Abu Dhabi, Dec. 20, 2018: Churches in Abu Dhabi are gearing up to celebrate Christmas with special prayers and a message of tolerance as the UAE celebrates 2019 as the Year of Tolerance.
Rev Andy Thompson said that this year at St Andrew’s Church, Christmas will be about reflections on the theme of Christ as the prince of peace.
“We had carols in the desert to which hundreds came and sang their favourite carols under the desert stars. This Friday, we will celebrate the ‘Christingle service’ in which we remember Christ, the light coming into the world. On Sunday night, there will be ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’, a Christmas traditional service that originated from Cambridge University,” Thompson said.
“Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, on the other hand, is a popular service. Then a family communion takes place at 10am on Christmas day itself.”
For the Evangelical Community Church, Senior Pastor Jeramie Rinne said their congregation would be celebrating Christmas to remind the Christian community of the importance of tolerance and love in today’s “fractured world”.
“Christmas is an opportunity for people from all faiths to come together and form cultural bridges. One of the main aspects of tolerance is understanding others’ faith, hence Christmas is an ‘open house’ where we tell people of other faiths to join in so that they can learn something about us as much as we get to learn about them,” said Rinne.
The senior pastor said they would be holding a special Christmas service on December 24 at 7pm and also on December 31, both in English.
“We had our annual international Christmas Carole on December 11 which saw members of our congregation from 50 different nationalities singing carols in their mother tongue and special cultural performances,” he said.
The Protestant Church located near Al Khubeira area has around 1,000 members of 50 different nationalities, including people from Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Spain and Arabic countries, among others.
The Mar Thoma Church from Kerala, on the other hand, is gearing up for Christmas by reminding the faithful to “be the shelter for the poor and the downtrodden”.
Christmas is a time to remember that true love in God is to stand with the destitute and give them shelter and solace,” said Rev Babu Kulathackal, vicar of the church.
The church in Mussafah will be holding a special service on Christmas Eve and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend.
“The year 2019 is special as it is the Year of Tolerance. We are grateful to the UAE leadership for the freedom of worship and patronage Christians enjoy in Abu Dhabi. The country is setting an example for the world and as residents of the UAE, we all have the responsibility to spread the message of peace and tolerance,” said Kulathackal. Similar messages of love and peace during Christmas were emphasised by the priest of St Nicholas Orthodox Church of the Greek Orthodox sect.
“Christmas brings joy and cheer to families. It is also a time to pray for peace and be grateful for our blessings,” said Rev Father Stephanos Neaimeh.
“Most of the nearly 4,000 members of our congregation from countries like Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Greece, Russia, Cyprus, Serbia, etc. are out of the country during Christmas. Still, we expect more than 600 people to attend the three-and-a-half-hour-long special service from 6.30pm to 10pm on Christmas Eve,” said Neaimeh.
(khaleejtimes.com)