The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has celebrated the ground breaking ceremony for a worship centre in Qatar.
The ceremony took place on 25 January and was attended by Rev Samuel Chiang, Deputy General Secretary of the WEA, Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and representatives of the Qatari government.
WEA's local affiliate, the Evangelical Churches Alliance Qatar (ECAQ) is behind the planned worship centre, which will house worship halls, a bookstore, a coffee shop and a weddings and events space to generate revenue.
Speaking at the ceremony, Rev Samual said, the event was "a milestone of our collective faith as well as God's unwavering faithfulness and provision. ... The building of the worship centre is more than architectural, it is a spiritual act of worship , a manifestation of our faith in the God who calls us to both envision and enact His kingdom on earth."
The worship centre is to be located within a religious complex that is home to eight other Christian groups in the country. The plot of land on which it will be built was awarded to ECAQ in November 2023, following a visit of the WEA General Secretary to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It followed years of lobbying and prayer by ECAQ for a plot of land.
The head of ECAQ, Bishop Beba Robles spoke of his high hopes for the new centre, "May our loving Jesus be glorified and known by the whole world! May Our God of heaven himself prosper and gives us success as we His people (Evangelical) arise and build this project together (John 17:20-21). All for His glory and honor and for the future of the Gospel in furtherance of His Kingdom in the Muslim world."
Nearly 90 per cent of people in Qatar are immigrants, and of these around 15 per cent are believed to be Christian.
