The Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates

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The Anglican Chaplaincy has an important leadership role in issues of Church unity. Opportunities for common worship and shared activity with guest congregations have been part of the programme of events. The Chaplain is a regular visitor and guest preacher in the different churches.

Holy Trinity has formed a link with the Delhi Brotherhood Society, an Anglican religious order in India. Last summer, two young men volunteers took up the challenge to work with the poorest street children. With no A/C’s, just a bed, a table and a fan, they worked alongside the Religious Brothers of the Community of the Ascended Christ, known as the Delhi Brotherhood Society. The congregations of St. Martin’s and Holy Trinity heard how it had changed their lives. The Sharjah congregation swiftly raised the money to fit all the boys with new clothes, made by a tailor. The little rag pickers look like princes now and it is hoped that the first of many visits has taken place and born fruit.
 

Dehli boys being measured … and in their new clothes!
Christchurch Jebel Ali has tried three events to build a greater sense of community. An African themed evening and an Asian themed evening raised money for charity and a Halloween Halleluiah party was an interesting event cross-culturally between those who saw it providing a replacement for Halloween and those who saw it very much as an extra to “trick and treating” elsewhere.

Although Christchurch has seen a fall in weddings recently, the quarterly marriage seminars still attract 25 to 30 couples a time. A joint venture with other congregations and the Evangelical Church has been the Christmas Shoe Box campaign. Last year 1,200 boxes were sent to labour camps, while this year 2,100 boxes, each filled with useful items for the men in the camps, were delivered.

St Luke’s, Ras al Khaimah & Fujairah has a small but faithful congregation who welcomed their new Chaplain the Rev’d Nelson Fernandes and his wife Sudha at his Licensing in October. The Junior church in RAK is very active and their Christmas play and carols, performed at the Hilton International Hotel, was a remarkable outcome of the team work of the children and teachers.

St Martin’s, Sharjah, where the main ministry is among the poorest of the poor. The migrant labour work has grown much and there are about 200 men attending services conducted through the week in various languages for different nationalities. The prison ministry too has grown and about 30 to 40 air tickets have been issued to lady prisoners to send them home. They were languishing in prison waiting for someone to help sponsor their tickets. This is an ecumenical venture and some of the tickets have been sponsored by other churches that minister along with St. Martin’s in the prison. Tickets were issued irrespective of religion and nationality. The most touching aspect of this ministry was to see babies, born in captivity, sent back home along with their mothers.