killed. It was also mentioned as a solution to missing husbands who have been killed, or left to join the war or just disappeared. In this context girl child marriages to older men who already have wives is seen as a lesser evil to protect the girl from rape. The society emphasizes that a girl must be a virgin when she is gets married. Raped girls and women are stigmatized.

South Sudan has been predominantly Christian since the second half of the 19^th century. The missionaries who brought the gospel to South Sudan preached against polygamy as a cultural practice of the people and held that the Bible only supported monogamy. Despite more than a century of Christianity in South Sudan, polygamy has continued. While the civil wars have been the major reason for its continued practice, many African theologians challenge the missionary interpretation of polygamy in the Bible and in African culture. Today the discourse on homosexuality has also brought back the debate on polygamy.

For the majority of African women theologians, the discourse about polygamy is connected with a life of dignity for African women who find themselves in a polygamous marriage. In the context of civil war, does polygamy protect the dignity of a girl child who is married off to be raped by an older polygamous man?  Do women whose husbands have disappeared due to the civil war find a life of dignity when they are married off to a rich polygamous man?

Prayer

We thank you God for creating marriage. We thank you for Jesus’ message of fullness of life. We pray that marriages in South Sudan should reflect dignity for the couples. We pray for all those women who are experiencing torture in their marriages in whatever form it comes. We pray that you grant them wisdom to know what to do in order to experience fullness of life as promised by Jesus. We pray that the peace negotiations in South Sudan will result in a permanent end to the civil war and fulness of life for all people of South Sudan. May the church in South Sudan continue to be a beacon of hope for all its peoples. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, Deputy General Secretary, World Council of Churches.

10. Home-based care

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NRSV)

Reflection

While the WCC delegation was in South Sudan, we learned that, as in many African cultures, women bear the brunt of providing home-based care to their children, the sick, and the elderly. The women shared stories of how war destroys also the relationships at home. Husbands abandon the home, and people come back from the war zones with huge physical and psycho-social wounds. HIV is on the rise, and treatment for those with AIDS and other diseases is inaccessible.

According to the women, they are the first to rise up and the last to get to bed and do not get any support from their able-bodied husbands. Though they work hard, they remain poor because of the robberies that go on each night. They go to bed in perpetual fear, since a tap at the door can result in robbery, rape or death. These women, some of whom have been deserted by their husbands, have to feed, clothe, house and school their children with very few resources, if any. They look on painfully as their children go on the streets and become vulnerable to drugs, sexual abuse, criminal acts, diseases, and other vices that may lead to premature death.

The burden is heavier because husbands marry off young girls for money, leaving mothers alone to care for all at home. Male children who should support and protect their younger sisters unfortunately also see them as bride price for their own future marriages. One young man said, "There is no value on women, they are a source of wealth; once you have a sister there should be no problem getting married".

The Bible passage above is indicative of God's will for us, urging us all to be each other’s keeper. As faith communities, we should pray for the war to come to an end so that the government, faith-based communities, civil society – and husbands – can take up their responsibilities to provide quality care for those who need it.

Prayer

Loving God, you are the source of holistic care, for you covenanted with humankind to initiate the divine-human relationship. You show us that labor is best enjoyed when it is shared. Your self-revelation in the holy Trinity attests to this truth. Supply the strength your overburdened daughters in South Sudan need, to care for those who cannot take care of themselves, especially in times of crises. Protect your persevering daughters from toxic relationships.

We pray, O Lord that you touch the hearts of husbands to share the huge burden of taking care of their families. Create the awareness and prove your true word that the three-fold cord of divine-human couple relationships is not easily broken.

We pray dear God that you will let sanity and your peace that surpasses all understanding prevail in South Sudan and other war torn areas, to the glory of your name. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

By Ms Lydia Aku Adajawah, WCRC/Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana and Rev. Fred M. Amevenku, Lecturer, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Accra, Ghana

9: Women in Church Leadership

“So Hilkiah and those the king had designated went and spoke to Huldah… And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says…” 2 Chronicles 34:22-23

Reflection

Women have always been the backbone of the Church and have always been in leadership positions. From preaching to teaching to hospitality women are at the forefront of church leadership whether the position is ecclesiastically ordained or not. We know the church would not survive if it were not for dedicated women holding the pieces of local congregations together with their prophetic and motherly wisdom. The prophet Huldah was one such woman.

Despite her being described as the wife of Shallum ben Tikvah, who was responsible for the King’s wardrobe, this Godly woman was a teacher of oral tradition. In fact, she herself taught the young King Josiah to live in Godly ways. She was a confidante and counselor to many and she was a prophet and woman of wisdom who would bring peace to King Josiah’s reign because of what she heard from God. And because she heard from God, the King had everything related to other gods destroyed and he reintroduced the God from the Bible.

While in South Sudan we had a chance to meet great women from various churches and with women in parliamentary positions. Many talked about their roles within their local congregations. Many of these leaders have been ordained by their churches where the work involved counseling women and girls who have been traumatized by this civil war. Women from both the ruling party and the opposition parties have been against the civil war and have worked diligently in their government roles and in their churches to promote peace.

These leaders are filled with motherly wisdom and concern for the future of their country. They seek God and hear from God. South Sudan, through its many struggles is raising up prophets like Huldah, who will speak a Word and help save their land.

Prayer

Lord God, in the Name of Jesus, we pray for women leaders in South Sudan. We pray that women in government are able to be a light in the midst of darkness as they try to change perceptions about gender. We pray that they are able to move every heart towards peace and reconciliation. May they continue to have the courage to speak truth to power despite threats against their very lives and livelihoods.

We pray, in the Name of Jesus, for women in church leadership who have young minds in their care. We pray that they may be able to change minds from war to peace, from individualism to community, through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God of mercy, allow the Huldahs of the world to practice their faith and leadership unhindered by restraints of gender stereotypes, and rather use their capabilities to love, to warn, and to refresh generations. We pray this prayer in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

By Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones, Presybterian Church of the USA

8: Violence, child abuse and HIV

He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.  Psalm 147:3

Reflection

HIV and AIDS has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the people of South Sudan.  UNAIDS estimates that in 2016 some 200,000 people in South Sudan were living with HIV, with only 10% of them accessing antiretroviral therapy.  It reports: “There is limited infrastructure and systems to provide HIV services in the country and low levels of investment in the HIV response.  Prevention efforts are hampered by low levels of knowledge about HIV, low literacy and harmful sociocultural practices.  The humanitarian crisis and population displacement is having a negative impact on the response, and make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV infection.”

So, when a child is tested for HIV and the test result is negative, that should be good news.  But not always in South Sudan.

On our visit we heard story after story of pain and suffering: of men, women and children experiencing poverty, hunger, looting, violence, rape and murder.  But the story I found most horrifying was of paedophiles taking children to hospital clinics to be tested for HIV, not out of concern for their welfare, but for a very sinister reason.  If the child tests positive the paedophile has no further interest in him or her. But if the child tests negative the paedophile knows he can abuse the child without endangering his own health.  And paedophiles do just that.  Not being infected exposes the child to repeated rape.

Violence and injustice have contributed to the AIDS epidemic.  HIV testing is a vital first step to receiving treatment essential for a long and healthy life, but continued violence and abuse seriously threaten progress. Let us pray for the children, for them to find safety, treatment, health and care. And let us also pray and act for an end to abuse and violence in South Sudan and throughout the world.

Prayer

Dear God, our loving Father, our loving Mother,

We pray for your children in South Sudan.

We pray for those who go to bed hungry or frightened.

We pray for those who bed down in the jungle as part of armed gangs.

We pray for girls in early forced marriages who are so young that they miss their mothers.

We pray for children who are ill or HIV positive.

And we pray for children whose good health may make them even more vulnerable to abuse.

Loving God, give them all your protection.

Holy One, breathe your healing spirit on them all.

Bind up their wounds, dear God.

Heal their broken hearts, O Lord.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

By Maureen Jack, Church of Scotland

7: Access to Education

He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” (Mark 5:41, NRSV)

Reflection

In Mark 5:22-24, 35-43, 41, Jesus’ encounters a leader of the synagogue, whose little girl was sick to the point of death. Jesus was delayed in getting to the synagogue leader’s house and reports came that the little girl was dead. However, Jesus took the little girl, who had died, by the hand and spoke to her to get up – and she got up and began to walk about.

During our Pilgrim Team visit to Juba, South Sudan, we learned about the lack of education for young girls, and I thought of this story.

Young girls in war-torn areas time and again are denied educational opportunities. Their prospects die and they face further deprivation and abuse. Can somebody rise up to the task like the leader of the synagogue, to call out for help?

Government legislations, traditional and cultural practices and other inhumanities have prevented our girl children from enjoying the full humanity provided to all by Jesus Christ who came to “Give life and give it more abundantly” (John 10:10b). In places of conflict, people may give up hope in the ability for change, as happened with the people, who came from the Synagogue leader’s house saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any further?” (v.35).

But Jesus has the answer to all our needs. Perhaps, the time has come for us to intercede for our “little girls” by seeking Jesus diligently. Working for peace, for government responsibility, for the support of the community – we can echo the call of Jesus, “Little girl, get up” so our girls will rise up and be educated to the amazement of those who have held them down.

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, you who created all human beings in your own image and likeness and blessed them with all spiritual and physical blessings, we your people come before you in humility to thank you for your abundant grace and mercy towards us.

We humble ourselves before you, confessing on our knees, like the Synagogue leader, to intercede on behalf of the girl children of South Sudan. We pray that governments, parents, families, guardians and those who are in positions of authority will provide education, opportunity and safety especially for girls in their country.

Lord, we pray that you will give girls living in this war-torn country knowledge and understanding and provide opportunities for them to rise up to the highest levels that they would like to go in their education. Lord, God empower them to be able to make good and right decisions in difficult and challenging times.

Lord, you who open your hands and provide all your creatures with their needs, look favorably upon all our girl children and open doors for their education by providing also good sponsors, teachers, mentors and role models for them. Above all, we pray that you will strengthen us to be always mindful to pray and intercede on their behalf to you.

We ask in the name that is above every name, the name of our Saviour Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

By Rev. Dr Dorothy Bea Akoto and women and youth of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Kisseman District, Accra, Ghana

6: Women and Girls Refugees

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2 ESV).

Reflection

Refugee International states:

"In instances of armed conflict and displacement, women and girls face exceptional danger. They live under the constant threat of acts of gender-based violence (GBV), such as rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and traditional harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage. In addition, women have a more difficult time obtaining access to official documents required to determine nationality, leaving them at risk of statelessness." (https://www.refugeesinternational.org/women-girls/)

This statement corresponds to the stories we heard from South Sudanese women of faith, church leaders, youth and women politicians whom we met in May 2018 when we were on a World Council of Churches’ Pilgrim Team Visit. We were told again and again that the victims of the civil war in South Sudan are women and girls. They shared with us that there are many internally displaced South Sudanese, the majority of whom are women and girls. There are also many South Sudanese refugees in camps in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.

The South Sudanese Council of Churches shared with us their work in ensuring that the international community is aware of the specific needs of South Sudanese women and girls who are refugees. They asked that the need of protecting women and girls from “acts of gender-based violence (GBV), such as rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and traditional harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage” be made a priority. They asked to assist in raising awareness for the need to support programmes directed at reducing incidents that threaten the lives of women and girl refugees. In particular they talked about the need for programmes that also highlight the dangers of HIV, access to appropriate and quality treatment from all kinds of diseases, access to education, legal systems and economic empowerment.

Prayer

God of life, we thank you because you have promised to be with your children at all times, both good and bad. Thank you that you see everything that happens to all of your people all the time. When bad things happen to your children, like the experiences of women and girls in refugee camps, you are there with them. You are their refuge in times of trouble. You protect them from all forms of evil for your name’s sake. Even when it feels like evil is triumphing, help your children in war-torn countries to remember that you are with them. Remind all of us that through our Lord Jesus Christ the devil is defeated and victory is ours.  Give strength to your children to fight the evil that comes with being a refugee and give them hope that the end of suffering is near. We thank you God for the people who have responded positively to dedicate their lives to serve the needs and advocate for refugees, especially women and girls. Continue to inspire more people to work together to end the political conditions and natural disasters that force people to be refugees inside and outside their countries. We pray for a quick political solution to the civil war in South Sudan. We pray all this in the name of Jesus our Christ. Amen.

By Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, Deputy General Secretary, World Council of Churches

5: Women Peacemakers

Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil,  but those who counsel peace have joy. (Proverbs 12:20)

Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. (Romans 14:19)

Reflection

In our recent pilgrim team visit to South Sudan, we bore witness to the cries of the South Sudanese people who are praying and working for peace with justice in their country, oftentimes feeling hopeless that their perseverance will bear fruit. Specifically, we heard the testimonies of women, who most heavily bear the burden of war and who are also the majority on the frontlines of peacemaking.

In global forums, and particularly the United Nations, it has long been recognized that war impacts women differently. In 2000, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1325, which recognized the need for inclusivity of women in peace talks, yet from 1992 to 2011, only 9% of negotiators at peace tables were women, and only 2% of chief mediators were women. It is also well known that when women are included in a peace process, there is a 20% increase in the likelihood of the agreement lasting at least two years, and a 35% increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 15 years. (See http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security/facts-and-figures for more on women in peace and security.)

In South Sudan, women are at the forefront of development activities, community reconciliation processes, trauma healing and counseling, and advocacy for peace. They work to enable other young women, through their churches and local or global networks, to become peacemakers, empowering them with the tools of post-conflict peace building. Women inspire collective ownership and the sustainability of peace in their resilience, determination, and leadership.

In light of these reflections, we invite you to pray for the full inclusion of women, who are most impacted by the war and conflict of South Sudan, in the peace processes and peace building activities.

Prayer

God our creator, in whom lies the origin and source of all peace

We pray for the peacemakers, in who shine the light of the world.

We express our gratitude to you that you guide them and protect them

as they act lovingly, courageously, wisely, and powerfully in order to build your heaven on earth.

Blessed be the women peacemakers of South Sudan, as they carry out your mission of peace with justice that can be shared by all

May you bless their tired yet resilient spirits and their hearts for justice

Those who tirelessly urge for dialogue

Especially in their daily work of reconciliation, advocacy, mobilizing, prophetic witness, and healing.

We pray that your grace fall upon the ears of decision-makers in the halls of power of our world

That they may bear witness to the dignity of women peacemakers for their full inclusion.

Light the way for women peacemakers to model just and inclusive peace, surrender the human ego, and reflect the sovereignty of divine love and love alone

May their appeal to the authorities be honored as an appeal to the Almighty.

Lord, we pray for respect for the human rights and dignity of women everywhere, and especially in South Sudan.

May all hear the passionate outcry of the women peacemakers.

May they be united in cause despite being divided by conflict and war.

May they be united in love despite being divided by human constructions of difference.

May they be united in courage despite being divided by insecurity and fear.

Please bless the instrumental role of your peacemakers, now and into the future.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

By Jillian Abballe, Advocacy Officer, World Council of Churches United Nations Office

4: Women forced into sex work

For the Son of Man came to seek out and save what was lost. (Luke 19:10 NRSV)

Reflection

In South Sudan, women explained to us on our Pilgrim Visit how girls are forced into the sex business to earn their living. Most of the women and girls do not have a chance to go to school in South Sudan. Those who manage to receive education find it difficult to find jobs without first subjecting themselves to sexual abuse from the people who hire them. The young women we met also shared stories of sexual abuse from male teachers.

We also heard stories of brothels owned by some government officials. Young girls from poor families are driven to work in the brothels as sex workers. It should be the government that rescues these girls by ensuring that they get an education and stop selling themselves. But instead the politicians were contributing to the destruction of the future of these girls.

There is hope in Jesus Christ. An end to civil war in South Sudan will give a chance for girls to stay in school and complete their education. The laws of a stable government would protect the girls from sexual abuse by teachers, employers and government officials.  By the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, peace will come  back to South Sudan.

Prayer

God of Life, our Creator,

Thank you for the gift of life you have granted all of us; men and women, girls and boys. You have created us all in your likeness, we glorify Your Name.

As we come before you, Lord, we acknowledge that we have sinned against you by not treating each other fairly.

Many women and girls have been made poor and live lives of fear and neglect.

They feel desperate and helpless.

We pray for the girls and women who are forced to become sex workers because of challenges they face in life which are beyond their control. Protect them against all abuse and evil.

Open doors of opportunities for them to live a life of dignity and respect. May all of us and our governments take responsibility for your creation, ensuring an environment of care, support, and empowerment for girls and women.

Thank you God, for hearing our prayers and healing our nations. In particular, we pray for an end of civil war in South Sudan. We pray through Jesus Christ who died to bring us peace. Amen.

By Esther Ngulwa, Christian Council of Tanzania

3: Domestic violence

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. (Psalm 103:6)

Reflection

In addition to the violence that all South Sudanese are experiencing as a result of the civil war which has been going on since 2013, the women of South Sudan also talked about the oppression of domestic violence.  It takes the form of experiences of physical, psychological, economic, sexual and spiritual abuse. The majority of the women we talked to reported that abandonment by their husbands to fend for themselves and the large number of children was the number one form of abuse. They felt that the men left to join the war or to marry another woman who was not a financial burden to the men. Most women with no financial means to feed the children ended up in the streets begging, the girls being married off at a very early age or joining prostitution houses. For the boy child they would end up being recruited as child solders, or on drugs or taken for sexual abuse. Some women talked about being raped in front of their family members by the armed robbers who break into people’s homes at night,  and afterwards they experience physical and emotional violence from their family members. It is another major reason for being abandoned by their husbands.

Domestic violence is a global problem. The majority of people who experience violence during peaceful times are women and children. It becomes worse when a country is war. The Bible passage above is an encouragement to all people experiencing violence that the Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed, including oppression through domestic violence.

Prayer

Sovereign God of love, thank you for being the Light of the world. Nothing is hidden from you. Just Lord, we confess that we have been indifferent to the people suffering from domestic violence, especially in war torn countries like South Sudan. We repent and pray for forgiveness.

We pray for the young girls who are forced into marriage because their fathers have abandoned all the children as a result of not having enough money to feed the children. We pray for women who are victims of abandonment by their families for various reasons and are not able to take care of themselves and their children. We pray for their physical, mental and spiritual healing. Most of all, we pray that the war will come to an end in South Sudan.  We pray for leaders who put their people first and therefore are willing to negotiate for peace with justice for all the people of South Sudan. We pray for homes where each person is valued and is healed from the trauma of war.  We are praying in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Rev. Fred M. Y. Amevenku, Lecturer, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon-Accra, Ghana and Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, Deputy General Secretary, Public Witness and Diakonia, World Council of Churches

2: Breaking the Silence of Rape

And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house. (2 Samuel 13:20)

Reflection

Too often the voices of women go unheard and none are more silenced than women and girls who have experienced rape.  Survivors are often forced into hiding after rape because of feelings of shame, guilt, and fear of retaliation.  We have seen this all too well from celebrities and everyday women alike who shout #MeToo via social media platforms.  Young men, once only boys when they experienced rape, have also been brave enough to speak out in defiance against a culture that seeks to silence them.

During the WCC pilgrim visit to Juba, South Sudan in May 2018 we bore witness to the atrocity of rape perpetrated upon women and children.  We listened to many stories of rape and continued victimization forced upon women, girls and young boys.

We heard the heartbreaking experiences of home invasions that resulted in the rape of mothers, wives, and daughters. We heard stories of children being kidnapped by members of the military to be used as sex slaves and tragic accounts of girls being plucked off the street and literally raped to death.

We mourned with the survivors of this country as they begin to heal from these evils of violence.  Most of all, we allowed them an audience to tell their stories, to give voice to their pain, and to break the silence.

Prayer

Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, we come before you with prayers for victims and survivors of rape. We ask you in the Name of Jesus our Christ to bless all of those affected by these violent acts. We ask you to bless these women and children with comfort as they seek to see you more clearly despite these acts of terror.

God of miracles, we ask in the Name of Jesus, that you help these your children have hope again and to believe in God’s peace; that “peace that surpasses all understanding and which guards their heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.4:7).

Lord God, we thank you in advance for your mercy and compassion towards those who have suffered much.  Hold all of us in your loving arms, O God, and bring upon us your Spirit of love.  We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus our Christ; the One who died on Calvary and forgives us our sins.

Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones, Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

1: #MeToo in South Sudan

“Reverently honour an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters.” 1 Timothy 5: 2 (The Message)

Reflection

“The Me Too movement (or ‘#MeToo’, with local alternatives in other languages) is an international movement against sexual harassment and assault.  #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media to help demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.”

(Wikipedia)



In the West, publicity and, sometimes, legal action have empowered women to speak out.  During the WCC pilgrim visit to South Sudan in May 2018, we heard stories of how South Sudanese women seeking employment or in junior positions in the workplace suffer sexual harassment and sexual abuse at the hands of more powerful men.  Sadly, given the generally low status of women in society, and the apparent breakdown in the rule of law in the country, speaking out is not an option for them.  Even women parliamentarians told us that, on injustice in general, speaking out may put your life at risk.



In the context of South Sudan, in the workplace older women are not treated as mothers nor younger women as sisters.  Far from seeing themselves as reverently honoured, women to whom we spoke said that in South Sudan they are regarded “as animals”.

May we pray with our sisters in South Sudan for transformation, respect and justice.

Prayer

God bless us with insight to recognize violence in all its forms,

And the courage to name it.

Speaking out for those who cannot speak for themselves,

And seeking justice in the world in which we live.

Give us compassion for the vulnerable

And grace to stand alongside them, through the strength of Jesus our Lord.

Holy Spirit, give us a prayerful heart

Touching others with your peace,

As together we face the challenges that lie ahead.

(The Church of Scotland)

by Maureen Jack, Church of Scotland