Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion.
In 1833, a missionary station was established in Jerusalem with the support of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews (a Jewish Christian missionary society now known as the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People or CMJ).
His diocese originally covered the mission stations in the Middle East and Egypt, and was a joint venture with the Evangelical Church in Prussia (the so-called Anglo-Prussian Union), serving Lutherans and Anglicans.
In the 1860's The Church of the Good Shepherd, Salt in modern Jordan had its origins in the work of a local Arab grain merchant and colporteur from Nablus who started bible studies under a tree.
In 1871, Christ Church, Nazareth was consecrated by Bishop Samuel Gobat, and the first Arab Anglicans were ordained.
Although the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East began as a foreign missionary organisation, it quickly established itself as part of the local, especially Palestinian community.
The Archbishop in Jerusalem had metropolitan oversight of the entire area of the current province with the addition of the Sudan (five dioceses in all).
During the 1950s, political unrest in Egypt left the diocese in the care of four Egyptian clergy under the oversight of the Archbishop in Jerusalem.
The central synod includes the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
Due to the difficult situation in Iran since the 1970's various Bishops or Vicars General have been appointed to serve in the position, often residing outside the country.
The Diocese of Egypt was expanded to take in the chaplaincies of Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.
[11][12] This title applies regardless of whether the current bishop is the primate of the province or not, and is a mark of the ambassadorial role of the archbishop in the Holy Land on behalf of the Anglican Communion.
The Diocese of Jerusalem covers Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
[14] The province was represented at GAFCON III, in Jerusalem, on 17–22 June 2018, by a 13 members delegation, from Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
[15] In 2022, Michael Lewis, then Archbishop of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, signed a letter during the Lambeth Conference supporting the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Anglican Communion.
