Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf

Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
Location
CountryCyprus, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Yemen
Ecclesiastical provinceEpiscopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
Statistics
Congregations23
Information
DenominationAnglicanism
CathedralSt. Paul's Cathedral, Nicosia
St. Christopher's Cathedral, Bahrain
Current leadership
BishopSean Semple
Map

  Diocese of Jerusalem
  Diocese of Cyprus and the Persian Gulf
  Diocese of Iran
Website
www.cypgulf.org

The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf is one of three dioceses in the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, a province in the Anglican Communion. It covers Cyprus and the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Yemen. The bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf[1] is the Ordinary of the diocese. In every part of the diocese, except in Cyprus and Iraq, the congregations are largely expatriate, with many Christians from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the African continent. The diocese is linked with the Diocese of Exeter in England and the Diocese of Thika in Kenya. The diocese is divided into the Archdeaconry of Cyprus and the Archdeaconry of the Gulf: Christopher Futcher was collated archdeacon in Cyprus on 7 September 2019.[2] The Rev'd Canon Dr. Michael Mbona, a Zimbabwean serving at St. Paul's in Kuwait, was appointed as Archdeacon for the Gulf, following the retirement of long-serving Archdeacon Bill Schwartz, OBE.

List of bishops in Cyprus and the Persian Gulf

(Any dates appearing in italics indicate de facto continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.)

Tenure Name Notes
1976 to 1981 Leonard Ashton Inaugural bishop; died 2001
1981 to 1986 Henry Wylie Moore General secretary, Church Missionary Society, 1986–89, retired as bishop in 1991
1986 to 1996 John Brown Briefly rural dean of Grimsby (2003 to 2004); died 2011
1997 to 2007 Clive Handford Now an assistant bishop, Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
2007 to 2023 Michael Lewis Formerly bishop of Middleton
2024 to present Sean Semple

Churches

Gulf Churches[3]

United Arab Emirates

  • Christ Church, Jebel Ali
  • Holy Trinity Church, Dubai
  • St Luke Church, Ras Al Khaimah
  • St Martin Church, Sharjah
  • St Nicholas' Church, Fujairah
  • St Andrew Church, Abu Dhabi
  • St Thomas Church, Al Ain

Kuwait

  • St Paul Church – Kuwait

Qatar

  • Church of the Epiphany, Doha – Qatar

Bahrain

  • St Christopher's and Awali Church, Bahrain

Yemen

  • Christ Church, Aden, Yemen

Cyprus[4]

  • St. Barnabas church, Limassol
  • St Helena Church, Larnaca
  • St Lazarus Church, Pissouri
  • St Paul's Cathedral, Nicosia
  • St Andrew's Church Kyrenia
  • Christ Church Ayia Napa
  • St Mark Church, Famagusta
  • Anglican Church of Paphos

See also

References

  1. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory (97th ed. London: Church House Publishing, 2001), p. 1144, column a: 'Cyprus and the Gulf (Bishop in) [emphasis in original].
  2. ^ "New Cyprus archdeacon announced, and new social concern coordinator". Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. ^ "The Gulf Churches – Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf". Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Cyprus Churches – Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf". Retrieved 29 December 2022.

Sources