Abu Dhabi Evangelical Church celebrates its 50th anniversary

a historic Abu Dhabi Church Growing from an intimate living room service to a remarkable growth with a congregation of thousands, it is celebrating 50 years of faithful service to the community.

evangelical community member church As they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Saturday, they reflected on a humble spiritual journey.

Those formative meetings attended by the few Christians eager to practice their faith were held at the home of evangelical couple Carl and Barbara Sherbeck, who moved to the UAE from the United States in 1966 to support the work of Al Ain Oasis Hospital.

A place of worship that now hosts 10,000 parishioners from 80 countries was born out of a legacy of goodwill and generosity.

The medical facility itself was established by evangelists Dr. Pat and Marian Kennedy In 1960, after the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan invited them to build modern healthcare facilities for newborns and infants.

In honor of them, it was renamed Canard Hospital in 2019.

Churches rooted in the UAE

Rev Sherbeck would serve as the church’s first pastor in 1972, and soon after a growing flock needed additional space, services soon moved from his home to a warehouse.

In 1974, the late Sheikh Khalifa provided a small residential area for a group of worshippers across the road from the Emirates Airport to meet and worship.

“From 1974 to 1990, they met there and grew to a congregation of nearly 100,” said Aubrey Sequeira, the church’s senior pastor.

In January 1991, Sheikh Khalifa allowed them to build their own church building in Al Mushrif, which opened in 1994.

“From that era to today, people have always respected and trusted each other,” Mr Sequila said.

“We have the freedom to worship here and have a clear legal status in the country through the Ministry of Community Development.

“Those are the blessings the state has given us, but I also think the presence of evangelical Christians and churches here, blessing the country and the nation, because before anyone comes here to work, one of the things they check here is if there is church.

“Like schools, if you know a country has good schools, it’s more comfortable to move the family there. The presence of the church strengthens the family, and many people want to raise their children in the Christian faith. It’s spiritually and holistically strengthens their lives.”

While the church has grown over the years, it has remained close-knit, providing members with everything from Bible study to marriage counseling.

On one occasion, church members visited a cancer patient every day for two months until his tragic death.

“We are their spiritual home away from home. We become their family — their social network, and when people leave Abu Dhabi, they tell us that the highlight of their life here is the church,” Pastor Sequila said.

Church brings joy to believers

Marten Youssef, vice-chancellor for university relations at the University of British Columbia, was in Abu Dhabi recently for Sunday Mass.

“This church feels like a part of heaven because you have all these different nationalities and that’s what heaven is like.”

Hjayceelyn M Quintana, the Philippine ambassador to the UAE, has attended the church since he was ordained four years ago.

“This is especially important for my community, which represents the third largest expat community in the UAE,” she said.

“It represents tolerance, openness and diversity, which is very important to us. They take care of the spiritual well-being of Filipinos working in this country.”

With the opening of a second place of worship in Ruwais, a developing region in the western emirate, Church Operations Director Cass O’Rear aims to spread the message of unity and harmony widely.

“I, a guy from Texas, was a pastor and worshipped in a church in the United Arab Emirates, which was incredible to me,” he said.

“This country has given us so much to worship freely, which wasn’t necessarily what I thought when I was a kid in Texas.”

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Updated: November 12, 2022 3:00 AM