UAE | General
Christians celebrate new church in Abu Dhabi
More than 2,500 Christians from 21 different denominations celebrated on Friday the construction of the new facility for worshippers.
- By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter
- Published: 13:33 February 8, 2008
Abu Dhabi: More than 2,500 Christians from 21 different denominations celebrated on Friday the construction of the new facility for worshippers.
"This is a historic day as we celebrate 30 years of the Christian community in Abu Dhabi in this facility," said Cameron Arensen, pastor of the English-speaking Evangelical Community Church.
The Evangelical Church of Abu Dhabi is home to 21 different churches that hold services back-to-back from Thursday to Saturday. For more than a decade, 21 different churches and denominations have been meeting in the small facility in the Khubairat area. The churches' new home now has the capacity to accommodate the growing numbers of its congregations.
"The land was granted to us by the rulers of this country, who have been very generous. The old facility was getting way too small for us and this is a very exciting new phase for us as a church," the pastor said.
The new church is built adjacent to the old facility and more expansion is planned. " The second phase will be to build another chapel, offices and classrooms,'' said the pastor.
Pastor Stuart Briscoe from the UK delivered a message on unity and worship to the congregation.
The Evangelical Church goes back to the 1970's as an extension of the Oasis Hospital in Al Ain and grew through the years as different denominations came to the UAE.
"The significance of all these different churches meeting in one facility is to give a visible demonstration of our unity as a Christian community despite the many nationalities and cultures," Arensen added.
When John Kochummen, a member of the church, came from India 10 years ago to work in Abu Dhabi, the church was not only a place for him to worship, but also to establish a social network .
"It has been amazing to see new nationalities from around the world coming here every week,'' he said. “The government has been extremely good to allow different faiths to live and work together," Kochummen said.
Share this article
More from UAE General
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
The best reader pictures from around the emirates this week
Latest news
- Residents raise a stink over garbage collection
- Policewoman charged with stealing Dh12,000
- Discipline those reserving parking slots
- Lifesavers to pit skills during Dubai event
- Media, employers can do more to help disabled
- Support colleagues with arthritis, doctors advise
- Music to get into the patriotic mood
- Saif: December 2 stands out in history
- Well-wishers welcome Haj pilgrims back
- Lebanese singer May Hariri dedicates song to people of the UAE
- Majida El Roumi's concert a big hit
- Top movie stars likely to grace DIFF
- National Day decorations
- Girl dies in fire started by stepbrother
- A road that is best avoided
Community Reports
-
Discipline those reserving parking slots
Some residents in Hor Al Anz are using unauthorised methods to hold parking spaces to ransom even when they have no use for them
-
A road that is best avoided
Thoroughfare connecting capital's Hamdan Street and Electra Street poses safety and health hazards
-
Please don't use two parking spaces
Thoughtless drivers means other motorists are losing out in a city where places to leave cars are often hard to find
-
School buses must do safe drop-offs
Some bus drivers let students off at the wrong side of the road
