Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf explained

Jurisdiction:	Diocese
Cyprus and the Gulf
Province:	Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
Bishop:	Sean Semple
Cathedral:	St. Paul's Cathedral, Nicosia St. Christopher's Cathedral, Bahrain
Congregations:	23
Map:	ECJME.png
Country:	Cyprus, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Yemen
Denomination:	Anglicanism

The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf is one of four 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		Inaugural bishop; died 2001
1981 to 1986		General secretary, Church Missionary Society, 1986–89, retired as bishop in 1991
1986 to 1996		Briefly rural dean of Grimsby (2003 to 2004); died 2011
1997 to 2007		Now an assistant bishop, Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
2007 to 2023		Formerly bishop of Middleton
2024 to present

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

• Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates
• The Mission to Seafarers

Sources

• Who's Who 2008 London, A&C Black, 2007

External links

• Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
• Christ Church Jebel Ali, Dubai
• St Andrews Church, Abu Dhabi
• The Flying Angel, Fujairah
• St Paul's Church, Kuwait
• St George's Baghdad, Iraq
• Church of the Epiphany, Qatar
• St Christopher's Cathedral, Bahrain
• The Protestant Church in Oman
• The Canterbury Group
• Christ Church Aden, Yemen
• Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf – Union Between Christians

Notes and 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. Web site: New Cyprus archdeacon announced, and new social concern coordinator . 9 September 2019 . 12 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190412182203/https://cypgulf.org/cyprus/new-cyprus-archdeacon-announced-and-new-social-concern-coordinator/ . dead .
3. Web site: The Gulf Churches – Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf . 2022-12-29 . en-GB.
4. Web site: Cyprus Churches – Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf . 2022-12-29 . en-GB.