Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi Arama announces that all Christians have to pray at home on Sundays because of coronavirus until further notice.
ECS says the decision follows directives from President Salva Kiir on preventive measures against the deadly disease.
He adds that only Bishops, pastors, lay readers and evangelists will continue in Churches with normal services to intercede for God’s mercy and protection upon South Sudanese.
‘On Sundays, all Christians should remain at home and pray from home with their own families until we get a directive from the government that, it is safe to congregate again, that’s whereby, we will invite Christians to come back to our Churches. All church schools and institutions should be closed immediately until further notice. 3-Only Bishops, Pastors, Lay Readers and Evangelists should continue to keep the light of prayers burning in the churches every day so that we intercede for God’s mercy and protection upon South Sudanese’, Archbishop Badi declared.
He appeals to everybody to touch each other’s hearts with words of encouragements and prayer through phones.
The Archbishop says the Church cannot risk testing God by congregating together.
‘The joy of Easter is the same. Only that we will not risk putting God to test by saying this is Easter, let us not congregate in thousands together. So our Christians or faithful will remain where they are, then the pastors and lay readers will be able to strategies how we share Easter message with them, as they remain in their places’, says the primate.
Archbishop Badi says the decision is Biblical.
‘So the main concern here is avoiding crowds of people congregating in one place. That’s why we have issued this statement so that people remains scattered. It is a decision which is even Biblical. When we go to Isaiah 26:20, at a difficult time as we study the scripture, this is what Prophet Isaiah had to say. That my people, enter your chambers, enter your rooms, shut your doors until the calamity is over’, he said.
The Archbishop says with the outbreak of coronavirus, God could be telling South Sudanese and the world to repent, humble themselves in prayer, fasting and reconcile with Him and one another.