Mr. Seme Nelson, Rotary Peace Fellow and ICU Graduate student of Peace and Conflict Studies preaching.
Biography: Seme is South Sudanese born in 1985 to a Christian family. His father Rev. Nelson is a retired priest of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. He is a professing Christian from the Anglican/Episcopal tradition. Before coming to Japan in August 2018, he was serving as the vice chairperson (representative of the laity) of the Parochial Church Council of St. Luke’s Parish and a delegate to the Diocesan synod for Diocese of Juba. Seme has been married to Mrs. Bonkir for seven years, and God has blessed them with two sons; Elvin (who will be 5 years old on April 15) and Elisha (1 year and 5 months old).
He is a Rotary Peace Fellow and a Graduate student of Peace and Conflict studies at ICU’s Graduate School of Public Policy and Social Research. Seme also holds a Master of Philosophy in International Education and Development from Oslo Metropolitan University-Norway, and a BA in Education from Makerere University-Uganda. His research interests are on post-conflict reconciliation and refugee crisis. Seme hopes to share his experiences of surviving violent conflicts with the perspective on growing with ‘hurt, hate, and undeserving forgiveness.’