Ship of Fools: Churchmanship of the Diocese of Jerusalem

Thread: Churchmanship of the Diocese of Jerusalem Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Anglican_Brat (# 12349) on :

As noted before, I'll be in the Diocese of Jerusalem for the next three months.

Anyone have an idea of the worship style or churchmanship of the diocese?

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

As it happens, we had a sermon from a visiting Honourary Canon of St. George's, Jerusalem last Sunday. He didn't vest but then he was only a visitor so not sure what can one deduce. Being a Palestinian, he was much more concerned with the peace process as one would expect!

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

As dj_o suggests, I'm sure they have many more priorities than liturgical niceties. But my guess (and it's only a guess, never having been) that it's sort of mildly MOTR.

Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on :

The Wikipedia article on the GAFCON conference in Jerusalem documents the reaction of the local Presiding Bishop. While not relating to churchmanship as much as to theology, it does seem to reinforce that the peace process and the particular role of the Church in the Holy Land trump some of our differences, including the communion-straining ones.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I spent a couple of weeks in St. Georges. They have a very pleasant hotel/guest house on the Cathedral grounds. Every room has these big medieval walls that a cannon wouldn't get through. This gives a special atmosphere, I felt like a Knight Templar most of the time [Biased]

My views of the Cathedral are very positive. The way I remember it, they have a couple of services every day (at least one early morning and one in the afternoon), sometimes with a bunch of people, sometimes with only the celebrant present. More people come for Sunday service, especially British who live in Jerusalem.

I don't enough about Anglican liturgy to comment on details, but to this layman it felt very 'old-style': readings from the liturgy book, lots of room for contemplation. I liked it very much.

The church is definitely involved in trying to promote peace, and they managed to create an island of peace within all this turmoil. Very impressive.

I'm actually envious that you're going to spend some time there.

Posted by LQ (# 11596) on :

A_B might want to stay away from Christ Church Jerusalem (or, conversely, may be drawn by morbid curiosity).

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

I wonder if St. George's still does sung mattins.

My abiding memory is of hearing the Venite sung in Arabic to Anglican chant.

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

Now I recall, it was where I saw Hymns A&M with Arabic words under the music. It was presumably printed right to left.

It was certainly Sung Eucharist when I was there a very long time ago (with Hugh Wybrew as Dean?)

I suspect there are a whole lot of congregations in the diocese, serving different needs, ex-pat, indigenous, Christ Church or whatever.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

In any case, I think they have services in English and in Arabic.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

I do remember Hugh Wybrew reading the psalms so incredibly slowly one weekday that (if honest) it drove one almost nuts.

It has a slight American influence I seem to remember (not the slow psalms). A positive experience though. Moderately high.

Posted by Ecclesiastical Flip-flop (# 10745) on :

quote:
Originally posted by leo:
I wonder if St. George's still does sung mattins.

My abiding memory is of hearing the Venite sung in Arabic to Anglican chant.

Not on a regular basis apparently, if at all. I have looked them up on their website to find that out.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

To be fair, my last visit was about 16 years ago.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

Haha Same. I wonder if we were there together?

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

Mine was in 2003. I guess I'm sort of a Saint Georges rookie then [Biased]

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

Oh I can out beat you all, my visit was 27 years ago! I was with SCAWD, and spent the week before at the Scots Hospice Tiberias. Yes we did stay at St Georges and not St Andrews, it was simply more convenient for what we were doing. My memories include singing "We are marching in the Light of God" in the grounds but we were rather self contained as a worshipping group well about half of us were CofS ministers and the rest students.

Jengie

p.s. if you think that is too early for that song, you are wrong. The person who acted as worship leader was the then warden of Iona Abbey. We were using material from Bell and Maule's latest collection (A Touching Place) which was not in print yet.

[ 20. April 2013, 20:08: Message edited by: Jengie Jon ]

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Colleagues I have known who have stayed there long term, bar one, have gnerally been middle to high. The exeption, the gorgeous Bishop John Bayton, is nosebleed high (was there lecturing in '95-96) and one of the finest priests and bishops I have ever known.

Posted by Intrepid Thurifer (# 77) on :

Bishop John Bayton use to be the Vicar of St Peters Eastern Hill Melbourne. He still occasionally come for mass.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I'm a bit ashamed that I forgot the name of the person who was priest there in 2003. Very sympathetic man.

Posted by sebby (# 15147) on :

Fr Stephen Need was dean of college there for some years.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

quote:
sebby: Fr Stephen Need was dean of college there for some years.

This is Stephen Need, right? No, it was defenitely someone who looked more Arab than English. It might have been Hosam Naoum, but I'm not sure.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
Oh I can out beat you all, my visit was 27 years ago!

No! I first went 32 years ago!

Posted by Custard (# 5402) on :

As I recall, there are two Anglican churches in Jerusalem itself.

St George's (the cathedral) is lib cath-ish and largely pro-Arab; Christ Church is charismatic evangelical-ish and largely pro-Israeli.

All as far as I remember, etc...

Posted by Try (# 4951) on :

According to the website, there is also a third Anglican parish in Jerusalem itself, St. Paul's, which is home to an Arabic-speaking congregation. Apparently that parish was founded by the CMS in the 1870s, it had been closed since 1948, when it was caught on the wrong side (for Palestinians) of the "green line" between Israel and Jordan. The church was reopened in 2011, so it's a very new parish. Since it's essentially a church plant of St. George's I would expect it to share their liberal-catholic churchmanship.

quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
[QB] I spent a couple of weeks in St. Georges. They have a very pleasant hotel/guest house on the Cathedral grounds. Every room has these big medieval walls that a cannon wouldn't get through. This gives a special atmosphere, I felt like a Knight Templar most of the time

Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia the Anglican cathedral is Victorian, not medieval- unlike the Lutheran church in Jerusalem, which is a restored Hospitaller church.

A look at the various parish links on the Diocese of Jerusalem website shows that while the cathedral is liberal catholic, the parishes of the diocese have a wide range of churchmanships, from liberal-catholic to evangelical.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

quote:
Custard: St George's (the cathedral) is lib cath-ish and largely pro-Arab

I would say pro-peace.

quote:
Try: Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia the Anglican cathedral is Victorian

I know. But I have a vivid imagination [Biased]

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