The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.

Sudan Appeal

(What have Trevor and Tina been up to since they left Wool?!)

The story so far . . .

After leaving Wool, our former Vicar, Revd Trevor Stubbs, worked for some years as Team Rector of the Bridport Parishes. Then, (with his wife Tina, who is a Primary School teacher) he went out at the end of January 2009 to Bishop Gwynne Theological College in Juba in Southern Sudan, to work with the Church of the Sudan and be involved in theological education.

The College had fallen into a state of disrepair

(How urgently did you want to go?)

Housed in temporary accommodation due to the Civil War which caused over 2 million deaths, the College had fallen into a state of disrepair. In early 2009 Archbishop Daniel Deng closed the college and invited Canon Trevor Stubbs, then Rector of Bridport, to re-establish the college’s teaching, plan new buildings, and expand its work. 20 students recommenced their studies in February, but the College needs to take another 50 students, which means expansion to a new site.

Trevor attacks the disrepair using some skills in practical theology!

Trevor and Tina have a blog at http://trevorandtina.blogspot.com/ from which here are a few edited extracts:

In January 2009, Trevor wrote:

"Bishop Gwynne College [the Sudan Theological College] has just been suspended . . . The plan is to re-open next year and it will be Trevor's responsibility, working with the college governors, to see this happens. And when the college re-opens we want it to be delivering an upgraded course. So we need your prayers as we tackle this challenging job. But if God can act in this country with the power we have already witnessed, then it will come together . . ."

Street in Juba

And come together it did!

in April 2009:

"Thank God for the wonderful new site in an excellent position [see picture below! - Ed] that everyone here wants us to have. Something that might have been controversial but which has turned out to have universal approval . . ."

in September 2009

"Trevor has now been formally appointed at Bishop Gwynne College. The old college has now been completely wound up and we can start planning for the return of the students in January 2010 . . .

"Please pray for Tina as she gathers people to help her start the process of restoring the library . . .We give thanks that Tina has managed two more Juba primary schools - this time in the poorer western suburbs . . .

"It has now become quite clear that we have no chance of getting a new college site sorted out before January 2010 - let alone any buildings on it - so we are reconciled to having to be confined to the existing building for at least the first term of the year. Making something out of the little we have . . . we believe that with proper management and making good use of a small income and a small place we can provide a good enough standard of accommodation for fifteen students to teach at the highest standard we are capable of. We hope to employ just one full-time member of the academic staff in the first instance . . . we plan to install solar panel electricity so that there is light for the library after dark (usually just after 7 pm). The college has had no electricity for several years . . In August 2010 we will have to open a new dormitory but we should still have enough teaching space for the forty students we hope to have by then . . . Unfortunately many of the books are in poor condition having been covered in a very thick layer of dust left on shelves - some of which were broken - and piled high on a table . . ."

And November 2009:

"Thanks to all our supporters . . . we can now begin on the next stage of our project - the expansion of the Theological College on a new site in Juba. The new site consists of some 9000 square metres adjacent to the Juba Model Secondary School (founded through the vision of St Francis church in Salisbury, UK) and its sister primary schools in the heart of Juba. Some of the site is already owned by Bishop Gwynne College, and a student dormitory and dining hall/kitchen already stand there . . . so we have a substantial site in a prime location that needs developing."

"Wonderful new site"

This appears to be the "wonderful new site in an excellent position" referred to by Trevor above.

The Diocese of Salisbury has been twinned with the Episcopal Church of the Sudan for 37 years. Our Bishop, the Bishop of Salisbury, Dr David Stancliffe, has launched an appeal on behalf of Bishop Gwynne College in Juba.

Although a location has been found, fencing needs to be erected before debris from demolished buildings can be removed, existing buildings upgraded, and a new construction erected to house the chapel and library and water borehole. Sanitation needs to be established as the first stage of development.

It is hoped that the full redevelopment can be complete by 2012. The first phase will cost £66,000 and the Bishop has appealed to parishes, organizations and individuals to help raise this as quickly as possible, by June at the latest.

Cheques made out to ‘Salisbury DBF - Bishop David’s Sudan Appeal’ may be sent to the Diocesan Accountant at Church House, Crane St, Salisbury SP1 2QB.

Students meeting for prayer in the refurbished part of the College