The Office of the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has shared photos of a service of Holy Communion led by Bishop Sean at St Paul Ahmadi, celebrating its 75th anniversary last week. The service was attended by the Amir’s representative, Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.
The congregation, led by the Venerable Dr Michael Mbona, also welcomed ambassadors from the UK, HE Belinda Lewis; Zimbabwe, HE Chrispen Mavodza; and South Africa, HE Dr Manelisi Genge; as well as Mr S James Jacob, representing India’s ambassador to Kuwait; and the Reverend Amanuel B Ghareeb, head of the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait and official sponsor of St Paul’s.
Archdeacon Michael expressed his deep appreciation to Sheikh Mohammad, who unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion on what was his third visit to St Paul’s. The Archdeacon described the service as one “of thanksgiving for the tolerance, hospitality and love shown to St Paul’s and the Christian community of Kuwait”. He also expressed gratitude to the Kuwait Oil Company for the care shown to the church, which is based on the company compound.
Bishop Sean’s sermon reflected on the reading from the Gospel of Mark—the young man who could not renounce his wealth, and the disciples of Jesus aghast at what Jesus had asked of him: ‘Who then can be saved?’
“We must not fall into the same misunderstanding they did,” said Bishop Sean. “The call of God is not for every wealthy person to give all their worldly goods to the poor. The call is to recognise our blind spots—those preoccupations and attitudes that trap us in self-centredness.
“Today, in this midst of our celebrations,” he said, “we look beyond ourselves, hold in our prayers and our hearts the suffering of people in our war-ravaged region.
“We pray for peace to make more sense to leaders than war, for God’s supernatural love to embrace the injured and mourning, and that the Church may demonstrate the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
“St Paul’s,” said Bishop Sean, “is a physical sign in this world of a spiritual kingdom—a group of ordinary people living according to the values of Christ in such a way that their lives become a bible to others. St Paul’s is the face and hands and feet of Christ blessing the people of Ahmadi and beyond.”
In keeping with those words, he admitted members of the Mothers’ Union—an organisation the Reverend Christine Mbona holds close to her heart, working with her Union colleagues to support families and those in need.
British Ambassador HE Belinda Lewis joined Bishop Sean and Archdeacon Michael in giving thanks for the tolerance and care shown to the Church in Kuwait, while her Zimbabwean counterpart, HE Chrispen Mavodza, expressed gratitude for “the peace of life and worship” experienced by Christians in the country.
Welcoming Bishop Sean to Kuwait, South African Ambassador HE Dr Manelisi Genge invited the bishop to make use of the principle of “ubuntu”—a sense of community and the sharing of a common life.
During his stay in Kuwait, it brought Bishop Sean great joy to visit for the first time the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf Urdu Congregation, in Kuwait City.
Greeted with the warmest of welcomes alongside Archdeacon Michael and Revd Christine, Bishop Sean baptised one of the congregation’s youngest members and celebrated Holy Communion, as well as admitting 25 new members of the Mothers’ Union.
“We envision a united community, where mothers uplift each other through prayer, fellowship and shared experiences,” said Shamshad Younis, Chair of the Daughters of Pakistan Mothers’ Union. “Our mission is to empower families to cultivate strong relationships and foster spiritual growth in the next generation.”
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