Dear friends,
Lenten greetings. Many of you know about the Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre, a missional partnership among the Anglican Dioceses of Qu'Appelle, Calgary and Edmonton, and the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad. In the last two years, we have appealed to you during Lent to give out of your heartfelt kindness to support the construction of the Centre.
It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the death of Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth, whom the missional partnership, the Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre, is named. Bishop Nathaniel Garang died in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 24, 2025. His death has shaken many believers who knew his ministry of presence to the internally displaced persons and refugees in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, and his sacrificial service in the Diocese of Bor for twenty-seven (27) years. He received the prestigious Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness from the Archbishop of Canterbury on February 4, 2023, at All Saints’ Cathedral in Juba, South Sudan, in the presence of thousands of Christians in recognition of his faith evangelistic ministry among the indigenous peoples in South Sudan. He was first Bishop of the Diocese of Bor, and the former Acting Archbishop and Dean of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.
I am travelling to Calgary on Friday to join the South Sudanese faithful who will gather on Saturday March 14, 2026, to remember the life of our dear friend and father in the Christian faith, the father of indigenous evangelism in South Sudan and fellow pilgrim in Christ. I thank the leadership of St. Paul Dinka Anglican Church and Southdove Training Services Inc. for organizing the memorial prayer to celebrate the life of our dear friend and father in the faith.
Bishop Nathaniel touched many lives through his gift of presence among the internally displaced persons and refugees. We interacted with him and benefited from his wisdom through prayers, spiritual counsel, theological conversations, and ministry guidance. Our relationship has also developed through ordination, confirmation, and other connections.
I have learned the ministry of the presence, to do ‘church’ outside the building walls, from Bishop Nathaniel. When I travel to Saskatoon, Brooks, Winnipeg, Calgary, and other areas outside my licensed missional jurisdiction in Regina, to provide pastoral care, I serve without payment. The South Sudanese congregation that is expected to pay for my services has not learned to pay for the presence of the clergy or bishop in their midst: I do what the priest or bishop does for the people. This ministry is through active presence and listening. I walk with the people at their times of happiness or sorrow, despite their affiliation with the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle where I hold the license.
This ministry of the presence and subsequent calling at the tendering hands of Bishop Nathaniel Garang through my ordination and confirmation is a great privilege that I cherish. I pray that God may grant me good health to join hands with other believers who cherish their calling to honour the legacy of Bishop Nathaniel Garang and his heirs and superiors through our shared vision to sustain the church. Bishop Nathaniel did not only confirm and ordain me and most other South Sudanese in the refugee camp into diaconate and priesthood. He also entrusted us with the responsibility to prioritize training of the clergy and church leaders to create a sustainable self-supporting church.
This bequeathing responsibility has motivated me, Rev. John Machol Chuol, Bishop Daniel Deng Abot and other friends with whom we have founded the Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre to facilitate the leadership and theological training of the clergy to understand the will of God and empower, equip and train servant leaders for the mission of God (Eph. 4:12) in South Sudan through the following ministry areas:
Training: The Centre facilitates the preparation, development and teaching of the local clergy, and lay church and community leaders, laying the foundation for their spiritual transformation, empowerment and employment, as well as institutional accountability through mentorship and theological formation for the students.
Empowerment: The Centre enables access for quality education, and leadership and theological training, leading to acquisition of knowledge and skills that enable the church and community leaders become competitive for employment within and outside the church and alleviate the inequalities of access to education.
Experience and Mission-Sharing: The Centre enables exchange of knowledge and sharing of faith between the Centre in Juba and the Anglican colleges and dioceses, whereby the students from theological colleges and dioceses in Canada and Australia may visit South Sudan to share practical experience with students at the Centre and other believers from a diverse cultural and faith background.
Friendship and membership: Friends of Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre are parishes and individuals who participate in leadership meetings and other decisions to ensure accountability and transparency. The founders believe donors should “follow the pathway of funds” through and inclusive leadership decisions.
Some ways to support the Lenten Appeal 2026
Make donations and grab your Lenten book, Dancing to the Heartbeat of God, Bishop Helen and the leadership staff in the Diocese of Qu’Appelle have designated voluntary donations towards the Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre.
Different parishes call for specific Lenten appeal donations, consolidate their support within the parish, and send the cheque to the Diocese at the end of the Lenten Appeal in May or June each year.
Other parishes designate Easter offerings towards the Bishop Nathaniel Garang Training Centre.
There are other different collective efforts that individuals and parishes may employ to support the school project. Please contact the Diocesan Treasurer or Communications Coordinator about your plan.
Whatever the call-to-action God has put in your hearts to journey with us in support of God’s mission
through Bishop Nathaniel Training Centre, we will recognize it. Every contribution in every capacity for every piece of participation is highly appreciated. You are our true friends and neighbours because you have not only been listening to and praying for the theological school project and its needs outside your own borders but also showing your love with great cheerful hearts (2 Corinthians 9:7).
As a result of the previous fundraisers and donations, we were able to purchase the land, six plots each measuring 25 x 20 meters, hire the contractor to complete the bill of quantity, and launch the project in Juba. All the funds go directly towards the construction of the Centre. The Centre was born out of great friendship and shared values for the mission of God and continues to be an important missional partnership project. If you are interested in supporting or receiving more information about the missional and educational partnership, please contact Rev. Nathaniel Athian Deng Mayen or Rev. John Machol Chuol.
We all loved Bishop Nathaniel. He was a special friend who ordained or mentored us in our ministries. He left a rich legacy to build on the body of Christ. Let us remember his ministry of presence and his message of hope and eternal life in Christ, pointing us to the resurrection and eternal rest of the dead in Christ.
Rev. Nathaniel Athian Deng Mayen
