Dubai church to mark 50 years of congregation

On the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance, a church in Dubai is all set to celebrate its 50 years of congregation in the UAE.
The Mar Thoma Church in Jebel Ali, founded in 1969, is kick-starting a year-long golden jubilee celebration of the congregation this Friday.
The congregation that began with a small group of 57 members has grown exponentially. The parish is now home to 2,400 families as members.
"The 50^th-anniversary celebration will be inaugurated on Friday at 4pm, at the Mar Thoma Church in Jebel Ali. Celebrations will coincide with the International Day of Tolerance, falling on the same day," Father Siju Cherian Philip, vicar of the church, told Khaleej Times.
He added: "Several activities will be held in the coming months with the first phase of events also marking the 'Year of Zayed' in commemoration of the birth centennial of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding Father of the Nation."
Varughese Thomas, parish secretary and general convener of the golden jubilee committee, said: "Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony, which will be attended by Rev Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan and Retired Rev. Joseph Mar Barnabas Episcopal, Diocesan Bishop."
Other guests for the event are Mar Aprem Mooken, metropolitan of the Chaldean Church, NK Premachandran, India's Member of Parliament from Kerala, and Vipul, Indian Consul General. "During the function, the parish will be honouring Rev Dr Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan upon completion of 60 years of priesthood," said Thomas.
Sunny Varkey, chairman of the GEMS Education and M. John, director at Bhatia Brothers Group, will also be honoured for their contribution to the church and society.
Thomas added: "We have a rich calendar of activities lined up to mark the golden jubilee celebration. Our goal is to celebrate the spirit of unity and positivity that the UAE fosters through the celebration."
Early years
"Members of the congregation first met as a small group of 57 members at the Our Own English High School in Dubai 1969. They later moved to the Holy Trinity Church compound before moving to its own church premises in Jebel Ali in 2001," said Father Siju.
He added: "We are grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for the support and guidance. The Maktoum family had benevolently given us land to build the church and we want to give back for the kindness by serving the community even more productively during our golden jubilee year."
A lesson in history
Providing a brief background on the Mar Thoma Church, Father Siju said: "The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church or The Mar Thoma Church, as it is popularly known, is a Syrian Christian Church based in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India."
It is an autonomous oriental church with Syrian high church traditions and extensive characteristics from the Reformation era. The church currently has around 950,000 members in Kerala and another one million throughout the diaspora. Father Siju is the 18^th vicar since inception.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com