By Joseph Smith

Lual Doong is the father of three small daughters, a former Sudanese refugee and an ordained Anglican minister. And now he is proud to call himself a pastor at St Paul’s, Wentworthville and a second-year student at Moore Theological College.
While Mr Doong enjoys lunchtimes with friends at college and living in college housing in Parramatta with his family, he has not forgotten his nation where those in power claim to be ‘the leaders of the Islamic Revolution in Africa’, where Sudanese Christians are now finding it increasingly difficult to survive.
Although the government claims to allow freedom of religion for all citizens, this is not carried out in practice. “I was a full time church worker, and also taught Christian education in one of the church schools,” Mr Doong says. “We taught Christian education for all the Sudanese who attended there. A Muslim student complained to the authorities. They questioned me and said I was doing it because I hate Muslims and was teaching others to hate Muslims. I was in trouble with government.”
Sudan has been wracked by civil war between the Arab Muslim governments in the north and the Christians in the south for 21 years, and Christians have been routinely persecuted for over half a century with Christian villages and churches being destroyed.
A relative of Mr Doong’s who worked in migration assisted him with documents and he was able to leave Sudan for Egypt in 1999. After four years of work with a community church in Cairo, the Australian government accepted Mr Doong and his family into Australia in 2003.
Mr Doong initially attended the Arabic language Sudanese service at Christ Church, Blacktown.  However, there are many tribal languages spoken in the Sudan. The Government has pushed Arabic to be taught in all schools so as to be the common language for all.  Tribal languages remain important for most people and many Christians choose to worship in their own language. Many Sudanese refugees coming to Australia are Dinka speakers.  For this reason, a Dinka language service has been started at Wentworthville.  Lual has been pastor of the Dinka language, Sudanese service at Wentworthville for eight months. Last year the service was once a month but since January they have been meeting every week. With the ever-growing number of Sudanese refugees coming to Australia, there will be a continuing need to train more Sudanese clergy and to establish congregations in other areas of Sydney.
To become equipped to pastor a congregation in Sydney Diocese, Mr Doong, who was trained in theology at Sudan’s Bishop Gwynne College, is halfway through the first of two years of study at Moore College. “It is important I go to Moore College for more study,” Mr Doong told Southern Cross. “Now that I’m in Australia, I need to be trained in the way things are done here.”
“That is important, because I am in a different context in Sydney,” Mr Doong says. “Coming back to College is also good for refreshing me and making me more able and willing to serve.”
Bishops Peter Tasker and Ivan Lee have been meeting regularly with the Dinka elders throughout the past 18 months to talk through issues of training, licensing and strategy to reach the large numbers of Dinka speaking Sudanese arriving in Sydney.
Bishop Lee is delighted with the progress: “Yes, it has taken a considerable time and many meetings to gain mutual understanding and a wise way forward in establishing Dinka congregations, but the patience and hard work is paying off.  We could have made many mistakes by rushing in.  The Wentworthville experiment is proving to be a good model.”
Rector of St Paul’s, Wentworthville, the Rev Philip Griffin, says the Sudanese congregation is an exciting, long-term ministry. “The key is to make sure Lual and other Sudanese leaders are well trained. We obviously want to see as many Sudanese coming as possible, so by making sure Lual is trained adequately now, he will soon be able to work full-time with the Sudanese community, and encourage faster growth,” he says.
Mr Doong, his wife, Amou, and his three daughters, including baby, Akuch, are “happy to be here,” said Mr Doong. “My wife is studying English for the first time. She has some difficulties, but her understanding is improving.”