Bishop David makes first trip to Maridi
Maridi Diocese holds a 6–day synod, every three years, and in early March Bishop David and Dean Geoff Wilson travelled to join Bishop Moses and the 225 clergy in attendance. This was Bishop David’s first visit to our link diocese in South Sudan.
Bishop Moses said that this synod had been “very special,” and that Bishop David “had given so much encouragement to the people of Maridi. We are so grateful.”
Maridi Diocese has 75 parishes scattered across a wide area that is largely inaccessible by car. Bishop Moses said that his priests walked long distances to reach their congregations, indeed spending time with just one parishioner might involve a 4–6 hour round trip. “This is the biggest challenge facing the work of God in Maridi,” he said.
Bicycles and motorbikes for pastors are urgently needed.
Responding to God’s call to be ordained in Maridi Diocese involves sacrifice. Clergy don’t receive a salary. Their expectation is only of somewhere to live (a semi–concrete one or two room structure with a sheet–iron roof) and the ability to cultivate food to feed their family.
Despite these challenges and with mission and evangelism a high priority, the church in Maridi is growing rapidly and it is young.
As he participated in the Diocesan Synod Bishop David was struck by the depth of prayer he witnessed and by the high degree of participation. He was also struck by the high number of children in church and by the commitment to evangelism.
“The church only grows when it does the work of evangelism and see new people being added, and they’re being added daily in Maridi,” he said.
Looking ahead to the future of the link, Bishop David said that he now preferred to use the word friendship over partnership. His hope is for more frequent communication and active prayer for one another, as well as the practical provision of bicycles and motorbikes. The bishop would also like to see regular teams going out to South Sudan and for young people from Maridi to be able to join programmes in our diocese.
Bishop David concluded: “The blessing will be ours, not just all Maridi’s. We will learn how to pray more effectively we’ll learn more about worship and commitment and what it means to be a disciple. And I believe we will learn more about how to engage in spiritual warfare.”