CAPTION: Rev'd Canon Deborah Parsons (on left) said she experienced true Middle Eastern hospitality on a recent Diocese of Exeter trip to our companion diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
Hospitality and Holy Encounters in Bahrain
The Bishop of Plymouth has just returned from a visit to Bahrain, part of the Anglican diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.
The Rt. Rev’d James Grier said “Whilst in Bahrain we experienced an exceptional welcome and hospitality.
“Amongst other things we looked at interfaith relationships with visits to different places of worship and an event hosted by the King Hamad Centre for Peaceful Co-existence. The king of Bahrain is committed to the mutual flourishing of world faiths, which is so significant in a Muslim country.
“We also had a fascinating meeting with the UN and International Organisation for Migration looking at all aspects of migration. This was particularly poignant given our current government focus on it, but also being in the room with Kenyans, when so many Kenyans migrate to Bahrain.”
Archbishop Michael with the Archdeacon of Cyprus, Christopher Futcher, and Rev’d Justin Montague from Devon
The Diocese of Exeter has had a companion link with Cyprus and the Gulf, which covers eight countries, including the whole of the United Arab Emirates, since 1984.
Both dioceses are also linked with the Diocese of Thika in Kenya, and the three-way get together happens every few years
“What struck me most was the diversity of people of different cultures and religions, who treated everyone they met as a holy encounter.” Rev’d Canon Deborah Parsons
Bishop James was accompanied by the Rev’d Canon Deborah Parsons, the Diocese of Exeter’s interfaith advisor, Rev’d Justin Montague from Seaton and Laura Armstrong, a Licensed Lay Minister from the North Creedy West Mission Community.
Their visit was also marked the forthcoming retirement of the Most Rev’d Michael Lewis, Archbishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, after 16 years in the role, which Bishop James said had been marked by his “faithful service and profound understanding of this beautiful and complicated part of the world.”
Bishop James added: “This is a diocese very much in need of our prayers and support. Congregations tend to be made up of mainly ex-patriate Christians living in predominantly Muslim countries.
“Please pray for Cyprus and the Gulf as they seek a new bishop with the necessary knowledge, wisdom and diplomacy as well as confidence in the Christian gospel.”
Cyprus and the Gulf consists of eight, mainly Muslim, countries
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me”
The Rev’d Canon Deborah Parsons is a team vicar in the Totnes Mission Community and also the Diocese of Exeter Interfaith Advisor. Here she shares her reflections on the visit to Bahrain:
“I’ve just returned from a visit to Bahrain to strengthen the link with our companion dioceses of Thika, Cyprus and the Gulf.
I`ve preached many times about Middle Eastern hospitality; now I`ve experienced it!
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you took me into your home.” (Matthew 25:35)
Abundant and gracious hospitality were the hallmark of our visit. Jesus`s teaching in the Gospel of Matthew of “what you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me,” was lived out every day, whether eating a Bahraini breakfast, or lunch in the refectory of a UK Naval base or sharing a meal with my host family and their friends ; enjoying a bring and share meal after a baptism and confirmation service at St Christopher`s cathedral; indulging in a delicious tea during an audience with the Archbishop of Northern Arabia or attending a formal dinner with interfaith delegates from the King Hamad Global Centre for peaceful co-existence.
Here was a country that modelled inclusion and in which God was at the heart of daily life. The safety announcement on the plane began with Bismillah er Rahman er Rahim, we begin in the name of God who is Compassionate and Merciful.
Deborah says she was struck by the diversity of people from different cultures and religions in Bahrain
I learnt too of Middle Eastern culture in which the usual Western rules for diary planning do not apply. Everything is in sha Allah. If God wills. Tomorrow may mean tomorrow but usual means some time…..not necessarily soon!
I took my life into my hands every time I travelled to Manama by car. Negotiating London`s Hanger Lane Gyratory was like a trip to Woodlands Theme Park in comparison with driving in Bahrain, where the usual rules of orderly queueing and indicating seem not to apply.
But what struck me most was the diversity of people from different cultures and religions, who treated everyone they met as a holy encounter.
Hearing the Gospel read in Tamil was a highlight and I was filled with the Holy Spirit when a Tamil choir and an English choir sang at St. Christopher`s Cathedral during a baptism and confirmation service. It was a lived example of love-in-community; unity and diversity; an open table in which all were welcome.
I`ve learnt too of the vital role that the Royal Navy play in supporting the safe passage of goods through key straits such as the Suez Canal and the role they play in reducing smuggling.
What is played out on the political stage affects how our Armed Forces are deployed.
It was heartening too to be part of a conversation exploring global problems such as migration and the positive effect that apps like Just Good Works can have in supporting safe migration of Kenyans to Bahrain.
The visit was inspiring and life-changing and it made me appreciate how small our world is and how important it is to create opportunities for deep listening to myself, to each other and to God.
