“Christ Church Jebel Ali began our Advent season with joy and thankfulness,” says the Reverend Jim Young. “Since many families return to their home countries once school is dismissed for the holidays, we hold our Nativity Play early in the season to allow our children to tell us the story of Jesus.”

On the First Sunday of Advent Christ Church members gathered to watch a cast of 44 children performing their Nativity Play, with 33 more youngsters in the congregation—siblings, babies and toddlers, and some who just enjoy being in the audience rather than “on stage”.

The play featured nine carols—six played by the children themselves, and one performed “a cappella”, a truly impressive feat.

Children are not the future of the church: they are the Church right now.

Our young people are a wonderful reminder of the next steps we need to take to manage our growth and help our children mature in their faith. With all their wiggles and giggles, we treasure our young people and are reminded of the importance of working to ensure they are carefully discipled as they become teenagers and adults, bearing greater responsibilities through the years.

Parents demonstrated tremendous commitment to supporting their children in their journey of faith—reflected in Sunday school attendance, teaching songs at home and the enthusiasm children brought to rehearsals. All of which is testimony to the sense of belonging families feel at Christ Church, as in other churches of the Diocese—no small thing for so many people, so far from home.