The Emir of Qatar has offered land to site the country’s first Christian churches since the seventh century when Islam took root in the Gulf country. The Anglican Centre in Doha, Qatar is being built with the kind permission of His Highness The Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on a site provided by the State of Qatar. The Centre will provide a welcome for all Anglican/Protestant/Evangelical Christians to address both their spiritual and community needs.
At the heart of the Centre is the Church of the Epiphany. The church will accommodate up to 650 worshippers, utilizing a design that will allow smaller groups to feel comfortable in the main ground floor area. The Church will be the spiritual home for the Anglican congregation and many other Christian congregations and groups who wish to worship there. This Ecumenical tradition of hospitality is well established in the Anglican Church in the Gulf where many Christian groups do not have their own dedicated buildings.
The Chapel leads off the main church and will be used for daily worship, weddings and baptisms. In addition there will be classrooms, meeting rooms and small assembly halls available for other Church Groups, Youth Groups, Sunday Schools, Prayer Groups and Christian activities, plus administrative and storage functions. The Centre will also include a Courtyard of Remembrance – a quiet area for private prayer and meditation. A community area to one side of the Church will have an Activity Courtyard, bordered by function halls, rooms and offices which will be available for use by community groups for meetings, wedding receptions and other community celebrations.
Construction and Costs
With the agreement with our Bishop, it has been decided that we will build the Centre in a series of stages. The first, and most important stage will consist of the following facilities:
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Site Development, construction of fences and security gates;
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Two Halls to accommodate up to 250 persons.
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Two Classrooms for the Children's Church.
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Kitchen and Toilets.
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Church Office.
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Chaplain's Residence.
The cost of Stage 1 is estimated at 15 million Qatar Riyals (US$ 4.0 million / £2 million). Due to the rapid development of Qatar inflation consistently been high, around 13% over the past few years, with construction costs increasing at around 2% per month. For this reason, it is imperative that we start construction as soon as possible. The detailed design is in progress and the groundbreaking is scheduled for September 2008.
How Can You Help?
We need to raise at least 15 million Qatar Riyals as quickly as possible. Fund Raising in Qatar has started in earnest but we will need all the help we can get, and we hope that you will be able to help in two specific ways. Firstly, we would be grateful for your prayers of support. Secondly we hope that you may be in a position where you are able to make a donation towards what will be a wonderful facility for Christians in Qatar. Our "Donations" page includes details on supporting this worthwhile and unique project.
Further Information
If you would like further information on donating to this very worthwhile cause, please contact the Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee: Jaywant Michael at building@epiphany-qatar.org or on Mobile Telephone Number +974 689-5191.
For details of the Anglican Centre please contact: Reverend Canon Bill Schwartz at rector@epiphany-qatar.org or on Mobile Telephone Number +974 514-6706. 
