Abu Dhabi Evangelical Community Church celebrates 50th anniversary, honors tolerance in UAE

“Today, the UAE is a world leader in promoting well-being and understanding among the many communities that call it home. It is a role model in supporting freedom of worship and showing enthusiasm for others with different values ​​and belief systems,” Sequeira Say.

“Its leadership has created a cohesive society where people from different backgrounds live in harmony, making the country a frontrunner. Over the past five years this has allowed us to live out what we believe in and allow the community to thrive. “

An evangelical church was first established in the capital in 1972. In fact, some of the first members of the evangelical community—Dr. Pat Kennedy and Dr. Marianne Kennedy—are credited with establishing the first hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Oasis Hospital, in Al Ain, now known as Kanad Hospital .

The Kennedys are part of the Evangelical Alliance’s mission, and their work in the UAE has attracted two other mission members – Carl and Barbara Sherbeck – to the UAE. Carl Sherbeck, a priest by training, was approached by other evangelicals to set up a prayer service when he moved to the UAE capital to assist hospitals with port-related processes.

“The community first started meeting in Sherbeck’s living room and then rented storage rooms to provide services until 1974. Eventually, the community approached the Abu Dhabi leadership asking for a living quarters that could also be used as a meeting place and were awarded A plot near Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street,” Sequeira said.

The community has grown over the years and, in response to another request, acquired a piece of land in 1990 to build a church. The Evangelical Community Church finally opened in the Al Mushrif area in 1994. As the community continued to grow, by 2009 a larger building was developed on the same site to accommodate the growing number of worshipers.

More than 15,000 people visit the church each week, Sequeira said, and services are held in 16 other languages ​​for various ethnic groups and congregations.

“We are very grateful that we have been given freedom of worship in this land. We have a meeting space, a legal way for the presence of the clergy, which was further formalized with the creation of the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Community Development in 2018,” said the pastor. Say.

In fact, this tolerance of all faiths has even allowed the UAE to attract talent to its shores and ensure families feel safe and comfortable in their new homes.

“Many members of the evangelical community first check to see if a church exists before moving to a new place. It allows them to continue to thrive. In fact, one of our oldest members has lived here since 1977 and continues to Stay on as an investor.”

Sequeira himself moved to Abu Dhabi from the US in 2017.

“I wanted to pastor a congregation and was attracted to Abu Dhabi, which is at the crossroads of East and West. The former pastor, Jeramie Rinne, was looking for someone to assist him, and I applied for the position. When my wife and I came here , we were amazed by the community and fell in love with the congregation,” he said.

Following Rinne’s departure, Sequeira was named the church’s senior pastor in 2021.

“Many individuals and families have shared with us upon leaving Abu Dhabi that church and the church community were the highlight of their time here and that it is not uncommon for them to grow spiritually in ways they never imagined. This Is another reason why I choose to come here: the potential for global impact. Participating in the spiritual formation of people from every country, they are here in the UAE, and then they will go out from here to all over the world, getting more in their faith Nourishment from the world makes it possible for us to have a global impact,” the pastor added.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the church hosted a special event on Saturday, November 12, attended by community members and various dignitaries. Officials from the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development as well as the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE and regular church attendee Hjayceelyn M. Quintana also attended the pre-VIP event. Former senior pastor Cam Arensen (1990-2015) was also present, witnessing the church looking back to the past and looking forward to the next 50 years.

Morning and evening worship continued the next day to celebrate the anniversary.