The 50 years’ existence of St Andrew’s church in the capital reflects the UAE’s tradition of tolerance, a senior official said on 3rd October, during a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church. The church shares its premises with many other Christian congregations from across the globe, which is an example of tolerance, said Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, in his message during the service of thanksgiving at the church.
As reported by mattersindia.com, Hs Grace Bishop Michael Lewis, the leader of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, said “the word ‘tolerance’ was not enough to describe the UAE’s gesture of welcoming law-abiding Christians from across the globe and granting them freedom of worship.” Canon Andrew Thompson, senior chaplain at the church, said that “The first church building came up in 1968 on the Abu Dhabi corniche, offering worship facilities for oil-and-gas workers of BP (British Petroleum). St Andrew’s became a centre for the diverse Christian community in the city. The worshippers were from various parts of the world, including Korean nurses, Indian Martoma teachers, Pakistani engineers and European diplomats. Within 10 years, services were being conducted in 12 languages”, Thompson said.
The church has acted as a bridge to all other churches since the beginning. “We also see bridge building between Christians and Muslims as an essential activity and regular interfaith events and activities take place, in which mutual understanding and appreciation flourish,” Thompson said.
Source: www.mattersindia.com
