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| Our Worship Services | Our Statement of Faith | ||
The people who attend the Evangelical Community Church are English-speaking expatriates. Reflecting the ethnic diversity of the city in which we live, there are 52 different nationalities listed in our current church directory. The larger groups represented are Filipino, South African, American, Indian, Canadian, and British and there is a fascinating mixture of other nationalities and ethnic groups. The people in the church come from many different denominational backgrounds, and from all walks of life. Yet with all this diversity, there is a unity that can only be found in Christ. While a nucleus of people have been in Abu Dhabi for longer periods, the average length of stay is about 3 years, so there is a constant turn-over in the church. Current weekly attendance is over 600.
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The Evangelical Community Church meets at the Evangelical Church of Abu Dhabi across from the British School (Al Khubairat). We have recently (February, 2008) moved into a brand new building which contains 2 chapels, 6 classroom/meeting rooms and a large multi-function/fellowship area in the basement. This new building is Phase 1 of a two part project. See the building pages for details of this exciting project! A map to the Center is available on this website.
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The Evangelical Community Church meets for worship on Friday mornings (the day off in the U.A.E.). We have two morning worship services one at 8:30 (September through May) and 10:15 (year round), and a full program of Bible Studies and Christian Education programs for all ages.
Invitation
If you are considering a move to Abu Dhabi, or have recently moved to our city, we hope you will visit our church, and find a spiritual “home away from home” among us.
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The Evangelical Community Church of Abu Dhabi is a Christ-centered, Bible-based, international family of believers. Our purpose is to glorify God in word and deed, and to serve Him in the power of the Holy Spirit with the goal of bringing unbelievers to faith in Christ and believers to maturity in Christ.
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THE BIBLE: We believe the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by Him and completely accurate in the original manuscripts, and therefore our only authority in all matters of faith and practice (Mk. 12:36; Lk. 24:44; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim.3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21).
THE TRINITY: We believe that there is one God, infinite and eternally self-existent, in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat. 28:18-19; Mk. 12:24; 2 Cor. 13:14).
JESUS CHRIST: We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is fully God and fully man. He exists eternally with the Father, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and was crucified and buried. He was resurrected bodily on the third day, appeared to his followers, and ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father. We believe this same Jesus will one day return physically and visibly to the earth, and every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Jn. 1:1-3, 14, 18; 1 Jn. 4:2, 14-15; Is. 7:14; Mat. 1:18-23; Heb. 4:14-16; 1 Cor.15:3-7; Jn. 14:1-3; Acts l :11; Phil. 2:10-11).
THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe the Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He indwells every believer at the moment of salvation and ministers through them as they yield themselves to God (Jn. 14:16-17; Acts 2:38, Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19; 12:13, Eph. 4:30; 5:18).
SALVATION: We believe all men are sinners and therefore justly deserve God’s condemnation. The atoning death of Jesus is God’s provision for our salvation, and eternal life is received by personal faith in Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:1-14; 3:1-21, 36; 10:27-30; Rom. 1:11-17; 5:6-8; Eph. 2:1-9; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
THE RESURRECTION AND FUTURE JUDGMENT: We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead, of the believer to everlasting life and fellowship with God, and of the unbeliever to judgment everlasting condemnation (Jn. 5:25-29; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15)
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE: We believe that the believer ought to conduct himself so as to honor God and be a consistent testimony of his new life in Christ. He is to obey the commands of Christ and His Word (1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 5:17; Jn. 14:21).
THE CHURCH: We believe the Church is composed of all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The local Church is a congregation of believers united by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:13; 14:23).
CHURCH ORDINANCES: We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances administered by the church. Water baptism is the act by which the believer pictures his identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. In the Lord’s Supper, the believer partakes of the bread and the cup in remembrance of Jesus Christ, proclaiming His death. The Lord’s Supper should be a special time of self-examination (Mat. 28:18; Lk. 22:19-20; Acts 10:47-48; 16:32-33; 18:7-8; 1 Cor. 11:23-32).
THE GOALS OF THE CHURCH: We believe the Great Commission is to make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing and teaching. All of God’s people are to be prepared for works of service so that the Body of Christ may be built up. We gather together for worship and fellowship and disperse into the world to be witnesses of God’s love and eternal salvation (Mat. 28:19-20; Eph. 4:11-13; Jn. 4:24; Acts 1:8; Heb. 10:24-25).
STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY: Our statement of faith represents a relatively broad expression of evangelical doctrine. Many finer points of belief or teaching are not spelled out. Recognizing the denominational diversity represented in our church, we deliberately leave our labels at the door. We come together in a spirit of unity under the authority of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, seeking to grow in our relationship to Christ and in love for one another, and focusing on that which we have in common rather than on that which might divide us.
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The Evangelical Community Church of Abu Dhabi was started in 1972, when a small group of western, English-speaking Christians met together in the home of Carl and Barbara Sherbeck on Hamdan Street. The Sherbecks were members of TEAM, the organization that founded the Oasis Hospital, a Christian hospital in Al Ain. The small congregation soon outgrew the Sherbecks’ living room, and moved to a ware house next door.
Soon after, TEAM asked the Abu Dhabi authorities for property on which to build a house for their workers, making it clear that they also wanted to use the property as a place of prayer for Christians. Permission was granted and a plot was allocated just off Airport Road, across from a large open-air mosque. In 1975 the initial buildings were completed, and the church relocated to the new site. By now the English speaking congregation had been joined by an Arabic church and several Indian churches.
The Evangelical Community Church continued to grow under a succession of pastors: Carl Sherbeck (1972-1977), Herb Lyon, (1977-1979), Gordon Stinson (1979-1983), Jimmy Smith (1984-1990) and Cameron Arensen (1990-present).
In 1990, the use of the property as a place for Christian meetings was challenged by authorities at the Municipality. By now, ten congregations used the Center for regular worship services. After many appeals and much prayer, a new site was allocated for the Evangelical Church Center. A ground breaking ceremony was held in January, 1993, and we moved into a new facility in April, 1994. The ten congregations were soon joined by others, and now 18 different congregations use the Center. These congregations minister to different language and ethnic groups.
The Evangelical Community Church grew in this new facility, and began adding additional staff in 1995. As our Friday morning worship service began to crowd the Lower Chapel, the church experimented with a Sunday evening service for 2 years. This service was later cancelled, in lieu of a second worship service on Friday mornings. Both services have continued to grow and stretch the limits of the building. This led our church to take the lead in beginning a building program. (See the Building Page for more on this project). By the time we moved into Phase 1 of the new building on February 8, 2008, our attendance in worship services was over 700. We currently have six on staff. We welcome you to our growing congregation in this dynamic setting, and we pray that you will find a spiritual home and a place of service among us and that you will join us in writing the next chapter in our history as a church.
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