Sudan Rebirth Ministry's (SRM) sixth annual banquet will feature the ambassador of the Republic of South Sudan to the United States, Philip Jada Natana, as the guest speaker. Natana, who has extensive diplomatic experience, was involved during the creation of South Sudan in 2011. He assumed his current post in Washington, D.C., in September 2018. Jacob Guot, founder of SRM, will also be a featured guest at this year's banquet.
The fundraiser will be held Friday, Nov. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Celebration Center of First United Methodist Church, 29 E. Walnut St., Lancaster. The goal of the event is to specifically raise educational scholarship funds for South Sudanese students from kindergarten through college in order to prepare them to be citizens, leaders, and Christians in the world's newest country. There is a per-person cost to attend.
Lancaster organizers enjoy a special relationship with Guot, who is a "Lost Boy of Sudan," one of thousands who escaped Sudan's civil war, walked more than 1,000 miles across East Africa, and grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Guot immigrated to the United States, where he completed his GED, became a citizen, and answered God's call to serve his people in Bor, South Sudan.
A chance meeting with Lancaster's First United Methodist Church minister Kent Kroehler, who is now retired, eventually led Guot to Lancaster, where he lived for four years. He graduated from Lancaster Bible College before moving to Wilmore, Ky., where he graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary. In addition to the SRM, Guot founded a separate nonprofit that is overseeing the purchase of land and the building of a civic and religious center in Bor. Guot has recently published his story, "The Lost Boy Is Found, A Lost Boy's Story of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love."
Guot and Kroehler, along with many friends from First United Methodist Church and the Lancaster area, created SRM to support the education and development of South Sudanese people. SRM is particularly interested in helping students who have been orphaned because of the civil unrest in the country and is committed to serving the promising students of South Sudan.
Readers who would like more information on SRM or tickets for the fundraiser may visit http://www.SudanRebirthMinistry.org, call 717-725-2813 or 717-898-9494, or email kent.joy32@gmail.com or sueseavey@comcast.net.
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