The One Stop Church Shop

Trip Start Oct 18, 2007
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Trip End Dec 14, 2007


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Flag of United Arab Emirates  ,
Saturday, October 27, 2007

   Fridays are a holy day in the Middle East, the one day when businesses are shut, and the religious go to Mosque.  I had been curious when church services would be, since in the west, Sunday is the Sabbath, but here Sunday is the first day of the work week, with Friday and Saturday being the weekend.  (Talk about confusing!  As if jetlag wasn't enough to deal with, this change of weekend really wreaks havoc on my psyche.  For instance, tomorrow I am working all day, but I really resent it since in my mind it is a Sunday, my day of rest.)

   After an awful night of clubbing on Thursday night-- 120 AED ($33 USD) to gain entrance to a multi-tiered club called Trilogy, where drinks were exorbitantly priced, and dark men swarmed like vultures looking for prey-- I astounded all of my roommates by waking up early and going to church.

   My friend, Tony, in New York connected me with some people here in Dubai who belong to an evangelical church.  An Indian couple, Lincy and Manoj, picked me up at my apartment and took me to the church, United Christian Church of Dubai (www.uccdubai.com).  It is a multicultural congregation, and the sanctuary where services are held reflects this with flags from every nation hanging from the rafters.  One woman told me that it is how she imagines heaven to be, with so many people of every skin color and every language praising God.

   The pastor is an American from Washington, D.C. named John Folmar.  In D.C. he was a protoge of Dr. Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, who, coincidentally, writes some the devotions that I read as part of my study.  John has a loud, commanding voice and speaks with assurance.

   The church is situated on land that was generously donated by the Sheikh of Dubai.  It is part of a comglomorate of churches all built on the land, so at any given point there are several types of services going on, including Catholic services, Arabic services, and services in many different languages.  The particular building that we meet in has at least 9 different types of Christian services going on there.  It is truly a one stop shop for believers of any faith.

   After church, the congregation moved outside to a small pool, where we witnessed and affirmed 14 baptisms.  Everyone baptized was an adult, and as we stood under the hot Arabian sun, they testified how they came to have saving faith in the Lord.  They spoke in accents ranging from American, to Australian, to Indian, and African, and various Asian accents.  It was truly a baptism of all nations, and was humbling and blessed to see.
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