The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has celebrated the bottom 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 can house worship halls, a bookstore, a coffee shop and a weddings and events space to generate revenue.
Speaking on the ceremony, Rev Samual said, the event was “a milestone of our collective faith in addition to God’s unwavering faithfulness and provision. … The constructing of the worship centre is greater than architectural, it’s a spiritual act of worship , a manifestation of our faith within the God who calls us to each envision and enact His kingdom on earth.”
The worship centre is to be positioned inside a non secular complex that’s home to eight other Christian groups within the country. The plot of land on which it should 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 brand new centre, “May our loving Jesus be glorified and known by the entire world! May Our God of heaven himself prosper and provides us success as we His people (Evangelical) arise and construct this project together (John 17:20-21). All for His glory and honor and for the longer term of the Gospel in furtherance of His Kingdom within the Muslim world.”
Nearly 90 per cent of individuals in Qatar are immigrants, and of those around 15 per cent are believed to be Christian.
