Pastor Philip Akot...

I started writing this earlier today, but got distracted when I discovered my hotel in Addis Ababa has charged my credit card 7 times for our stay. Thats about 20,000 Birr or $2000 - after I already paid in cash! Its probably an honest mistake and is the kind of thing that happens in countries where Visa is a new phenomenon. Hopefully it can be sorted out quickly.

But let me introduce you to Pastor Philip Akot. Joseph and I bumped into Philip while walking through the markets in Juba. Philip is the pastor of the Malual Kon Church of Christ and also lectures at the Aweil Bible College. Malual Kon was the first COC in South Sudan.

When Joseph and I visited Malual Kon I had the feeling of standing on Holy Ground. One reason was that this was the site where Churches of Christ in South Sudan began - just a few years ago in 2001. In fact under the tree in the photo was where the church met before they had a building, and the hut on the left was the first COC building in South Sudan! The other reason is that members of this church lost their lives on this property. One of the first people I met lost her husband in this compound when the Arab militia attacked just a few years ago. The soil I stand on as I walk around this property has soaked up the blood of its church members. I cant describe how I feel.

Churches of Christ have spread from this church to every County in Aweil - except Aweil centre. Joseph's mother, Adut, tells me when she was living in Wanyjok she would walk to the church's clinic to get treatment for her family. Now however, the clinic is closed. The property is badly in need of repairs and the congregation itself needs some "rebuilding". The church wouldnt be here at all without the support of Paul Douglas and COCs in America (More about that another time), but seeing the rapid growth and decline of this congregation is a powerful lesson to me about how "support" can either empower or create dependancy. Their reliance on the American churches has left this young church vulnerable, and unable to maintain its ministry on its own.

Philip is a gracious and gregarious Pastor who radiates enthusiasm. We discuss sustainable and empowering models of partnership - projects that empower the church to sustain, develop and expand the ministries of their church within the Malual Kon community. Philip and I both have some research to do to see how this might eventuate, but suffice to say we are both excited by the possibilities.