Pastor Jordan Manpign Long

Pastor Jordan Long, a refugee of Sudan who leads the local Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission, will speak.

Jordan Long, 39, of Rochester came from Sudan 10 years ago.He smiled as he raised his right hand to recite the oath.

"This is such a good day," said Long, a pastor at the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission in Rochester.

Jordan Manpign Long is made a pastor in rite at Incarnate Word
...
(October 31, 2005) - Jordan Manpign Long knelt before the altar of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word on Sunday evening surrounded by his soon-to-be peers as they laid their hands on him.

Within moments, he became the first Sudanese pastor of a community of his countrymen, some of whom came from as far as Buffalo for his ordination, and many other members of the church at 597 East Ave. attended as well.

As Bishop Marie Jerge bestowed a crimson stole over his white vestment, Long also became the first Sudanese pastor to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States.
...
Long said there are a couple hundred Sudanese living in the Rochester and Buffalo areas.About 20 to 30 were at Sunday's service.Hundreds of others filled the wooden pews to celebrate the end of a journey that began for Long in his native Maban, Sudan, and the start of another chapter in his life, ministering to others.

It was in Ethiopia that the 38-year-old husband and father of four came into contact with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and was "evangelized."

His next stop would be a brief stay in Des Moines, Iowa, where the "first winter was so bizarre," he said.

He decided to attend the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

Long came to Rochester in 1998 and began working in earnest as a layperson for the church.Winter here made his Iowa experience pale in comparison."The second year, there was so much more snow than I had in Des Moines."

Standing in the foyer before his ordination service, the tall seminarian glowed as he shook hands with congregants.

Jordan Long, 39, of Rochester came to America from the Sudan about 10 years ago.He smiled as he raised his right hand to recite the oath of allegiance.

"This is such a good day," said Long, a pastor at the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission in Rochester.

9 Thank God for Pastor Jordan Manpign Long, a mission developer serving Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission in Rochester, New York.

21 Give thanks for Pastor Jordan Long and the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission (SAWC) in the Upstate New York Synod of the ELCA.

Jordan Manpign Long knelt before the altar of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word on Sunday evening [October 30th] surrounded by his soon-to-be peers as they laid their hands on him.

Within moments, he became the first Sudanese pastor of a community of his countrymen, some of whom came from as far as Buffalo for his ordination, and many other members of the church at 597 East Ave. attended as well.

As Bishop Marie Jerge bestowed a crimson stole over his white vestment, Long also became the first Sudanese pastor to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in [America].
...
Long said there are a couple hundred Sudanese living in the Rochester and Buffalo areas.About 20 to 30 were at Sunday's service.Hundreds of others filled the wooden pews to celebrate the end of a journey that began for Long in his native Maban, Sudan, and the start of another chapter in his life, ministering to others.

It was in Ethiopia that the 38-year-old husband and father of four came into contact with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and was "evangelized."

His next stop would be a brief stay in Des Moines, Iowa, where the "first winter was so bizarre," he said.

He decided to attend the Lutheran Theological Seminary [at] Philadelphia.

Long came to Rochester in 1998 and began working in earnest as a layperson for the church.Winter here made his Iowa experience pale in comparison."The second year, there was so much more snow than I had in Des Moines."

Standing in the foyer before his ordination service, the tall seminarian glowed as he shook hands with congregants.

Jordan Long Ordained on Sunday, October 30, 2005
...
Jordan Long, leader of the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Ministry was ordained on October 5 at Incarnate Word by Bishop Marie Jerge, and a large crowd attended.
...
Congratulations to Pastor Long!

The Rev. Ralph Anderson preached, and The Rev. Craig Rhodenizer presented Jordan for ordination.

Also see a STORY about Jordan's ordination written by Fernando Diaz.
...
After much planing this new mission will begin formally on October 30, Reformation Sunday, with the ordination of Pastor Jordan Long.

Jordan Long received help from God.It came to him through Lutherans who were equipped to help him with resources that flowed from congregations like yours.

Jordan Long & his family led a normal life in the Sudanese village of Lool Ngugjang -until one night in 1983."At 4:00 am we saw fire pouring into our village, lovated 3 miles from a larger town that was being attacked," Long recalls."We ran away from the village and the fire."

For days Jordan & his family walked, with little food or water.For years they struggled to survive in refugee camps in Ethiopia.In 1989 Jordan was given a scholarship to study in Addis Ababa.Through Mekane Yesus, a partner with the ELCA in the Lutheran World Federation, Jordan renewed the Christian faith he first learned from his mother in their village in the Sudan.

As a result of regular mission support offerings, like the $1,666.67 recently given by Long Lake Lutheran Church, Jordan Long experienced the grace of God in such a powerful way, that he felt called to organize a worshipping community, and finally to become an ordained pastor in the ELCA.

Sponsored by Lutherans in the United States, Jordan left the refugee camps to settle in Rochester, New York, where he organized a Sudanese outreach ministry.Assisted by the ELCA's Division for Ministry, an ELCA seminary, and the Upstate New York Synod, Jordan trained to become an ordained pastor.None of that would have happened without the resources congregations have so generously shared.

Long describes the ELCA as "a solid rock that strengthens my faith journey."The ELCA, he says, has "enriched, equipped and empowered me." Jordan was ordained in October 2005 and now serves Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission out of Incarnate Word Lutheran Church in Rochester.That ministry provides Sudanese refugees with basic care, an opportunity to pray in their own language and a mission to welcome everyone in Christ.

Thank you for being a vessel of God's grace in Jordan's life, & through him, in the lives of many more who will come to faith in Christ.