A rendering of the planned Church of South India, which is set to serve hundreds of parishioners when it opens its doors. Courtesy: Church of South India
A rendering of the planned Church of South India, which is set to serve hundreds of parishioners when it opens its doors. Courtesy: Church of South India
A rendering of the planned Church of South India, which is set to serve hundreds of parishioners when it opens its doors. Courtesy: Church of South India
A rendering of the planned Church of South India, which is set to serve hundreds of parishioners when it opens its doors. Courtesy: Church of South India

New church in Abu Dhabi is 40-year dream come true for devoted flock


Ramola Talwar Badam
  • English
  • Arabic

A new church to be built in Abu Dhabi will provide a spiritual home for generations of Indian  worshippers.

Construction will soon begin on the Church of South India, serving members of the Protestant branch of Christianity, with a foundation stone ceremony to be held this weekend.

The church will be located in the Abu Mureikha area of the capital, near the plot of a Hindu temple that is being built.

With tall, narrow windows and an arched doorway, the architecture of the place of worship will blend Islamic design elements.

More than four acres of land for the church was granted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

“This is a blessing to our community and is a mark of tolerance of this nation,” said Reverend Sojee Vergis John.

“It is yet another milestone of the religious freedom in this country. We will now have the ability to properly serve our community.”

More than 750 parishioners in Abu Dhabi, mainly from Kerala state in southern India, will finally have their own place of worship after 40 years.

They congregate weekly at the St Andrew’s Church for two-hour prayer services on Friday and on Sunday for Bible studies.

The estimated Dh9 million cost will be sourced from donations from followers and well-wishers in the UAE. The plot in Abu Dhabi will be the second shrine for the Church of South India, with one already in Fujairah.

From a small community of 50 people in 1979, the church has grown to about 6,000 members across the country.

Its followers in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah pray in Anglican churches in the Emirates.

Due to the large number of parishioners and numerous congregations, worshippers usually hold gatherings in community halls and shrines of the larger churches.

There is a spirit of brotherhood, fellowship and acceptance in the UAE

Plans for the church show earthy tones of beige and white on the exterior with an octagon-shaped roof and a skylight that allows the sun’s rays to filter across the large prayer hall within.

Approvals for construction are being sought and the work is expected to take about a year with plans to open for worship in early 2021.

It will also include halls for other congregations to gather much like the space it has shared over the past four decades in St Andrew’s Church, the country’s oldest Anglican shrine.

“There is a spirit of brotherhood, fellowship and acceptance in the UAE,” said Reverend John.

“This makes it an example of harmony and peace and a moral for the world’s religions.”

The church was among 18 non-Muslim places of worship that received official status and licences as part of  a Department of Community Development initiative in September.

Many churches have been in existence in the Emirates for decades, with some given land by Sheikh Zayed, the nation’s Founding Father.

The Church of South India was among five new places of worship officially registered in September.

A ceremony to bless the foundation stone will be held on Friday evening at St Andrew’s Church in the presence of hundreds of parishioners and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance, and senior government officials.

The foundation stone laying ceremony will be conducted on Saturday morning on the new plot of land off the main Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.

The Church of South India is the second largest Christian church in India after the Catholic Church and has more than four million followers worldwide.

Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series

Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
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Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
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The tours 
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
STAGE 4 RESULTS

1 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 4:51:51

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4 Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

5 Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo

General Classification

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 12:50:21

2 Adam Yates (GBR) Teamn Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:43

3 Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:03

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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.