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Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ. The more I visit the different parts of the Diocese the more I get excited about what the Holy Spirit is doing in the life of our church, and I thank God for being a witness to this.

Ordination and growth in Tunisia

Last October I visited Tunisia. It was thrilling to see the growth of the church there, and the growth of all the congregations. Revd Gerald Brulot and his wife Jane are doing a great ministry. Our church is now embracing not only the Anglicans but also people from different denominations. I was delighted to ordain Gerald as a priest during this visit, and it was encouraging to see all the congregations supporting him and appreciating his leadership. Gerald and I visited the Minister of Religious Affairs in Tunisia who appreciated the importance of interfaith dialogue. It was a very encouraging visit.

In the steps of Augustine of Hippo

Recently a group of Catholics and American Baptists followed the steps of St Augustine from Carthage in Tunisia to Hippo in Algeria, via the Mediterranean coast. Governmental officials in both countries welcomed them. The Roman Catholic Archbishop in Tunis has shared with me the joy of this journey, and how the government would love to see more Christians doing this journey.

We are still negotiating with the British government and the British Community Fund in Algiers about the possibility of acquiring a residence for future clergy. As you may know, during our absence the British Community sold our properties to the British Foreign Office, so the Embassy is now using our vicarage for its offices. Do pray about this matter.

We were encouraged to meet with Archbishop Henry of the Roman Catholic Church and the Minister of Religious Affairs in Algiers, who encouraged us to resume our ministry permanently. There are great opportunities there, but there is a need for a permanent minister.

Christians in Libya on fire!

During my visit to Libya, I saw a completely different church this time from the one I saw in January 2001. The church is definitely growing and much more alive than before. There are three congregations, the Nigerian (on fire!), the Arabic speaking, and the Indian and other English speaking nationalities. The Sunday services are formal. Friday services are informal and embrace all those who come from different backgrounds. I have ordained Dr Hamdy, who was a lay minister there, to be the deacon for the Arabic speaking congregation.

The potential for ministry in Libya is really great with 5,000 English people scattered in Libya and 100,000 Christian Egyptians also there. There is an invitation to start meetings in Benghazi.

Our Lady of the Angels church

The most exciting thing was my visit to the Islamic Call Society. As usual, they welcomed me on arrival, and they were very excited about our interfaith agreement with Al-Azhar. They are very keen to have dialogue with us as well.

The head of the Society agreed to give us one of the churches that was taken over from the Roman Catholic Church at the beginning of the revolution. It is called Our Lady of the Angels. It is a 14th century church and is very beautiful. It has been recently renovated by the Libyan authority but has been kept empty. The Roman Catholic bishop in Tripoli encouraged me to ask for this church because they prefer that we have it rather than anyone else. This is very good news, and we need a lot of prayer for the legal procedures to be completed.

I am also invited to share about the Christian faith to the students in the Islamic university during my next visit. I request your prayer for wisdom and grace for this unique opportunity. I am hoping to go again to Libya in February for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the church of Christ the King in Tripoli.

I see that there will be a need in the future for an English clergyman who would pay frequent visits, two or three times a year, to minister to the British in Tripoli and Benghazi.

Singapore cinemas converted to churches

Nancy and I went to Singapore at the invitation of Bishop John Chew to speak to the synod there. It was very encouraging to see how they are taking mission and evangelism very seriously. They are reaching out to the community in a wonderful way. The churches are growing and they are buying cinemas and converting them into churches. One can see clearly that the Holy Spirit is moving in a mighty way.

One of the things that I admire very much is how they are embracing people from different and non-Anglican backgrounds, so there is a place for everyone to worship. Their identity as an Anglican church is not at all a hindrance to the great diversity of the people who are coming to them, and the Anglican members of the church are generously and happily welcoming the newcomers and their diversity of backgrounds.

It was such a joy to see the individual churches of the diocese of Singapore becoming missionary orientated and sending people to the neighbouring countries. The involvement of the lay ministers in the life of the church is a prominent feature. Bishop John is emphasising the importance of theological and discipleship training throughout the diocese.

For Nancy and me, our time in Singapore was truly unforgettable, and we have received much more than we have given.

May our Saviour give us grace and strength to bring about peace and reconciliation to the communities where we live.

Mouneer