That they all may be one.

Since 1979

Thirteen members. One Thursday. Forty-five years of grace.

On 19 April 1979, thirteen CSI members and about eighty friends from other churches met at St Andrew’s Church on the Corniche for our first service. Step by step, God built a parish.

1. 1979First service at St Andrew’s, Corniche Road, led by Rt. Rev. T. S. Joseph. For years we worshipped on Thursdays.
2. 1981 · 1982The church choir forms in August 1981; Sunday School follows in November 1982.
3. 1983 · 1984Women’s Fellowship begins. Worship moves to the new St Andrew’s premises near Al Khubairat School.
4. 1990Rev. K. G. Thomson arrives as our first resident vicar.
5. 2024We open the doors of our own church at Abu Mureikha.

We thank the rulers of the UAE for the freedom and the places of worship they give to every congregation, including ours.

Illustration: the cross’s arms stack into a staircase of five steps rising from the Corniche at sunrise. A small flame stands on each step for a milestone, from the first service in 1979 to 1990. At the top is a doorway in the shape of our church’s arch, with a photograph of the new church inside it.

Our church

After 45 years, a home of our own.

In April 2024 we opened our church at Abu Mureikha, on land gifted by the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Its wings open like the pages of a book, and ten Bible stories glow in its stained glass.

• Room for 880+ worshippers in the church complex
• 4.37 acres, across from the BAPS Hindu Mandir
• An olive tree, planted for peace on the opening day

Illustration: the staircase’s steps become the pillars of an arcade with three pointed arches, like the front of our church. Each arch is a window onto a photograph of the new building: the tall glass entrance in the middle, the avenue of palms on the left and the gardens with bougainvillea on the right. The motto ring sits above the entrance as the round emblem, framing a photograph of the church from the front. Ten flames in stained-glass colours stand along the arches for the ten Bible stories in our windows.

Sunday worship

Every Sunday, a seat for you.

The children gather first. Then the whole family meets at the Lord’s table, in Malayalam, with our choir. Come as you are; there is room in the pews.

1. 8:00 – 9:30 AMSunday SchoolMore than 100 children and their teachers
2. 10:00 AM – 12 PMHoly Communion & worshipIn Malayalam, with our church choir
3. SaturdaysChoir practiceNew voices are always welcome

Times can change at festivals such as Holy Week, Christmas and the Harvest Festival. Please check the latest notices.

Illustration: inside the church on a Sunday morning, looking up the aisle. The cross stands at the far end on the Lord’s table, under a round stained-glass window circled by the motto. The flames are the people in the pews, each catching light in turn, with one empty place marked “A seat for you”. A hymn board on the wall gives the times: Sunday School at 8:00, Holy Communion and worship at 10:00, choir practice on Saturday.

Fellowships

Many petals, one flower.

Every age and every season of life has a place here. Seven fellowships grow from the same root, together as one body in Christ.

• Sunday SchoolSince 1982 · over 100 children
• Teens ForumFriendship and faith for teenagers
• Youth MovementSpiritual growth and care for those in need
• Church ChoirSince 1981 · about 50 voices
• Women’s FellowshipSince 1983
• Laity FellowshipEvery member a servant
• Area Prayer GroupsAirport Road · Madinat Zayed & Khalidiya · Mussafah · Najda & Salam · Tourist Club

Illustration: the flames in the pews gather into one lotus with seven large petals, each a different colour and each carrying a fellowship’s icon. The round window comes down and becomes the motto ring around the flower, “That they all may be one”. The lotus floats on water made from the cross’s arms.

Visit us

Off the E11, between two cities.

Our church stands at Abu Mureikha, off Exit 366 on the E11, across from the BAPS Hindu Mandir. You can reach it from Abu Dhabi or from Dubai.

Illustration: a map of the coast between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The cross’s arms join into the E11 road between the two cities, which are the emblem’s two dots. The tallest flame turns upside down into a map pin at Exit 366. A postcard photo of the church is pinned beside it, and the other petals and the motto ring form a compass.

Stay in touch

The parish, delivered.

Every month, Parish Messenger (ഇടവകദൂതൻ) brings the parish news, notices and a word from the vicar. Read it online or keep a copy at home.

Our vicar

Rev. Biju Kunjummen

• +971 2 634 4914
• +971 50 412 0123
• achancsi@eim.ae

Illustration: the road straightens into the headline and text lines of a newsletter sliding out of an envelope. The emblem’s square centre becomes the masthead logo, a dot becomes a round photo of the church, the compass petals become a lotus postage stamp, and the motto ring becomes the postmark, stamped “Abu Dhabi, Sunday”.