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Thriving Marriage, Thriving Mission, Thriving Church

St Michael’s Church in the well to do Cairo suburb of Heliopolis looks for all the world as if it has just been uprooted from somewhere in the UK and placed there.

The building style will be familiar to any casual observer. There are church offices and a spacious hall, all within a well-kept compound. But there the comparison ends. This is a resource church Egyptian style, which means simply, that the established congregation here, led by a visionary priest, recognize their potential to be a resource for others, both in the development of faith and in the provision of those practical things that will make life more worthwhile for those less fortunate.

The particular focus is Sudanese refugees. They could not afford to live around here but around 600 attend the church each Sunday, and the total number of people in the refugee congregation is around 1300. The Vicar, archdeacon Emad says that the congregation feels a great responsibility toward the refugees and cares deeply about them.

portrait of archdeacon Emad
Archdeacon Emad

Many of them come originally from the Nuba Mountain area, and in recognition of that the Nuba Mountain Bible Institute has been set up, as a vehicle for theological education. Around 30 people are involved and the initiative is now in its third year. The course, run under the auspices of the Alexandria School of Theology, is of three years and is supported financially by CMS Ireland. Its reputation is such that Archbishop Ezekiel in Sudan is sending ordinands to take advantage of what is on offer.

The Church also runs a Sudanese Women’s School, whose aim is to empower women and to help them to recognize their value and dignity. The course runs for ten months. There is a very small drop-out rate and 46 people have completed and gained a certificate. A local NGO is currently running a course called, “A Thriving Marriage,” which is well attended and challenges many of the cultural assumptions of the participants about healthy relationships.

members of the Thriving Marriage group
Members of the Thriving Marriage Group enjoying the discussion

The church was responsible for setting up the Sudanese School at St Raphael’s, and members of the congregation sponsor children who can not afford to pay the fees – around 50 euros a year. Archdeacon Emad believes there is need for another school but they are expensive to set up and external funding is small. There are classes for adult literacy at the church, and a course in trauma counselling. The church is also a pioneer in the training of leaders for the deaf church. That church is growing under the leadership of Fr Clement but he desperately needs help and this is an attempt to provide that.


The Church cafe is a meeting place that welcomes everyone

The church’s mission focus does not end with the refugees. In the grounds of the church a popular coffee shop and restaurant has been established. The archdeacon says he wants the church to be a place of genuine welcome for all. The church has always had a mission outlook. Two of its members are setting up the new church in Hurghada and another couple are doing something similar in the new Diocese of North Africa. Archdeacon Emad is pleased to see that but says,

we don’t have to go elsewhere to be missionaries. God is sending his mission to us.

 

 

Posted 20th October 2023