‘Day of celebration’ as cultures come together

It was a ‘day of celebration’ for members of Bethlehem Lutheran congregation at Morley in suburban Perth recently, when a visiting Sudanese community choir swelled their numbers and shared African hymns and songs during worship.

The congregation’s Pastor James Luk, who was born in South Sudan and spent seven years in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya after fleeing his country because of civil war, has been building relationships with the local Sudanese community members since being installed at Morley in February 2021.

Bethlehem secretary Keith Kowald said several Sudanese families had been regularly worshipping with the congregation due to Pastor James’s outreach and that, at his invitation, the choir had ‘blessed us with some African hymns and songs’ during a Sunday service in late October.

‘They didn’t need amplification for their singing as the rafters reverberated with the melodic sound of their voices’, Keith said. ‘Their love of the Lord was reflected in their songs and the expressions of joy on their faces. The choir members also brought their families and friends with them resulting in 60 Sudanese men, women and children boosting the church attendance that day. What a day of celebration it was bringing two cultures together in praise to God!’