the newsletter - The Diocese of Egypt with North Africa

The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Jerusalem & the Middle East
The Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt
with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
Diocesan Bishop
Honorary Assistant Bishop
Area Bishop (North Africa)
Area Bishop (Horn of Africa)
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer H. Anis
The Most Rev. Dr. Maurice Sinclair
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bill A. Musk
Vacant
Diocesan Newsletter
May 2011
Meeting Together
Diocesan Synod 2011
The Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
5 Michel Lutfallah Street, PO Box 87, Zamalek 11211, Cairo, EGYPT
Tel: +20 2 27380821/3/9
Fax: +20 2 27358941
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt
Email: [email protected]
The Diocese of Egypt:
www.dioceseofegypt.org/english
The Egypt Diocesan Association in the UK:
www.eda-egypt.org.uk
The Friends of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt in the USA: www.friendsanglicandioceseegypt.org
My Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
We need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to discern the
voice of God for us as we define the vision of the church. Without
such a vision, we will perish: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18a).
Indeed, without a common vision we can move in too many different directions and in individualistic
ways. This would be very different from the Anglican Way as it will not allow us to reach the vision
God has set before us as one body. Our unity is the secret of our strength as a church. That is why
Jesus prayed, that we should be one (cf. John 17:11).
My beloved, the clarity of vision and mission is one of the most motivating factors in our ministries.
Without such clarity, we will be lukewarm, un-motivated, and we will suffer from spiritual early senility. Without a clear vision and mission we cannot have a strategic plan that involves long-term and
short-term goals. Without vision, we also would not have an action plan that helps us to achieve
these goals. When we have a clear vision, mission and goals we will be able to assess our progress
towards the end of the journey. Once again, I want to stress the importance of prayer and discerning
the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to be able to reach the vision, mission and goals by which
we can achieve the plan of God in our lives as a Diocese.
I know that the Church needs many things but I will focus on only a few of these. The Church today
suffers from a “leadership crisis.” Visionary leaders who lead by example and who are influential
are very rare at the level of the local and the universal church. I understand that leadership is a gift
from God. Many have this gift but don’t develop it. In order to develop our gifts, we need to be
rooted in Scripture, be men and women of prayer, and be good and faithful stewards in regard to
whatever talents God has given us, including time and money. Moreover, we need to remind ourselves that the flocks that have been entrusted to us were purchased by the precious blood of Christ.
Recovering the right understanding of apostolicity and the catholicity of the Church. Again, many
of the problems of the church today are due to the lack of understanding of these two important characteristics of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Many Protestant Churches focus on the
apostolic teaching but are disassociated from the apostolic traditions which formed the context in
which the Scriptures were written and lived out. This creates a gap between these Protestant
Churches and the traditional Churches. In the same way, many churches have this very narrow and
individualistic vision that detaches them from the universal church and furthermore weaken the influence and mission of the church.
The Spirit of Giving: I thank God that the spirit of giving has started to grow in our Diocese. I want
to see the churches growing to be self-supporting. I strongly believe that giving helps the congregations to mature spiritually. I also see it as part of our worship. The more the congregation gives, the
more they will develop a sense of belonging to the church of Christ. I am not saying this because of
the financial crisis within the Diocese. I would say the same if we were well-off.
May the Lord bless you!
+ Mouneer Egypt
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer H. Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt
with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
President Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican
Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
The Diocese of Egypt
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Diocesan
Synod
2011
The Diocese of Egypt
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Diocesan Synod 2011
From the 2nd to the 5th of May, the Diocesan Synod convened at All Saint‟s Cathedral in
Cairo. This included representatives from every church in Egypt, churches in Ethiopia, Tunisia and Algeria. Rev. Hamdy in Tripoli, Libya, was not able to attend, but the Synod listened
to a recorded message from him and prayed for him. Sadly no one came from Eritrea.
During Synod, there were presentations from the churches and the institutions of the Diocese. Bishop Andrew Proud, recently installed as the Bishop of Reading led the quiet sessions on the theme of „Vision.‟ This was also an opportunity to say farewell from all of the
Diocese to Bishop Andrew and his wife Dr Janice.
Excerpts from Bishop Mouneer’s Report to the Synod
The Current Situation in the Middle East
We meet today in a completely different context from two years ago. As you all know, many
countries within the Middle East experienced uprisings, or we may call them, revolutions.
Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans, Syrians, Jordanians, Iraqis, Moroccans, Yemini, and Bahrainis are rising up, calling for freedom, transparency and democracy. Many of these people of the Middle East have suffered under oppressive and corrupt governments. They feel
that the time has come to determine their own destiny. In one hand, this is very hopeful and
encouraging. In another, this brings concern, fear and apprehension. There are those who
rode the waves of these uprisings and have called for Islamic (not secular, non-democratic)
governments. Many moderate Muslims and Christians are either concerned because they
see the examples of Islamic states like Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia.
It is worth mentioning that 60% of the population of the Middle East are under the age of 30.
The problem of unemployment and lack of good education hits them hard. This is a major
reason for these uprisings. Many of these young adults, with a majority being Christian, are
now thinking of immigrating to the West. This has already happened in Palestine and Iraq.
I cannot imagine the Middle East, where Jesus lived and walked, being without Christians.
It would never be the same. The future can be dim, but can also carry hope for the church.
Let us trust that God is in charge and we are in His hands. His promise was, “the gates of
hell will never overcome” the Church.
The Goal of this Synod
In addition to getting to know each other and having fellowship as a Body of Christ, one of
the most important goals is to write together a roadmap for our Diocese. We need to dream
together about where we want to be in 2020 and what direction we should take together to
fulfil these dreams. This requires that we define together our vision, mission and goals.
Once we do this, we will all be committed to press on towards the fulfilment of the dream.
We cannot do anything with our own wisdom and power, but whatever we do, we do by the
grace of God!
I am emphasising our togetherness in this process because I am aware that many of the
problems and conflicts of the worldwide church, including the Anglican Communion, come
from the individualistic spirit that is penetrating the church. We as a diocese are not immune to this infectious disease of the current age. Having a vision for 2020 does not stop
us, or the new generation, from reviewing this vision at any time and re-assessing our journey in the light of what happens around us.
The Diocese of Egypt
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Memories from the Past…
St John the Baptist Church, Maadi
Then…
The Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest
buildings in Maadi, Cairo. Since its consecration in April
1931, this church has served the community of Maadi as
a place for worship and solace.
In 1920, the Anglican Church of St. John in the Wilderness, a temporary structure, was erected by the Anglican
Church Army on Road 14 in Maadi. In 1930, the longterm British residents decided to build a more permanent
structure, and in 1931 St. John the Baptist was consecrated. A fundraising event was held
in 1930 at the Diamantis Café on the Nile under the high patronage of Lady Percy Loraine,
wife of the British High Commissioner. This was the first in a series of fundraising activities
that culminated with the 1933 procurement from Edinburgh, Scotland of the church organ.
During World War II, the church served hundreds of troops from Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa. Up until 1956, the primary attendance at the church was from the British
community in Egypt. However, in the aftermath of the Suez War, the British were temporarily expelled from the country. As Cairo became increasingly a centre of international diplomacy and businesses, the void was filled by an increasing number of Americans.
Now...
Today, the Church of St. John the Baptist serves a diverse Englishspeaking congregation from different denominations and nationalities, and
an Arabic congregation. Rev. Paul Gordon-Chandler (pictured right) serves
at the English-speaking congregations, and Rev. Yessua Bakheet serves at
the Arabic-speaking congregation. In addition, a number of other Christians
use the building, including Maadi Community Church, and Korean, Sudanese, West African, French Reformed and Scandinavian congregations.
St John‟s continues to be an active congregation. In addition to the weekly
worship services, there is a thriving Church School, youth activities, and
adult study groups. The church has continued the tradition of successful
fundraising activities, and through the Spirit of Giving catalogue and annual
fundraising events they support needy people in Egypt. Each year, St
John‟s hosts the Caravan Festival of the Arts, to encourage Muslims and
Christians to journey together through the Arts.
On the 15th of May 2011, Bishop Mouneer joined the English-speaking
congregation at St John‟s to celebrate it‟s 80th anniversary. He preached
on “Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, and The Life.”
For more information about St John‟s, see their website
http://www.maadichurch.org/
The Diocese of Egypt
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2011 Caravan
Festival of the Arts
At St. John the Baptist Church in Maadi…in
association with the 2011 UN World Interfaith Harmony Week
The 2011 CARAVAN Festival of the Arts was held in celebration of the Egyptian Muslims and Christians who are
walking together the road toward a new Egypt. During the
weeks of and following the “January 25 revolution”, an unprecedented unity of Muslims and Christians has been witnessed at the grassroots level, working side by side to reshape their country. Hence a parallel revolution has taken
place in the minds of many Egyptians about their value to
each other...regardless of creed.
The 3rd CARAVAN Festival of the Arts, held at St. John‟s
Church in Maadi, Cairo, comes out of a vision that the Arts
can be one of the most effective mediums to build bridges,
deepen respect, and encourage friendship between Muslims
and Christians, and between the Middle East and West.
48 premier Middle Eastern and Western visual artists submitted work for a selling exhibition that reflected the theme
“My Neighbor.” Additionally, a parallel exhibition was held
entitled “The Peoples’ Egypt since January 25th “, and the
artists were invited to contribute artworks that were created
in response to the events of the Egyptian revolution. 20% of
all sales went to the Spirit of Giving charity that assists local
Egyptian charities serving the poor, both Muslims and Christians.
Around the visual art exhibitions other artistic programs
were held. The opening night program entailed an opening
presentation by the UN Resident Coordinator, The Honorable James Rawley, with opening remarks by Bishop
Botros, General Bishop for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and
Bishop Mouneer (pictured right).
On another evening, there was a talk and book-signing by
Khaled El Khamissi, best-selling Egyptian author of the internationally acclaimed novels Taxi and Noah’s Ark, followed by a book-signing. The festival finished with a closing
concert by world renowned Ney (Middle Eastern flute)
player, Mohammed Antar (pictured right).
The Diocese of Egypt
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Purpose Driven Church / Life
Conference
On the 27th of May, over 100 people from Coptic, Catholic, Presbyterian
and Anglican churches attended a conference held at the hall of All
Saint‟s Cathedral. A presentation was given based on the books Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church. These books, written by
American author Rick Warren, have impacted many people around the
world, including in the Middle East as translated versions are available.
While Rick Warren was not able to attend the conference, a signed copy of these books
was presented to Bishop Mouneer on his behalf.
The conference was organized by the Middle East Leadership Training Institute. The focus of the conference was
how the Church can achieve the aims which God established for the Church, as described in chapters 22 and 28
of Matthew.
The Cairo Choral Society sing
at All Saint’s Cathedral
By Master Zan Jia
If you were to walk along Michel Lutfallah Street on the 18th
of May, you would have seen a hive of activity at All Saint‟s
Cathedral; people were coming in, walking around. Pass the
main gate; you would see the choir members mingling in the
crowd. The Cairo Choral Society was performing Shubert‟s
Mass in G.
A hush fell over the crowd, as the Cairo Festival Orchestra
led by John Baboukis performed Handel‟s Concerto Grosso
Op.6 No. 7. This was only the start. Then, as Shubert‟s Mass
in G began, the audience listened eagerly to the music that
flowed like water, sweet to the ear, soothing to the soul.
Shubert wrote the Mass in G in 5 days; the Mass that has
inspired some and soothed others. Between the Credo and
the Sanctus, the music rang out. The audience reflected on
these words, woven like a carpet, intertwining with the ensemble music. All too soon, it was over, the performance had
ended. As the sea of people clapped, the choir and ensemble rose, bowing down to receive the audience applause. As
the crowd filtered away, you could still hear the music in your
head as you went home to dream of angels singing.
The Diocese of Egypt
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Ordination of
Rev. Ehab Ayoub in Suez
It was a joy to be in Suez where on Saturday the
28th of May 2011 I ordained Ehab Ayoub as a
priest. He will be the priest-in-charge of Church of
our Savior, Suez. The church was full of people
celebrating the new ministry of Rev. Ehab and the
mantle of ministry changing from Rev. Hany
Shenouda, who celebrated 11 years of faithfulness
and growth in Suez, to Rev. Ehab. Please pray for
wisdom and strength for Rev. Ehab and his family.
More information about Rev. Ehab and Rev. Hany
will be in next month‟s edition. Stay tuned!!!
An artists rendition of what the centre may look like
Welcome Centre
for the Diocese of Egypt
The Diocese of Egypt began construction of a
Welcome Centre next to All Saint‟s Cathedral in
May 2011. The Welcome Centre will have information about the diocese, have displays of products and projects of the Diocese, provide simple
foods and beverages, and provide an informal
environment for meetings and interactions.
What the site looks like now
The Welcome Centre is only part of our preparations for 2013 when All Saint‟s Cathedral in
Zamalek will celebrate it‟s 25th Anniversary. Our
original All Saints Cathedral will celebrate 75
Years in Cairo, as it originally was situated near
Tahrir Square and consecrated in 1938. The
first Cathedral was demolished to make way for
a new bridge over the Nile in 1978. In 1988 construction finished in its current location on the
island of Zamalek. We will also celebrate 135
years of having a church called “All Saints” in
Cairo (the original building was destroyed).
The funding for the Welcome Centre was provided by the Jerusalem and Middle East Church
Association (St. Mary‟s Waqf). We are so grateful for this generous gift.
The Diocese of Egypt
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Better Together
News from our Partners
The Diocese of Egypt said goodbye to Rev. Rick and Anne Belser in May.
Coming from the Diocese of South Carolina, they arrived in Egypt in January, just before the January 25th Revolution. After life in Egypt settled down
after the revolution, Rev. Rick Belser was licensed by Bishop Mouneer to
serve at St Mark‟s in Alexandria, and started teaching pastoral care at the
Alexandria School of Theology. The Diocese of South Carolina and the Diocese of Egypt
are companion Dioceses., and Rev. Rick and Anne‟s presence and service in Egypt
helped us to build this relationship.
“Rev. Rick and Anne participated here with their long experience in ministry. The members of the Pro-Cathedral appreciated their presence with them during the last 5 months.
They will be missed by many friends here in Alexandria.”
The Very Rev. Dr. Samy Fawzy Shehata
Dean, St Mark‟s Pro-Cathedral, Alexandria
“We enjoyed very much the fellowship with Rick and
Anne. In no time, they became loved members of the
family of the Diocese. I personally appreciate every encouragement I received from both of them.”
The Most Revd Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Dean, All Saints Cathedral, Cairo
Bishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt
Peacemaking Conference
Mr. Ken Sande, President of Peacemaker Ministries and author of the bestseller book
“The Peacemaker,” and Mr. Chip Zimmer, Vice-President of Peacemaker Ministries, led
an interdenominational retreat on Biblical models of peacemaking at Anafora Coptic Orthodox Retreat Centre, half-way between Alexandria and Cairo. The Peacemaking Conference was well attended and included representatives from the Coptic Orthodox
Church, the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Episcopal / Anglican Church. The
conference was also timely as the day before the conference, a Coptic Orthodox Church
was attacked by Salafi Muslims and Bishop Mouneer participated in the peacemaking
process and official investigations. We pray that the Biblical models of peacemaking
which we learnt will be applied and allow us to serve God and our brothers and sisters in
a better way. Pray also as we continue to translate materials and learn how to be better
Christians, modelling the love of Christ to a broken world.
The Diocese of Egypt
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Visitors to the Diocese:
The Right Rev Dr Bill Musk, Bishop of the Episcopal Area of North Africa
The Right Rev Andrew & Dr. Janice Proud, Bishop of Reading (Diocese of Oxford);
former Bishop of the Episcopal Area of the Horn of Africa
Rev Roger Kay (Ethiopia)
Mrs Sandra Wilcox (Ethiopia)
Rev Jeremiah Maet (Ethiopia)
Deacon Girma Obang (Ethiopia)
Rev Colin Hodgetts (Ethiopia)
Mr Alemayehu Weldegebrial (Ethiopia)
Rev Isaac Pur Nurr (Ethiopia)
Mr Emmanuel Zingapeta (Algeria)
Deacon Ayobami Adekunle (Tunisia)
Rev Emil Bou Rizk (Tunisia)
Rev. Richard Menees (USA)
Rev. Richard & Anne Belser (USA)
Mr. David Gough (CMS Ireland)
Rev. Patrick Whitworth (UK)
Mr. Ken Sande (USA)
Mr. Chip Zimmer (USA)
Dr. Bill Salier (Australia)
Ms. Bethany Booth (UK)
Prayer Requests:

Give thanks for the fruitful time spent together at Synod. Pray for the Diocese, the churches
and institutions as we continue to seek His guidance regarding the future of His Church here
in the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
Give thanks for Caravan Festival of the Arts and for the opportunity to build bridges between
Christians and Muslims through the medium of Art.
Pray for the area of Imbaba in Cairo, where there were clashes in May between Muslims and
Christians. Pray that God would transform this difficult situation.


Important Upcoming Events in the Diocese of Egypt
JUNE

Ecumenical Lunch (6 June 2011)

Annual Meeting for the Egypt Diocesan Association, EDA (8 June 2011)

Visit of Dr. Anthony Chignall (7-8 June 2011)

Graduation of the Deaf Unit, Old Cairo (12 June 2011)

Confirmations at the Church for the Deaf, Old Cairo (12 June 2011)

Bishop‟s Visit to the UK (18-23 June 2011)

USPG Conference, UK (20-22 June 2011)

Visit of Rev. Canon John Thew, CMS Australia (25-28 June 2011)
JULY
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Bishop‟s Visit to Youth Meeting of All Saints, Stanley Bay (2 July 2011)
Bishop‟s Visit to Christ the King Church, Ras el Soda (3 July 2011)
Bishop‟s Visit to All Saints, Stanley Bay (3 July 2011)
Visit of Dr. John Binns (8-10 July 2011)
Way of Life Conference (13-15 July 2011)
Visit of Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (14-18 July 2011)
Graduation of the Alexandria School of Theology (16 July 2011)
Bishop‟s Visit to the UK with the Grand Mufti (18-23 July 2011)
Bishop‟s Visit with Grand Mufti to Hope Liverpool University (19 July 2011)
Evangelism & Youth Conference (30 July-4 August 2011)
The Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, a diocese within the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East in the worldwide Anglican Communion,
extends over eight countries including Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and
Djibouti. There are over 70 congregations throughout the Diocese, with All Saints Cathedral, Cairo
being the spiritual centre. The Diocese supports over 30 institutions which include hospitals, clinics,
nurseries, schools, a theological seminary, micro-enterprise ventures, vocational training programs,
as well as institutions for the deaf, disabled and the elderly. The four goals of the Diocese are 1)
reaching the un-reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 2) serving holistically, 3) training leaders,
and 4) building bridges through interfaith and ecumenical dialogue.
The Diocese of Egypt
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