Construction of the first Greek Orthodox Church to be built in the United Arab Emirates is most likely to begin by years end, made possible by the donation of 1,800 square meters of land by the General Shaikh Mohammad Bin rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crowne Prince.
Until now members of the Greek Orthodox Community in the UAE have had to use other churches for their services. There is a church in Iraq, and a villa used in Kuwait by the Greeks, but in the UAE, the community has to share the Holy Trinity Church in Dubai, which is often over crowded.
This church will be the first Greek Orthodox Church built in the Gulf with "proper manner" accodering to John Theodory, an Arab Canadian who is the chairman of the church committee. The church will take about 1 - 1.5 years to construct and will not only serve the Greek communities in the UAE, but also worshipers from Russia, Cyprus, Ukraine, Syria and Greece.
Greek Orthodox services currently draw about 400 people in Dubai, and 200 peoplein Sharjah weekly, but during holidays can draw up to 2,000 people.
posted on Sunday, July 31
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