Our brothers, sisters in Darfur, Sudan need us now

Darfur continues to be a world away from us, a culture away from us and distantly removed from Hoosier daily life of fall soccer, football, school, work, worship and prayer. Darfur seems at times to be a surreal world from National Geographic pages or the subject of mission calendars. In reality, Darfur is people, family people, with hopes and dreams faced with a nightmare that doesn't seem to go away. They are dying as individuals and as a people.

We are called to be their advocates.

On the global scope, I believe because we know of their plight and their struggles to live as part of God's humanity, we are called to be their advocates, just as we were called to be advocates of those suffering from communism in the Soviet Union, civil war in Liberia and Rwanda or apartheid in South Africa. Our brothers and sisters in Darfur need us NOW!

The United Nations has called it the greatest crisis in the world. The United States calls it genocide. What CBS-TV's 60 Minutes recently witnessed was evidence of a government-backed campaign to wipe out a race of people. Reports say there are at least 180,000 dead and more than two million on the run. It all started two years ago in Darfur where rebels looking for a measure of freedom revolted against Sudan's authoritarian Islamic government. The government responded by trying to wipe out all of the native Africans in Darfur, to clear the territory for Arabs.

Many if not most Darfurians are now existing in refugee camps up and down the Chad-Sudan border. They house more than 189,000 refugees, and the United Nations is planning for another 100,000. The Sudanese government has unleashed African Arabs, called the Janjaweed, to wipe out tribal blacks.

In this issue, you can read more about Darfur, its plight and what you can do as a United Methodist to help end this unjust repression and genocide as well as contribute to refugee relief efforts in the camps.

To continue to bring the plight of the Darfurian people to public attention here in Indiana, a coalition of religious leaders including Bishop Mike Coyner, will be part of a national witness to Darfur scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Christ Church (Episcopal) Cathedral on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. Come join United Methodists and other people of faith in an hour-long service of prayer and support for the people of Darfur. More details will be available online at www.inareaumc.org.

Since our last issue, United Methodists have had a productive summer with more than 4,500 children and youth in conference camps, more than 2,000 United Methodist Men from across the United States meeting at Purdue for their quadrennial meeting, untold numbers of local church volunteer-in-mission groups traveling across the United States and around the world and concerns of church leaders about the financial future of The United Methodist Church in Indiana.

Despite what may seem to us as set backs in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ across Indiana and making disciples for Jesus Christ, you will find opportunity after opportunity to discern God's will and take action in the mission and ministry of a growing, vital church.

Welcome to the September issue of your Hoosier United Methodist Together newspaper. Enjoy your read.

Daniel R. Gangler

Last updated on 25 Apr 2008

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