Jerusalem
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Gift of Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani to Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.

A SERVICE of blessing for the new Anglican and Allied Centre in Qatar has been held at the large site in Mesaimeer, on the southern outskirts of Doha, where the foundations of the Centre are being put in place.

Representatives of several Christian congregations were present, and the service was attended by the recently appointed British Ambassador to Qatar, John Hawkins, along with diplomats from a number of other embassies, and members of the Anglican congregation.

In his address of welcome, Father Bill Schwartz of the Church of the Epiphany said: “We offer our sincere thanks to HH the Emir and to the ministries of foreign affairs and the interior for their sustained help and support with this project. We hope that the eventual completion of the Anglican Centre will offer a place of prayer for the many Christians who worship in small groups in different places all around Doha. We also hope to see opportunities in the future to encourage increased dialogue among Christians and people of other religions, and we trust that God will be pleased to receive the prayers of all people from this place and will continue to bless praying people in Qatar with His grace and peace for the years to come.”

Bishop Michael Lewis, Anglican Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf, led prayers for the successful completion of the project, for the safety of the workers and for the mercy and compassion of God towards all people living in Qatar.

The Centre, when completed, will provide a place for prayer and worship for many Anglican, Protestant and Evangelical congregations in Doha. The project is being undertaken in three stages, with hope that the first stage will be completed within fifteen months, initially allowing for three-four spaces of different sizes for simultaneous groups of Christians to offer prayers. The second stage of the project to be built will include the main sanctuary, which will enable larger groups of Christians to gather at one time. The third stage will add on more rooms for groups of various sizes to gather for conference, fellowship and prayer.

Eventually, the site at Mesaimeer, dubbed an ‘Ecumenical Church City’ by Father Bill Schwartz, will include accommodation for as many as 18 different church denominations and congregations. The total cost of this project is likely to exceed £5million, the hope is that support will be found from around the world.

Information supplied by “Gulf Times”