A TRIBUTE TO BISHOP BULLEN DOLLI

Sudanese Church Leader Dies
In December word reached our mission that our beloved brother, partner and Advisory Board Member, Bishop Bullen Dolli had died.

Bishop of Moruland
Bishop Bullen Dolli was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan to be enthroned in the liberated Sudan. When he wrote the Foreword to our re-print of The Doctor Comes to Lui book in 2000, Bullen Dolli was Bishop of the Diocese of Mundri and Lui. The Episcopal Church in Sudan in Moruland at that time consisted of two Dioceses, 6 Archdeaconries, 6 rural deaneries, 20 parishes and 80 congregations.

Marathon Ministry
Bishop Bullen Dolli co-ordinated the two Diocese of Mundri and Lui, an area of about 60,000m² km by foot. In his first year as Bishop of the 2 Diocese covering Moruland, Bullen Dolli had the joy of confirming 12,000 new members. At that stage they had 40 church primary schools. Since then these schools have multiplied. Shortly after this we flew in a bicycle for Bishop Bullen and the energetic Bishop was able to minister to many more congregations, more often.

Bible Translator Ambushed
Bullen Dolli had been an Arch Deacon when he was travelling with the Bible translator, Canon Ezra Lawiri, to Juba. Canon Ezra Lawiri had completed his life’s work of translating the whole Bible into the Moru language. When Ezra Lawiri was fatally shot in an ambush with Arabs, he entrusted his Bible translation manuscript to Bullen Dolli, telling him that his work on earth was done and commissioning the Arch Deacon Bullen Dolli to ensure that the manuscript was published.
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Bishop of Free Sudan
On 14 September 1998, the Electoral College of the 24 Diocese of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, with 66 out of the 70 members, elected Bullen Dolli to succeed the late Bishop Ephraim A. Natana. Out of the 4 Moru Bishops, Bullen Dolli was the first Bishop to be consecrated and enthroned on the soil of Moruland and amongst the Moru people – in liberated free Sudan. It was a joy and privilege to be part of this special occasion at the Fraser Cathedral in Lui. There were those who recommended that the consecration be postponed out of fear of bombing. However, the Lord sent low cloud cover and the 5 hour service went on under God’s Sovereign protection.

Cathedral Bombed
The Fraser Cathedral had been destroyed by the Arabs on two previous occasions. In the year following the enthronement of Bullen Dolli, his Cathedral at Lui was bombed by the Sudan Air Force on 10 different occasions. Fraser Cathedral has been destroyed 3 times, yet has been re-built each time. It is the church that will not die.
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Bible Deliveries Bombed
It was the privilege of Frontline Fellowship to ensure that the Bible translation into Moru, which Ezra Lawiri had dedicated his life to, was published. When I delivered the first shipment of Moru Bibles, we came under aerial bombardment by the Sudan Air Force.

Killed For His Faith
Bullen Dolli’s brother had died courageously at the hands of Muslims for refusing to renounce his faith in Christ. He was tied up and dragged behind a Muslim military vehicle and later doused with fuel and set on fire by the Arabs.

Courageous Christian
Bishop Bullen Dolli was a courageous and precious brother, partner and co-worker in the Gospel. Bullen Dolli and I conducted mission outreaches together, often on foot in remote areas. One unforgettable mission was our outreaches to Yei, in 2002, when we escaped and survived a plot to have us killed.

Bestselling Book Dedicated to Bishop Bullen
Each of the four editions of our Slavery, Terrorism and Islam – The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat book have been dedicated to Bishop Bullen Dolli. We praise God for his dynamic life and fruitful ministry.

Dr. Peter Hammond