History of JMECA and JEMT

The History of The Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association (JMECA) - Charity no. 248799

The Diocese of Jerusalem was established in 1841 under the auspices of Queen Victoria and King Frederick William IV of Prussia, with bishops nominated alternately by the monarchs to have spiritual oversight of both Anglicans and Lutherans in Palestine.   In 1881 the bishopric fell into abeyance but was reconstituted in 1887 on a purely Anglican basis with Bishop George Francis Popham Blyth as Bishop in Jerusalem and with jurisdiction stretching from Syria to Egypt and later, Sudan and Iran.  

Bishop Blyth established a fund for the maintenance and development of the diocese.   This was The Jerusalem and the East Mission, which later became The Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association (JMECA).  A new constitution was adopted in 1965 and amended in 1977 and 1985.

This charity now supports the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, with four Dioceses that stretch from Algeria in the West to Iran in the North and East, and Somalia in the South.  

The History of The Jerusalem and East Mission Trust Limited (JEMT) - Company no. 00244633
 

JMECA’s Patron is the Archbishop of Canterbury and it is governed by a Council with wide experience of the region.   It is administered on a day to day basis by a Standing Committee which consists of the Directors of The Jerusalem and the East Mission Trust Limited, a Trust Corporation established in 1929 to act as a trustee for charitable bodies.   JEMT is not itself a charity, but a non-profit limited company that administers the assets of JMECA and a number of other charities that provide support for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.