The Poole-Wau Partnership was delighted to welcome six Bishops from South Sudan to Poole Deanery from 8 to 12 August 2022. Mark Rathbone of Lytchett Minster shares more.
Our long-standing friend Archbishop Moses Deng Bol of Northern Bahr el Ghazal Province and his wife Elizabeth Ajok Chan led the visit. Also with us were Bishop Joseph Mamer of Wanyjok and his wife Rev. Clarice Achieng Owino, Bishop Peter Jonathan Beria of Wau and his wife Janet, Bishop Peter Garang Akuei of Nyamlel and his wife Roda Ayen Martin Maker , Bishop Peter Marial Agok of Malek Rip and Bishop Peter Gatbel Kunen Lual of Maiwut.
Visits between our two communities were always intended to be one of the main features of Poole Deanery’s Partnership with Wau Diocese. The civil war in South Sudan and more recently the Covid pandemic have made such visits increasingly difficult for several years, so we were overjoyed to welcome our South Sudanese visitors.
Midweek morning services at St Michael's Hamworthy, St George's Oakdale and St Dunstan's Upton were well attended. Bishops were divided between the three churches and the services all featured interviews with them, with coffee and informal chat afterwards.
The Question-&-Answer Evening on Thursday 11 August at St James' Church Poole was a highlight of the week, with some 55 people able to question the bishops on a variety of aspects of their ministry in South Sudan. This meeting was recorded on video and may be viewed here.
A full programme of visits and events gave the bishops an opportunity to sample many different aspects of life in Poole: including a swim in the sea at Sandbanks, the work of Street Pastors, serving lunch to homeless people at Routes-to-Roots' new centre, a concert at St James' Church, fireworks on the Quay and a boat trip around Poole Harbour, as well as many more informal gatherings.
A business meeting between the Northern Bahr el Ghazal bishops and the PWP committee members was a rare opportunity to discuss the future of our Partnership, with some exciting developments being agreed, particularly about how we can use technology such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Zoom to bring about closer fellowship between the Poole and Wau ends of our partnership.
There is no doubt that the visit was a joyous success, which has strengthened our links with our brothers and sisters in Wau.