News
Appreciation for the good work done by churches in the Gulf region was expressed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the end of a 17 to 19 April visit to the United Arab Emirates.
At encounters in Dubai with church representatives from the Emirates and neighbouring countries, Kobia and the delegation accompanying him learned about Christian activities in the areas of interreligious dialogue and serving the needs of migrants. Practically all the Christians in the Gulf - an estimated three to four million people - are expatriates who have come to the region for work and often stay for a limited number of years. Most of them are from South Asia.
In a sermon at the Anglican Holy Trinity Church in Dubai, WCC general secretary Kobia encouraged the Christians to - in the words of the prophet Jeremiah - seek the welfare of the city where God has sent them into "exile" and reminded them of the biblical mandate "to open up our relationships so that we may move from being strangers to being neighbours".
The support which for example the Ecumenical Conference of Charity in Bahrain, the Mission to Seafarers in Dubai or the Al Amana Centre for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Oman have received from Muslim partners and sponsors heartened the WCC delegation. So did the intention to improve the cooperation among Christians and create an ecumenical platform for the Gulf which was expressed during the encounters.
At the Saint Thomas Orthodox Cathedral of Dubai, the WCC delegation assisted the centennial celebration of the Mar Gregorius Orthodox Christian Students Movement on 18 April.
From the Gulf, the WCC general secretary traveled on to Syria for a 19 to 22 April pastoral visit. Before coming to Dubai, the delegation had already attended a Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape in Beirut, Lebanon.
Members of the WCC delegation to the United Arab Emirates:
- Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary
- Dr Prawate Khid-Arn, Christian Conference of Asia, general secretary
- Mr Guirguis Saleh, Middle East Council of Churches, general secretary
- Ms Doris Peschke, Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe, general secretary
- Mr William Gois, Migrant Forum Asia, regional coordinator
- Rev. Rolf Pearson, MECC Gulf liaison officer, 1997-2007; Church of Sweden
- Ms Carla Khijoyan, WCC Middle East desk
Full text of the sermon by Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape in Beirut
