St. Saviour's church, in Acre, northern Israel, will be a beacon of hope and faith, says Episcopal diocese of Jerusalem Archbishop Suheil Dawani in his sermon. Photo: Diocese of Jerusalem
A service of rededication has taken place at St Saviour’s Church, in Acre in northern Israel, which was closed in the late 1940s. This rededication follows the re-opening and re-dedication of St Paul’s Church in West Jerusalem in 2011, which was closed around the same time. There are also plans to begin the renovation of a third church closed in the late 1940s – St. Peter’s in Jaffa-Tel Aviv.
The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, in his sermon, expressed “happiness, gladness and gratitude” and said the revival of the church and its activities will be a beacon of hope and faith. “This evening we, the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, with our sister churches, and the people in Acre, although we are from different backgrounds and affiliations, unite together to celebrate this important and historic event of rededication of this spiritual place after so many years of waiting. God has empowered us to revive God’s house of prayer, and to re-open it as a space of welcome to all people without exception.”
The ancient city of Acre expanded at the beginning of the 20th century to a population of around 9,000; it had six mosques and five churches. The Anglican ministry was started in Acre by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) when a school for boys was opened in 1874 and a school for girls was opened in 1887. The two schools later merged. In 1886, the first church committee meeting was held to elect a pastorate committee; the church’s ministry included education, healthcare, and rehabilitation, especially among the needy. English lessons were held and there was regular Bible Study.
Asforthemedicalministry, asmallclinicwasdevelopedtoasmallhospitalintheoldcity. Tenyearslaterthehospitalwasclosedandthentheschoolaswell. Atthebeginningofthe 1940sthepastoratecommitteeboughtapieceoflandinordertostartanewchurchbuildingwiththehelpofparishioners. ThefoundationstonewaslaidinAugust 1946 andthechurchbuildingwasreadyforusebyJanuary 1947. However,afterthewarof 1948 themajorityoftheparishionersatSaintSaviour’sleftthecityandthechurchwassoonclosed.
Dawani expressed hope for its future after the rededication. “Our Christian theology invites us – even though we are diverse in worship, liturgy and theological thinking – to be one body in Christ Jesus. We are to reach out to those other religions, Muslims and Jews. We do not claim that we have no differences: on the contrary, it is natural to have this kind of diversity,” he said. ” We share in worshiping the one living God and our conviviality for the sake of true humanity which leads us to goodness, security, justice, peace, and prosperity for all.”
What the world wants, Dawani said, “especially here in the Middle East which suffers so much through war, violence and extremism – is for a real peace that restores true humanity. The spectrum of the tragedy and the bitterness of suffering causes people to fear what the future will hold for them.”
He said what is needed is a new education “that teaches people to respect life and to perceive the human person to be of a sacred value because we are all created in the image and likeness of God.” This new education “will provide healing to the wounds of our bleeding humanity and restore relationships of broken societies,” he added. “Reviving the ministry of this church and its activities is to engage, share, and join together in God’s mission in the world. We are to be bridge builders for love and mutual understanding. We are to strengthen the bonds of unity. We are to live together among the different monotheistic religions to the glory of God and service of humanity.”