wfn.org | [ACNS] Suheil Dawani New Anglican Coadjutor Bishop of Jerusalem

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 4014     |     MIDDLE EAST      |	   4 AUGUST 2005

New Anglican Coadjutor Bishop of Jerusalem

On 15 June 2005 the elections for the new Coadjutor Bishop of the
Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East were held in
Amman, Jordan. At the end of the second round, the Rev. Canon Suheil
Dawani was elected as the new Bishop. He will work alongside the current
Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Riah Abu-Assal, for a period of two years.

The Constitution of the Diocese states that when the Bishop reaches the
age of 68, a coadjutor Bishop should be elected.

The three candidates in the elections were Rev. Canon Kamal Farah, from
Biraam village in upper Galilee, Rev. Canon Suheil Dawani from Ramallah,
and Rev. Fayeq Hadad from Amman, Jordan. In the first round the votes
were distributed as follows:

Canon Kamal Farah received 16 votes from the House of Clergy and 11
votes from the House of Laity.

Canon Suheil Dawani received 7 votes from
the House of Clergy and 24 votes from the House of Laity.

Rev. Faik Hadad received 6 votes from the House of Clergy and 17 votes from
the
House of Laity. One abstention was recorded in the House of Clergy. Rev.
Faik Hadad was eliminated at the end of the first ballot.

In a second ballot, the remaining two candidates received the following
votes:

Canon Kamal Farah received 18 votes from the House of Clergy and 16
votes from the House of Laity, whereas Canon Suheil Dawani received 11
votes from the House of Clergy and 36 votes from the House of Laity.
Again there was an abstention in the House of Clergy.

Bishop Elect Suheil Dawani was born in Nablus, West Bank, in 1951. He is
married to Shafeeqa Fu'ad Massad and has three daughters, Sama, Tala,
and Luban. He completed his primary and secondary education in Nablus,
obtained his associate degree in Arts in 1973 from Bir-Zeit College,
graduated from the New East School of Theology in Beirut in 1975 with a
BTH. In 1976 he was ordained as deacon and served the community of
Jerusalem for eight months. In 1977 he was ordained to priesthood and
served Ramallah and Bir-Zeit parishes in the West Bank. In 1985 he
joined Virginia Theological Seminary, where he got a degree of Master in
Theology. In 1987 he was moved to Haifa, north of the country, to serve
the community of St. John's Episcopal Church. In 1992, he was moved
again to serve the community in Ramallah and Bir-Zeit. During that time
he founded the ecumenical center, started a housing project for young
Christian couples with thirty-three apartments, was able with the
leaders of the Churches in Ramallah to unite the main Christian feasts,
and established the first evangelical scouts group with the Lutheran
Church. In the year 1989 he joined the Virginia Theological Seminary
again for the degree of the Doctor in Ministry program. He was able to
finish three summers with a pastoral counseling exam. Because of
continuous moving he couldn't complete the degree. In 1997, he was moved
to serve St. George's Cathedral, and was elected as the General
Secretary of the Diocese. In Jerusalem, the ecumenical fellowship was
strengthened with the Lutheran and Catholic Churches. St. George's
sponsored six summer camps consequently where Moslem and Christian
children attended. In 1998 the first scholarship fund was established
with the generous contribution of the Habibi family, from which hundreds
of Christian students benefited. In the year 2001, Bishop Elect Suheil
Dawani led the first Jewish Arab group to Camp Allen in Houston Texas,
under the name 'Kids for Peace'. He is the chairman of the Helen Keller
Board in Jerusalem, a member in the Clergy for Peace Group, and in the
Council of the Dialogue between Faiths. He served for six years as a
member in the Central Synod of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the
Middle East.

Bishop Elect Suheil Dawani is very committed to work hard for the future
of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East: "With the
support of my colleagues, friends, and family, I have committed myself
before God to dedicate myself to utilize my utmost efforts and
experience to revive our Church and to enhance the rich Christian faith
in the lives of our people. It is my objective to serve the Church, the
people, and the parish, and to involve more lay people in the spiritual
and social life of the Church and the parish." His future vision will
focus especially on the following aspects:

1. The development of pastoral ministry to achieve the Church's mission;

2. The family: to encourage good family relationships, strong family
bonds and Christian education, and to involve the family in the Church
and its activities;

3. Youth: to develop youth programs, developmental programs, youth
leadership programs, summer conferences, volunteering committees, youth
exchange programs, employment opportunities, and the integration of
youth into all the aspects of the church;

4. Women: to create equal opportunities for women, to encourage them to
participate on the boards of the institutions of the Church and its
committees, and to dedicate special local and international workshops
and conferences to pastors' spouses;

5. Administration;

6. Property and Investment;

7. Laws and Regulations;

8. And Public Relations.

Article taken from the newspages of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem

further information may be found here:

http://www.j-diocese.com/main.html

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