Jerusalem
and the Middle East
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Summer 2010 Message from The Archbishop of Canterbury Patron of JMECA Following his recent visit to the Diocese of Jerusalem the Archbishop sends this message to the Association and all our readers:

‘One of the highlights of a recent visit to the Middle East was a morning at Jofeh, in Jordan, visiting the centre run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem for children and young people with impaired skills and abilities. What impressed me particularly was the large area covered by the centre’s work and the high degree of local appreciation of what was done. The local village communities, almost entirely Muslim, expressed the strongest love and support for the staff of the centre and for the vision that sustained it.

As we all know, this is a pattern that is repeated throughout the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. I also spent time at Al Ahli hospital in Gaza, its chapel now thankfully restored after damage by Israeli shelling last year; and I have vivid memories of visiting several of the outstanding medical projects of the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa last year.

Two important things come to mind when we look at such ministries. One is that there could be no more effective and compelling evidence of the basic Christian vision than this kind of service without condition. Jesus does not demand compliance or conversion before he heals; neither do Christians. The freedom of the gospel is that it is sheer gift; we don’t have to justify what we do by the results in terms of new membership. We can only, with Jesus, offer what we believe God has given us to offer and let others discover how to express their gratitude to God.

The second thing is that this work is an intrinsic part of the whole historic witness of Christians, not least Anglican Christians, in the Middle East, taking an honoured role in a richly diverse culture – predominantly Muslim but not exclusively so. One of the most appalling tragedies of our time is the way in which extremist forms of Islam, quite alien to the region, and the crassly insensitive politics of the Western powers in recent years, have gone far towards wrecking this ‘ecology’ of diverse and respectful religious life in the Middle East.

In the more and more difficult circumstances that our Middle Eastern Christian brothers and sisters face, there is all the more need for strong and tangible support for them and especially for the work I have described. It is not just a question of the survival of Christians in the region – though that is a fear that weights heavily on everyone’s minds there. It’s also about the survival of a certain spirit and culture that values coexistence and seeks understanding. And as we all know, so much of the world’s stability depends on such a spirit surviving in the Middle East.

What’s done in Jofeh or Gaza or Sadat City may be small-scale by some standards. But it has a vital role to play in the peace of the whole world. A very good reason for giving all we can of our resource and support to these courageous friends.

Click here for a photo montage of the Archbishop's visit