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Christ
Church
From public
donations and a government contribution the
350 seat Church was built in Steamer Point
and consecrated by Bishop Harding on 10th
January 1864. The chancel was 96 feet long
and 52 feet wide.
Appointed
and paid by the Government, a chaplain held
service once each Sunday and occasionally on
weekdays. In his absence prayers were read
by a garrison officer.
Between 1987 and
1995 the then Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf,
John Brown, was in negotiations with the
government of southern Yemen and afterwards
with the new united government of the Yemen
Arab Republic to restore the church. The
authorities very much appreciated Bishop
John's offer to build a medical clinic in
the church compound for the benefit of
mothers and babies.
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 The matter was clinched when Bishop John
received a fatwa from Sheikh Zabarah, the
Grand Mufti of the Yemen, instructing that
the church should be restored to him and
that Christians should be permitted to
worship freely, just as "Muslims are
permitted to do in Britain".
His successor, Bishop Clive Handford, has
overseen the completion of the church
restoration and the clinic, and both are now
working successfully. The Church is a home
from home for expatriate Christians,
especially seamen, and the Clinic with its
dedicated and devoted team, grows daily in
its outreach to the poorest sections
of the community. |
