Pencil Pot Prayers

Dear friends,

Even in these electronic times I still have need of a pencil pot. It is a cheap, plastic, multi chambered affair which acts as a repository for, yes, pencils, but also highlighters, thumb drives, and the increasingly precious loose change. A couple of palm crosses from last Lent tower over the whole edifice, reminding me of the triumph of the cross over the forces of chaos, and hopefully also over my desk. The pot, however, has a “back story” which is, for me, becoming a deeper call to prayer. It was given to me as a “secret Santa” Christmas gift in 1991 when I was a theological college student at Trinity College, Bristol. The tutor group that I belonged to gave each other gifts ahead of the Christmas holiday. The rules were that you had to buy something useful for your assigned colleague, which couldn’t cost more than 50p. My pencil pot was given to me by Ezekiel, a second year student from Sudan. Ezekiel was tall, gentle, and wise. He was also extremely dark skinned. He was already ordained in the episcopal church of Sudan, but had come to England with his wife for further theological training. They returned to Sudan where Ezekiel took up a post at All Saints’ Cathedral, Khartoum. A couple of years later, Emma and I were able to welcome Ezekiel to All Saints’ Otley, W Yorkshire, as the Bradford Diocese had an established link with the Sudan, and Ezekiel, by then Provost of the Cathedral, was able to visit. We have a photo somewhere of him holding (baby) Lydia outside our curate’s house.

Since then, Ezekiel has continued to serve his people, and the pencil pot he gifted me has proved exceptionally useful over the years. However today it calls me to prayer, for both Ezekiel, and the church in Sudan, as that country is once again torn apart by ethnic and military rivalry. The military coup which displaced the civilian government of Sudan last year rapidly descended into armed conflict, as two factions within the army fight for control. All Saints’ Cathedral Khartoum is very close to both the airport and a significant army base. Very early in the fighting, staff and clergy at the cathedral found themselves completely surrounded by troops of one faction, who encircled the compound, turning it into a defensive position. After three days in the basement, tense negotiations at gunpoint allowed (now) Archbishop Ezekiel, the cathedral staff and their families to leave. After some months in south Khartoum, Ezekiel was again displaced, and today he leads the church in Sudan not from exile, but from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, relatively far from the fighting.

The crisis in Sudan remains the most overlooked human catastrophe of our time. The UN estimates that over 750,000 people are at risk of starvation, with over ten million people displaced from their homes, and about twenty five million people in need of humanitarian aid. These are mind boggling figures, made all the more complex by the fact that information is hard to obtain and verify, and also because the eyes of the world’s media are elsewhere. To read in depth about the current situation, follow this link. Please pray for Ezekiel, and all Christians in the (Islamic majority) north Sudan. Please pray for the global responses, especially that of the USA, and all those seeking to mediate a peace deal and bring a return to orderly government. My innocuous pencil pot reminds me daily that my prayer matters. Perhaps you could choose a favourite (or well used) item of your own, and make that your “Ezekiel’s gift,” to remind you to pray daily for peace in the places the world has forgotten.

Worship Services for Sunday 20th October 2024

9.30am Informal Worship at St John’s Stoke Row with Mr Peter Ferguson

11am Family Service at St Peter and Paul, Checkendon with Canon Kevin Davies. An informal service for all ages, with the music group, and coffee from 10.45am

Midweek zoom service: Wednesday Evensong at 5.00pm  410 935 129

Do not take your church for granted.

The peace we enjoy is a precious commodity, the Christian heritage of our nation an asset that bequests us freedom of religion and freedom of expression, together with laws that defend both. All Saint’s Cathedral, Khartoum, still stands, but its sanctuary has been wrecked, its pews broken up for firewood, and the compound converted into a graveyard for the casualties of the war. The surrounding culture is hostile or indifferent, concerned with day to day survival. Men of violence roam the streets.

Here, in our communities, your churches are open every day. You may come and go as you please, unchecked, unquestioned. The State does not police your prayers. Whether you join us for worship on Sunday, or just call in during the week for a quiet few minutes, do come. After all, even the humblest places (or things) have a story to tell.

Your Rector, Canon Kevin