New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 18
18 N E W W O R L D O U T L O O K . O R G
Thomas Kemper poses with staff of the Valiant Clinic in Dubai, administered by Houston Methodist Hospital.
PHOTO: COURTESY THOMAS KEMPER
"Facilitate Christian
Services"
My brief trip to the UAE included
"Palm Friday." Since all worship
takes place on Friday, the weekly
holy day of Islam, Sunday is a work
day. Whether Protestant services
can be held on Friday depends on
whether a congregation can find a
space for worship. First Church's
anniversary service was held on a
Friday afternoon at the Anglican Holy
Trinity Church. I met with Oasis of
Grace in the middle of the day at the
Cassells Hotel, Al Barsha, and the
Sharjah church in the evening at St.
Martin's Anglican.
First Methodist Church Dubai has
worshipped in many spaces throughout its 10 years. While some religious
groups have regular churches or temples, that is generally not the case for
small Protestant fellowships, such as
United Methodists. Our congregations
borrow or rent space-First Church
currently at Holy Trinity Anglican parish and Sharjah at St. Martin's. Both
Anglican churches are part of the
Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. The
Anglican Church has a strong presence
in the UAE stemming from British economic interests in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries.
St. Martin's is a particularly interesting case study in broad ecumenical space-sharing. The Rev. Drew
Wayne, the priest in charge of the
Anglican facility, told me that 127 different guest congregations use the
center, which has rooms that can accommodate from 50 to 1,000 persons. Rev. Wayne said that the ruling
emir told him to "facilitate Christian
services," and he took the mandate
seriously. The Anglicans provide
only a sound system and a podium.
Sharjah United Methodist Church
brings and takes away after worship
its Christian symbols and equipment.
There is no storage area.
of religious and secular law, puts a
high priority on health services. It has
a privatized, yet universal, health insurance system. Health care is free
for citizens and insurance is a shared
expense for migrant employers and
employees. All migrants must be part
of the system.
The UAE has reached out to
health-care providers from outside
the country. The outpatient Valiant
Clinic, opened in Dubai last year, is
administered by Houston Methodist
Hospital. Along with local United
Methodist leaders, I visited the
state-of-the-art clinic while there.
It seems to be one of the very few
places where the word "Methodist"
is publicly displayed. We received
a warm welcome, and yes, the
Methodist connection is alive and vibrant and sometimes in very unexpected places.
Health Connections
Thomas Kemper is the general secretary of the General Board of Global
Ministries.
The UAE, despite human rights and
equity issues arising from its mixture
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open
Contents
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - Intro
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - Cover1
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - Cover2
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - Contents
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 4
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 5
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 6
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 7
New World Outlook - Summer 2017 - Open - 8
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