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THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN JERUSALEM AND THE MIDDLE EAST |
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Telephone: Telefax: Email: FROM: |
NICOSIA 22671220 NICOSIA 22674553 georgia@spidernet.com.cy THE DIOCESAN OFFICE |
2 Grigori Afxentiou P O Box 22075 NICOSIA 1517 Cyprus |
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_______________________________________________________________________________________ DIOCESAN NEWS August 2007 _______________________________________________________________________________________ MESSAGE TO THE FRIENDS OF THE DIOCESE – 6TH AUGUST, 2007 This year has felt to many in the diocese as though we are about to go round a blind corner, not knowing what awaits us or in what direction we shall be facing when we get there. It really has been, and still is, a matter of trusting in God’s providence and guidance as we cautiously move forward. The Anglican Church has, as its point of vision and unity, its bishops, and of course we have said goodbye to Clive and Jane across the diocese in our own local ways. We are indebted to them both for 11 years of faithful loving pastoral care and service and leadership. Coincidentally with Bishop Clive’s final synod (January/February) the diocese was struggling with its own identity. Should we split in two and Cyprus join the Diocese of Europe and the Gulf go somewhere as yet unspecified? Should we seek to appoint a ‘caretaker’ bishop as we try to determine our way forward? A palpable sigh of relief went up when after a frank and open debate the Synod decided to stay as it is in both respects. So now let’s get on with it. And so we have! The Vacancy in See Committee re-convened and met first in Bahrain in March and again in Dubai in May. 27 nominations were whittled down to 7 and then to 2, and the Archdeacons and their wives went to the UK in June to meet the final two prospective bishops and their wives. Throughout the whole process we have been confident of the presence of the Holy Spirit of God leading us to perceive God’s choice of bishop to lead us into the future. We have high hopes. Throughout this process the Standing Committee has had to reinvent itself giving close scrutiny to the financial situation in the diocese which still gives deep cause for concern and concentrate on the administration of the diocese. The needs of each chaplaincy is the overriding concern, many of which require support and encouragement in a context which currently is at the heart of world media attention. This we often feel is a great responsibility laid upon us. The knowledge that we have a body of people like the Friends of Cyprus and the Gulf and many other groups and individuals around the world praying for us is a great source of strength and encouragement. CYPRUS In Cyprus, the new chaplaincy based on Famagusta is flourishing under the leadership of The Reverend Robin Brookes and his wife Val. Two services are now held on Sundays with a very large congregation in the evenings. Robin is seeking the assistance of another priest to help with the ever growing student work. In Ayia Napa the ministry is growing under the guidance of Rev. Michael and Jacqueline Crawford. The church congregation will shortly be moving from its summer home, as the Monastery in Ayia Napa is to close for renovation. Temporary accommodation will kindly be provided by the Scandinavian Church, the congregation’s usual winter home. Paphos received its new chaplain Rev. Tony Jeynes, with his wife Irene, and work continues in that very busy parish under Tony’s leadership, together with a very faithful group of Readers and retired clergy. Rev. Marvin Bamforth returned to employment on the island as part time Chaplain with The Mission to Seafarers at Limassol In Limassol, the Rev. Rod Price and his wife Beryl are now well installed in the Vicarage. Work is taking place at St. Barnabas to renovate and improve the Church rooms. Kapedes, a small village between Nicosia and Troodos, is where our Diocese Retreat House is situated. Maggie Le Roy, our spirituality advisor, has oversight of the house and we are pleased to report that the usage of the house and Retreat work across the Diocese and Province is now steadily increasing. Maggie has been joined in her work by Judy Cannan; a retired school teacher from the Isle of Man. Judy most recently worked on the Isle of Iona with the Iona Community. Our new Chaplain to replace Rev. Tony Jeynes in Kyrenia will be the Rev. Michael Houston. He and his wife June join us in September from Northern Ireland. The new Chaplain in Larnaca is the Rev. Douglas Cockbill. Doug served for many years in the London area and comes originally from the USA. In Nicosia the Clergy team has been joined by the Rev. Chris Hertzog and his wife DeAnn and their three children. Chris and DeAnn are missionary workers with the Mission Church, from the United States. Chris’s main areas of work are with children and young families together with working with his American colleague in the Nicosia International Church, which worships in St. Paul’s Cathedral THE GULF The following is a round up of the chaplaincies in the Gulf starting from the north in Iraq and moving south to the Yemen, ending with a flourish with the Mission to Seafarers. Iraq What can we say about Iraq? It is certainly in the press headlines everyday in Μiddle Εast dailies and behind the headline news throughout the world. It is the most appalling situation and we probably only know a small fraction of what is really going on and the suffering that is taking place. Andrew White has ministered bravely throughout until Monday 9th July when, for his own safety and the wellbeing of hostages he was trying to free, he was advised to leave Baghdad and return home to the UK. What happens next we can only hope and pray - fervently! We pray particularly for the safety and well being of the Iraqi people he leaves behind who have become the congregation at St George’s Baghdad. (Andrew White) Kuwait There is simply no preparation for being a Chaplain in Kuwait! The last few months have been incredibly diverse ranging from hob-nobbing with diplomats and local political leaders to finding food and clothing for the desperately poor and often abused migrant workers. The Ecumenical scene in Kuwait is on the whole encouraging but the biggest need in Kuwait is for more worship facilities for the Christian community. With only four legally recognised buildings for a population of an estimated 750,000 Christian community we are desperate. Christian groups who meet in villas and schools are regularly moved around as the authorities deny them access. Permission to build new churches have so far been denied to the Catholics, the Evangelicals and the Copts. The Anglicans are next in line. So far we are having green lights and this is largely due to privileged relationships which we are in a position to enjoy. Religious freedom is a constitutional right in Kuwait and we are blessed to enjoy what we do have. Pray for wisdom that we, as a church, can be a blessing to the State of Kuwait. (Andy Thompson. Chaplain) Canterbury The Rev’d Jeff and Annie Meade left the Canterbury Group at the beginning of 2007 for new work in the USA and in June it was announced that the Rev’d Bill Schwartz and Eddie was to take up the role of chaplain in Qatar later this year. The double vacancy and ongoing search process is probably the biggest news from Canterbury's point of view. The post-terrorist atmosphere is getting no better but the recruitment of expats is increasing and our numbers are steadily growing. The Rev’d Danny and Kay Borkowski, are taking over temporarily in Βills absence, both for his vacation and interregnum. (Bill Schwartz. Chaplain) Bahrain Like Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, Bahrain is building at a furious pace and reaching for the sky in a bid to become the Μiddle Εast hub of commerce and trade with a huge twin towered complex of the Financial Harbour, side by side with the twin towers of the World Trade Centre complete with 3 integral wind turbines. The church remains vibrant but ‘fluid’ as experts, advisors and general workers come and go and the church plays host to a fast moving stream of worshippers with fewer and fewer committing themselves to very much for very long; a nightmare for planning and sustained ministry. Plans are afoot to move some of our worship from the cathedral to other more strategic parts of the Island Κingdom in an effort to reach more expats. The Rev’d Victor Salve ceased to be employed by the Bahrain International Seafarers Society and came under the support and auspices of St Christopher’s Cathedral with the support of the Mission to Seafarers London. (Alan Hayday. Chaplain) Qatar The Rev’d Canon Ian Young left Qatar at the end of January for new opportunities in Scotland after 20 years devoted service to the chaplaincy and diocese. Our prayers go with him. We were delighted to welcome to our church the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who were on a visit to Qatar in February. They attended a service of morning prayers in the first week of Lent and afterwards asked to meet the church children and teachers. A team of lay volunteers has kept our services going, assisted by the Reverend Judith Thomas, who came out on a locum during Lent and Easter and the Reverend John Morrell, a member of our congregation. We give thanks that the numbers at both our weekly services have remained constant or even increased and praise the resilience and adaptability of our church members. We are excited by the prospect of the Rev’d Bill Schwartz coming to join us as our Chaplain in October and look forward to welcoming Bill and Edie to Doha.The church building project has been re-assessed and building and fundraising sub committees have been set up to help the project forward. Bishop Clive has been invited to tour Episcopal Churches in the United States in September to promote fundraising and raise awareness of the project.’ (James Brennan. Churchwarden) UAE Those who have visited Dubai recently have all remarked on the success of the rebuilding programme of our cloistered compound. There is an energy both in the rebuilding and in unity on the compound now used regularly for ecumenical Christian concerts. Now we are moving towards mending and strengthening the net of Christian pastoral care among the poor in this rich city. The Dubai Tithing commitment, presented to the diocesan synod as a way of strengthening the finances of the Diocese for Mission, was passed at the AGM of the Chaplaincy where Anglicans are not a majority. We hope our faithful response will encourage others in the Diocese. A 1.5 million dirham extension is to be built at St. Martins Sharjah this year, and we've been given land for a Christian crematorium as well as extending our Prison ministry. With a new chaplain, the Rev’d Nelson Fernadez now in post in Ras al Khaimah, permission has been granted to build a church in that expanding city. We continue to grow in numbers, faith and hope. Sharjah has new members from South Asia and Jebel Ali with new expatriate families. We work as a team of clergy, with increasing autonomy for the different churches in the chaplaincy, united in faith and, hopefully, a new chaplaincy computerised accounting system! Watch out for our new website! (John Weir. Senior Chaplain) Jebel Ali extra! The five million dirham loan taken out in order to build Christ church was paid off at the end of February, one week before our fifth anniversary. We celebrated this with a One Week Rent Free jubilee for all groups that use our buildings throughout the chaplaincy. We now have 25 groups using the building with services in 11 different languages. We are also now net contributors to the chaplaincy. Our own two congregations (Friday morning and Sunday night) have grown from about 30 people at the start to around 130 on average attending each week. (Steve Wright. Chaplain) Abu Dhabi This is the year in which Abu Dhabi Emirate has changed gear and begun a massive expansion program. It intends to become the "cultural capital of the Middle East", with plans for a Louvre, a Guggenheim museum and high-rise buildings for 100's of 1000s of new tourists and residents. This has meant an ever-increasing flow of new expatriate workers, so at all services every week we greet newcomers. Of our 60 guest congregations, the biggest - the Coptic Church - are in the process of moving to their own new big church. Negotiating land is under way for one of our larger guest congregations, the Ethiopians. It is time to give a "face lift" to our own compound which has hosted 1,000,000s, of worshippers and curry lunches over the past 25 years. The compound is looking tired. Renovation, refurbishment and redesign is well overdue. Cordial dialogue with the Muslim authorities and with the ruling family continues. In the last year, global tensions have forced us beyond banalities to genuine issues of faith and belief. (Clive Windebank. Chaplain) Oman Since the departure last year of The Rev’d Mike Clarkson the senior pastor, the Protestant Church of Oman has struggled to find equilibrium. The Rev’d Canon Ben Chase and his wife Bobbie spent the best part of 9 months with the PCO helping to establish stability and peace. The Council now seek to appoint a full time Anglican priest to join the Rev’d Ed Scheur of the Reformed Church of America as the two senior pastors of the church. Cyclone Gonu caused huge damage to church building not to mention to the infrastructure of the whole country. Cleaning up and rebuilding will take a long time. The Rev’d Ruth Lichtenberger left Oman in July after a long term of service in the chaplaincy so new blood is desperately needed. Yemen Peter and Nancy Crookes continue to serve faithfully in Aden ministering to the small flock of Christians in an otherwise Muslim situation. The main work there continues to be the eye and baby clinics, caring for the needs of the local people. Financial support for the clinics continues to be a concern for the diocese as it sees this work as one of our main outreach situations where Christians are welcome as they minister to local Muslims and Christians alike. Peter and Nancy, like the rest of us in the diocese, are dependent upon the medical staff for their selfless ministries and to them we owe our thanks. Mission to Seafarers Integral to the church’s mission in the Gulf are the Mission to Seafarers Chaplains. The Revd Stephen Miller and Catherine were joined this year by Steve Trayner and his wife Sharon and their family. They arrived in time for the launch, by the Prince of Wales, of the ‘Flying Angel’ perhaps the most exciting venture in the Mission to Seafarers worldwide for some time. This has received wide publicity and we pray for the work being done by and from the ‘Flying Angel’ among the seafarers in Fujeira. The Rev’d Victor Salve continues his ministry in Bahrain as does The Rev’d Peter Crooks in Aden. The Very Rev’d Steve Collis (Archdeacon of Cyprus) The Very Rev’d Alan Hayday (Archdeacon in the Gulf) STOP PRESS VACANCY IN SEE UPDATE: The name of the prospective Bishop was put forward tο Synod members for approval and with the required two thirds majority in both the Houses of Clergy and Laity, the name has now been sent to Provincial Synod for approval. It is hoped that the President Bishop will soon be able to issue a Mandate for Enthronement, and we will then be able to announce the name of the Bishop-Elect. DIOCESAN OFFICE The Office will remain open throughout the month of August, with the exception of Wednesday August 15th, which is a public holiday in Cyprus. Georgia will be away in America from Friday August 10th till Sunday 26th visiting her family and new grandaughter. She will not be contactable by phone but will have access to email every day and will respond to any messages she receives. Anetta will be in the office during this time and will be able to contact Georgia in an emergency. DIOCESE OF IRAN On Sunday 5th August, Bishop Azad Marshall will be Installed at St Paul’s Cathedral, Teheran as the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese in Iran. Please pray for Bishop Azad and his family, and for the Diocese as it moves forward into a new phase of its life. DIOCESE OF EGYPT On 20th July Dr Bahiq Ramzy, the Diocesan Executive Director of Administration and a member of the Provincial Synod was ordained Deacon at All Saints Cathedral in Cairo. Dr Bahiq will help in both the English and Arabic Speaking congregations in the Cathedral, and as he prepares to take up his new role as a full-time ordained minister, the Diocese is seeking to find a new Diocesan Executive Director of Administration. A message from the Churchwarden in Kyrenia: Sadly our Reader Marion Stuart decided to take a sabbatical during the interregnum but we have been blessed to have Roy Symons, Pastor of the CIF in Kyrenia who has been covering all services where a locum has not been available. Many others have come forward to share in the day to day and pastoral care of St Andrew's. The Turkish language service continues to grow as does the CIF on Sunday evenings with up to 80 of many nationalities attending. The Thursday evening regular Bible Study meeting continues to be well supported. John and Kay Morison came to help us in July and Terry and Joyce Ranson in August. Our thanks to Nigel Speller for his help in ensuring that locum cover is available to us when needed. Α message from the Chaplain’s Warden in Kuwait: The Friday worship service of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Kuwait has moved to a new location, as from June 29, 2007. The Friday worship service, Children's Bible class and the Chinese worship service are beeing held in a villa at Salwa in Kuwait every Friday at 10.30 am. The Sunday worship service continues to be held in Ahmadi as usual on Sundays at 6.30 pm. Our address and telephone numbers remains the same. Sonny Thomas Chaplain’s Warden |
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