St. Andrew's United Church of Cairo

Dear Friends of St. Andrew’s,

In recent days, Egypt has been debating the complicated and integral component of religious pluralism within the country’s framework.  Events in the Christian community such as this past weekend remind us that this debate is not only ongoing within our context, but it can also raise tensions.  As mainly foreign Christians living in Egypt, we as members of St. Andrew’s have an opportunity to delve deeper into these issues to learn more about the debate happening in our context.  How will these learning shape our understanding of faith?  What story will we share from our learnings to friends and family afar?  What are our prayers for Egypt as it continues these debates into the future?

One such event meant to bring this conversation to a deeper level is the Caravan of the Arts at St. John in Maadi starting this evening (Thursday), May 12.  Works are art will be on display, reflecting the theme of “My Neighbor”.  The event is meant to build constructive and peaceful bridges between the two religious communities: Islam and Christianity.  I wonder what the artists have created, perhaps since the revolution, to draw us into the complex conversation of hope.  I draw your attention to this event as a way to process the current and ongoing discussion occurring in our country today.  If pictures tell a thousand words, then this is a unique opportunity to experience in light of current events.  To check it out online, please see www.oncaravan.org/index.htm for more information about this year’s event as well as previous events.

In the end, we pray that a deepening of understanding between the people of Egypt would lead to constructive dialogue, mutuality and respect between people, and peaceful solutions to these complex questions.

God’s blessings to you all,
Pastor Peter

Gratitude for the Spring Church Retreat
This past weekend on May 6-7, 22 persons participated in the Annual Church Retreat, in part deepening the reflection on the Biblical story of Jesus meeting the disciples on the Road to Emmaus.  It was a special time of reflection, respite and rejuvination.

Caravan of the Arts Festival at St. John Church in Maadi
In celebration of the Egyptian Muslims and Christians who are peacefully together walking the road toward a new Egypt, the third annual CARAVAN Festival of the Arts, to be held May 12-18, will be hosted at St. John’s Church in Maadi/Cairo, with the desire to honor the building of bridges between Muslims and Christians that has taken place. 46 premier Middle Eastern and Western visual artists will come together for the exhibition, each submitting work reflecting the theme, “My Neighbor”.  This arts festival will also serve as the Egyptian effort for the UN’s World Interfaith Harmony Week. Opening night is May 12 at 7:00 pm with opening remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator, James Rawley.

Cairo Choral Society Performs Next Week
Two performances of Schubert’s Mass in G will take place next week as part of a concert series by the Cairo Choral Society.  The first concert is scheduled at All Saints Cathedral on Tuesday, May 17th and the second concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18th at Ewart Hall at the American University of Cairo downtown campus.  Both concerts start at 7pm.

Farewell Reception for Outgoing Members
Please join us on Friday, May 20 as we salute those congregation members who will be completing their tenure in Cairo.  We will formally acknowledge their leave-taking during service as well as during a reception following service.

Camboni Community’s  Festival of Peoples and Nations
Members are cordially invited to join the Cordi Jesu Community (one block southheast) on Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 am-6:00 pm, as they host a festival whose aim is to encourage acceptance of differences and cherishing of commonalities.  The festival will include a juried photo exhibit capturing diversity in Egypt, varieties of foods, and  crafts/workshops for children and adults.

Weekly Friday Bible Study continues this week at 11:45
Join us for Bible study after fellowship in the conference room.   Again, we will be studying the passage from today’s worship.

St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer Sunday at 7 pm
Join us Sunday evenings at 7pm for St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer, a contemplative worship service. Begin your week with a time of meditative singing, prayer, scripture, and reflection. Come and be refreshed in the grace and peace of Christ! Our final gathering for this term will be June 12.

StARS Education Programs are looking for teachers
Give the gift of education by volunteering at St. Andrews Refugee Services as an English tutor or teacher for the summer 2011 term! StARS’  Adult Education Program is currently looking for dedicated, motivated and creative people to volunteers as:

English tutors: 2-6 hours/week.
English teachers: 1.5 hours/day for 2 days/week, to teach conversational English.
Dual English & Arabic teacher: Teach a combined English/Arabic class for 18-24 yr olds.

If you have enthusiasm, motivation and a desire to share your skills with others, and are able to commit from May 23rd till the end of July, please email your CV, together with an indication of the volunteer position that you are interested in to Erin Odgers, Volunteer Coordinator: standrews.volunteer@gmail.com

Congregational Meeting, Friday May 6, After Worship
This Friday, after worship, members of St Andrew’s will gather for a special Congregational Meeting. During this meeting the congregation will discuss and vote on several important constitutional revisions.

Congregational Retreat at Anafora Begins this Friday, Departure at 1pm
Thanks to those who have signed up for congregational retreat at Anafora.  We will leave at 1pm following the congregational meeting and will return to Cairo after lunch on Saturday. We look forward to this time together, as we look to deepen our relationship with God through fellowship together.

St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer, this Sunday at 7 pm
Join us Sunday evenings at 7pm for St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer, a contemplative worship service. Begin your week with a time of meditative singing, prayer, scripture, and reflection. Come and be refreshed in the grace and peace of Christ!

No Bible Study this Week
Because of the Congregational Meeting, we will not be holding bible study this Friday. Bible study will resume next week.

St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer Resumes this Sunday at 7 pm
Join us Sunday evenings at 7pm for St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer, a contemplative worship service. Begin your week with a time of meditative singing, prayer, scripture, and reflection. Come and be refreshed in the grace and peace of Christ!

Bible Study Resumes this Week, 11:45
Join us for Bible study after fellowship in the conference room.   Again, we will be studying the passage from today’s worship.

Congregational Meeting, May 6, After Worship
After Worship on Friday, May 6th members of St Andrew’s will gather for a special Congregational Meeting. During this meeting the congregation will discuss and vote on several important constitutional revisions.

May 6-7th: Congregational Retreat at Anafora
Thanks to those who have signed up for congregational retreat at Anafora.  We will leave shortly after the congregational meeting and return to Cairo after lunch. Stay tuned for more information about transportation and schedule.

Services for Holy Week
Please join us this for three Holy Week services as we walk with Jesus in His journey to the cross and His resurrection.
Maundy Thursday: April 21st, 7 PM
Good Friday: April 22nd, 7 PM
Easter Sunday: April 24th, 10 AM

No St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer this Easter Sunday, April 24th
There will be no St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer this Sunday, because of the Easter schedule. Please join us when St. Andrew’s Evening Prayer resumes next Sunday, May 1st.

No Bible Study this Holy Week
There will be no bible this Friday because of the Good Friday schedule. Please join us when Bible study resumes next Friday, April 29th.

Easter Potluck Following Worship, April 24th!
On Easter Sunday, we will hold a potluck following the 10 AM service. All are welcome as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord through food and fellowship. As you are able, please bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert to share for this event.

Dear Friends,

Long-time member Dr. Martha Roy passed away this afternoon.  She was two weeks short of her 98th birthday.  Funeral service arrangements have been made at Kasr Dobara Church on Thursday afternoon (March 10th) at 1pm.  Stay tuned for more details.

Martha will remembered for her long, faithful service to God within the church of Egypt. She will be remembered for being just as much Egyptian as American, though many of us would call her fully Egyptian as she embraced fully her life here as a life-long missionary to this context.  Her matriarchal presence at St. Andrew’s is very apparent, spanning the decades of unequaled faithful presence and ministry.  Her gift of music in our community is a memorable blessing, playing without music all the favorite hymns of the church during worship.  I recall that when first warming up to play the organ in our Sunday morning services, she frequently played “Jesus Loves Me.”

I give thanks to God for Martha and her witness.  Eternal rest grant her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.

In Christ,
Pastor Peter Johnson

March 3, 2011

Dear Members and Friends of St. Andrew’s,

In general, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah address the story of the people of Israel as they begin their return to Jerusalem.  These two books are fascinating and faithful books chronicling their community as it ends a period of exile of a few generations and shifts to the rebuilding of the community of faith.  Not only does this include the beginnings of the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but this also includes the rebuilding of their very community fabric.   The blessings of God and their faith accompanied them in this process.

All of us have experienced in our own way an exile these past five weeks.  There are some of us who experienced an evacuation from the home community and being relocated to a faraway place.  Leaving behind routines and patterns as well as cherished friends is a difficult process.

Some of us may not have been relocated, but were exiled away from normal activities of life by prevailing insecurities in our local neighborhoods and city.

On a more personal and spiritual level, we were exiled away from peace and personal security, having experienced to varying degrees real fear during these transition times in Egypt.  The fact that the worshiping community at St. Andrew’s did not gather together for close to a month is a powerful exile from the community of faith.

We are reminded that Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of a faithful community about coming together again after exile.  We are out and about in the city again.  Many friends have returned.  We cautiously look forward to a new normal to be established in our city.  We, too, can trust that God will direct and guide us in God’s peace.

Importantly, our services have resumed their normal schedule at 10am on Fridays and 7pm on Sunday evenings.  Again, we can come together as community to hear God’s promises for us through Christ.  I look forward to seeing you tomorrow or Sunday.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Peter Johnson

Worship Services Resume Normal Schedule

After several weeks of disruption to our worship schedule, St. Andrew’s will be resuming our normal worship schedule of 10am on Fridays and 7pm on Sunday evenings.  If the situation in Cairo or in the church’s neighborhood effects our regularly scheduled service times, announcements will be distributed in a timely fashion through the church e-newsletter and other methods.

Ash Wednesday Services to be Held at All Saints Cathedral

The season of Lent begins with the solemn and meaningful Ash Wednesday service at All Saints Cathedral in Zamalek on Wednesday, March 9.  Members of St. Andrew’s are invited to join with other congregations in this combined worship experience as we prepare ourselves for Easter.  The reflective communion service will include special prayers for the beginning of Lent, and the imposition of ashes – a sign of our desire for God’s forgiveness and our determination to reflect his holiness in our lives and his world.

Janice Grey Benefit Concert Scheduled for Friday, March 11 at 2pm

St. Andrew’s welcomes Janice Grey as she performs her third annual piano recital on Friday, March 11 at 2pm.  She will present works by Haydn, Grieg, Gershwin, Scarlatti, Chopin, Bach, Poulenc as well as other artists.  Donations at the concert will be given to St. Andrew’s Refugee Services.  All are welcome.

Update on St. Andrew’s Refugee Services

The programs of St. Andrew’s Refugee Services experienced considerable disruption over the past four weeks due to the social unrest.  Our central location in the heart of the city was part of the reason for disruption, along with the general feelings of insecurity from staff and the refugees we serve through our schools and legal counseling services.  This week, our Children’s Education Program reopened for all ages and is grateful that most students have returned to their classes.  The Adult Education Program is taking registrations this week with classes set to resume next week.  The Resettlement Legal Aid Project (RLAP) remains closed to new clients as RLAP staff continues evaluating the impact of the social situation in Egypt upon the refugee resettlement process.  Finally, psycho-social team continues its earnest work with companion organizations to address the special needs of refugees created by the crisis.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support of this important social service ministry in our church.

February 3, 2011 (1:25 CST)

Update from St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo

Dear Friends,

A member of St. Andrew’s has provided some footage from the church, describing how it has been impacted by the recent protests in the surrounding church neighborhood. 

We are grateful that these encroachments at St. Andrew’s have not continued in the past few days.  Please continue your prayers for Egypt, our congregation and all our neighbors in Cairo.

Please stay tuned for further updates, as Intern Pastor Paul and I look to keep you informed to the continuing developments of our church’s ministry.

In prayer,
Pastor Peter

February 3, 2011

Dear Members and Friends of St. Andrews,

We wanted to give you an update from Cairo during these days of challenge for our community and context.

Intern Pastor Paul Schick and I (along with our families and all other ELCA and PCUSA personnel serving in Egypt) were asked to go to the airport to participate in the US State Department’s evacuation plans. We arrived safely in Minnesota last night. Our planned return to Egypt will be an ongoing assessment by the ELCA as we maintain contact with St. Andrew’s members and staff and the ELCA’s partners on the ground.

Worship for this Friday (tomorrow) is again canceled. Worship at St. Andrew’s location needs to be considered carefully and on a week-by-week basis. Ian Baxter has volunteered to lead and coordinate worship as the situation allows. Each week, announcements regarding services will be available online through St. Andrew’s website and the newsletter list. In the event that internet again becomes unavailable, please contact Ian Baxter for service information: 016-450-7377. If problems with phone lines and internet prevent us from communicating service information, please err on the side of caution.

Due to our location across from the High Court buildings, St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo has seen much activity in our neighborhood: protesters, tear gas, gun fire, etc. A few nights ago, the church was broken into by looters, though it appears nothing valuable was taken from the property. The next day, members of the church took church valuables to their homes in several locations around Cairo for safe keeping. The facade of the Guild Hall and a few windows have been damaged by bullets. Although the door of the sacristy was broken, the sanctuary appears fine.

As for our refugee programs, we have suspended our Children Education Program, Adult Education Program and Resettlement Legal Aid Project until the conditions are safer.

And finally, we take heart that even as we are unable to be together in person, we remain united through the bond of Christ in love and prayer. And in these times of great anxiety and turbulence, we can find hope and courage in the words of the apostle Paul:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

In Prayer,

Pastor Peter Johnson and Intern Pastor Paul Schick