Joseph Ayok-Loewenberg
Joseph was born in Malek, in Southern Sudan. His father was a headteacher. Joseph represented Sudan in the Olympics and ran in the 3000 metres steeplechase in the World Championships. He has also been pan-African high jump champion.
Joseph’s family suffered greatly in the war. He went to Sweden for theological training in 1982 and to England in 1984, studying English at Whitby (where he met Karin who was also studying). After studying Theology at Trinity College, Bristol he was ordained in 1998 in Salisbury, and served his curacy in Swanage. Joseph and Karin were married in 1990 and they both joined the Church Mission Society, serving in Bermondsey, London (and living for a time in Barnes with St Mary’s church) before they left for Northern Uganda to serve in Sudanese refugee camps. Here he led youth ministry and theological lay training and Karin worked with UNHCR and Médecins sans Frontières as a nurse.
On return to England in 1995 he worked as a team vicar in West Dorset. To support his fellow Sudanese he sent bicycles for teachers, and achieved BBC publicity for the situation in his home area.
In 2000 Joseph and Karin set up the Under Tree Schools project in Aweil South County.
In 2002 Joseph and Karin with their 2 daughters moved to Alexandria in Egypt. They worked as mission partners for the Church Mission Society setting up a ministry for Sudanese refugees providing a centre (including a clinic) to help them develop their skills for the future. They were there for three years.
They have just spent over a year in Barnes, southwest London. Joseph worked within the Southwark diocesan area in Inter Faith issues and in a refugee day centre.
His new role
In October 2006 he accepted an invitation from the Council of Ministers to become Director of Religious Affairs in the new Government of Southern Sudan. His primary role is to lead the hugely challenging work of achieving reconciliation between the faith communities and tribal groups in the south who have been at odds through the civil war.
His Directorate will also advise on the school curriculum, which will be used for religious education by the state system.
