Two former Sudanese refugees head a record list of Sydney Anglicans who will be trooping into St Andrews Cathedral this weekend to have their call to full-time ministry confirmed by Archbishop Peter Jensen.

“It’s exciting for both of us and our families,” says the Rev George Okwera, who has been working towards being licensed as a presbyter (priest) in the Diocese for years.

Mr Okwera shares his joy with the Rev Lual Doong who also recently completed two years of theological training at Moore College.

Largest ever ordination

Tomorrow, more than fifty Sydney Anglicans will make history when they become Australia's largest ever group of new ministers.

They hail from Blacktown and Bondi, Shoalhaven Heads as well as the Sudan.

At a much-anticipated ceremony to be held at St Andrew's Cathedral, not only will the Sudanese men be licensed but 47 men will be ordained as deacons and two women will be commissioned as Diocesan Lay Workers.

All 51 are going to full-time positions in parishes, schools and colleges across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong.

Mr Okwera arrived in Australia in 2003 with his family after waiting seven years to be given refugee status.

His licensing will be an additional boost to Sydney's multi-ethnic churches.
Mr Okwera is ministering at St Thomas’, Auburn to Arabic-speaking Sudanese while Mr Doong is leading the Dinka congregation at St Paul’s, Wentworthville.

Most of the new deacons recently completed four years of study at Moore College and a number are involved with new church plants.

Several laypeople have been working in parish life for some years and have decided to be deaconed, which means they will be allowed to conduct weddings, funerals and baptisms.

The numbers are almost double that of 2005. Thirty people were deaconed in 2003, 17 in 2004 and 21 in 2005.

Archbishop Peter Jensen will officially examine the group for their ministry.

The Academic Dean of Moore College, the Rev Dr Mark Thompson, will preach on Romans 1:1-17 and Joshua 1:1-9.   

The annual ordination service is always a popular event, with St Andrew's Cathedral expected to be packed to overflowing with well-wishers.

The Bishop of Chile, the Right Rev Tito Zavala, will be a special guest at the service. Bishop Zavala's presence is a show of support for the growing links between Sydney and the Diocese of Chile.

Goal of 1,000 new ministers

The large numbers are seen as a result of enthusiasm generated by the 2002 launch of the Diocesan Mission.

The Mission's fundamental aim is to convert 10 per cent of Sydney in 10 years and establish them in Bible-based churches.

As part of the strategy for achieving that goal, the Diocese is aiming to deploy 1,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time pastoral workers, both ordained and laypeople, over the next decade.

With healthy student growth at Moore Theological College, including increasing numbers of women, this year's crop of new ministers is seen as another milestone in achieving that goal.

The Rev Mark Charleston, Senior Assistant to the Director of Ministry Training and Development, Dean Phillip Jensen, says the training and preparation of a new generation of ministers is fundamental to the growth currently being experienced "across every square inch of the Diocese'.

"The ordination service is a great celebration and a reminder to the people of Sydney that Jesus Christ is being known to people of all cultures," Mr Charleston says.

"But the preparation and training is the most important thing and underscores the crucial nature of gospel work."

The Registrar of Sydney Diocese, Dr Philip Selden, says ordinands are still needed as a number of parishes missed out on employing a new assistant minister this year.

Vacancies still exist across the Diocese as church planting continues.

"Despite the great numbers, we still need many more," Dr Selden says.