The 12:45 p.m. Worship Service each Sunday is held by a South Sudanese congregation hosted by St. Paul’s. The service incorporates the congregants’ native traditions, and Arabic and Dinka are spoken. The community formed in 2011 in response to an influx of Anglican South Sudanese refugees to the Kansas City area.

The congregation is led by the Rev. John Deng. Fr. Deng first came to St. Paul’s years ago as one of the “lost boys of Sudan.” He was sponsored by the deacon then at St. Paul’s. As the refugees organized to support one another, Fr. Deng was called to assist in a new Sudanese congregation. This led to his ordination as a deacon. Later he was ordained a priest by a Sudanese bishop. Fr. Deng also served as chairman of the South Sudan Coalition of Episcopal Churches in the United States.