St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
soldiers who were killed fighting the Turkish Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, bringing to an end Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule over Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
Foundation
Allenby
Allenby is a surname of English origin and may refer to:*Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby , a British soldier** Named for the above:**Allenby Street, Tel Aviv, Israel**Allenby Bridge between Jordan and Israel...
on 7 May 1927 and the church was opened in 1930 with Ninian Hill as its first minister.
The Church was much used by Scots serving in the Mandate administration and soldiers serving with Scottish Regiments stationed in Palestine during the Mandate and the Second World War.
After the out break of hostilities in 1948 the church was on the front line. Firstly between Jewish forces in West Jerusalem and Palestinian irregulars in the Old City, later between the Jordanian Arab Legion soldiers and the Israeli army. The minister, William Clark Kerr, remained in the Church throughout this period, ringing the church bell and conducting Sunday services. In one cable to Edinburgh he wrote: "All night battle round the building... St Andrew's Cross (flag) on both church and manse. If that is not enough will try Rampant Lion."
Services are held every Sunday at 10am and there is a guest house providing accommodation for visitors.
A new minister has recently been appointed: Rev George Shand, who was previously at St Thomas's Church in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Jerusalem
As with JudaismJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, the City of Jerusalem is of special significance to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The first Scottish missions to the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
started in the mid 19th century, and for the next 100 years Scottish Presbyterians were actively engaged in the fields of education and medicine. Psalm 122 is invariably sung every year at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
held in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
every May:
- "Pray that Jerusalem may have
- peace and felicity:
- let them that love you and your peace
- still have prosperity."
- (first verse of Hymn 82 in the Church of Scotland hymnary, fourth edition)
Post 1948
Following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the British Mandate in Palestine lasted until 1948. This substantially increased the number of Scots living and working in Jerusalem. Following the end of the British mandate and the establishment of the State of Israel, the number of Scots working in Jerusalem dropped drastically. The church’s prominent location on the Jerusalem skyline also proved a difficulty, given that it found itself very near to the ‘Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
’ politically dividing Jerusalem and cut off from the Christian community in the Old City. The building still bears marks from fighting during the Six Day War of 1967.
With an increase in Christian visitors to Jerusalem, the church and its guest house started to cater for more visitors. In recent years, the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, both through its local congregation at St Andrew’s and thorough its World Mission Council, has become conscious of the need not only to minister to pilgrims from overseas, but also to promote reconciliation and engage more fully with the peoples and problems of this troubled land.
The church and guest house is located at: St Andrew's Scottish Guest House, PO Box 8619, 1 David Remez Street, Jerusalem 91086.http://www.scotsguesthouse.com/
Other work of the Church of Scotland
The Church of ScotlandChurch of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
also has other facilities nearby – notably Tabeetha School (an English language school at Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
where Christian, Jewish and Muslim children are all welcome) and the recently (and – due to the cost – controversially) refurbished Church of Scotland Centre and Scots Hotel at Tiberias.
