An interreligious prayer vigil on Friday, January 7 will kick off the weekend of Prayers for Peace in Sudan in anticipation of the January 9 referendum. The prayer vigil will be held at the United Nations Chapel, First Ave. and 44th St. in New York City at 11 am Eastern.

“The prayer vigil will include Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, Quakers, and the Salvation Army,” noted the Rev. Canon Petero Sabune, Episcopal Church Africa Officer. “It will also include Native American, Muslim and Jewish prayers for peace.”

The vigil will conclude with a closing prayer and candle lighting at the Isaiah Wall, located across from the United Nations.

Following the vigil on Friday afternoon, the Episcopal Church Office of Communication will post a new video reflecting on the importance of prayer in approaching the referendum: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sudan This video joins the other informative pieces which focus on the importance of the referendum.

The Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for Sudan, Friday to Sunday, January 7 — 9, will be shared throughout the world. “We shall join in prayer and fasting in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Sudan,” Sabune said.

The January 9 Sudanese-wide referendum will, if successful, establish a separate Southern Sudan with full rights to self determination. Voting will continue through January 15.

A Season of Prayer for Sudan, with comprehensive information to better understand the situation and to engage in the process is available here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sudan

About Sudan

Sudan is Africa’s largest country in area and is the tenth-largest country in the world, touching nine other countries.

In the recent past, the north and south were governed separately. Civil wars lasting about 40 years came to an end in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which gave the south political autonomy for six years, to be followed in 2011 by a referendum on secession. That referendum is slated for January 9.

The Episcopal Church of the Sudan is based in the southern city of Juba and claims 4 million members.

The Episcopal Church has maintained strong ties to Sudan for many years. Currently, there are four missionaries from The Episcopal Church posted in Sudan.

Episcopal Church in Sudan: http://www.sudan.anglican.org/

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

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