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A brief History of the
Church in Limassol, Cyprus
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INDEX
A brief history of
the church in Cyprus ILLUSTRATIONS
St Barnabas Church,
Limassol
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A Cypriot by birth, the Apostle St Barnabas together with St Paul founded the Christian Church in Cyprus in the first century AD. Barnabas was born in Salamis to a Jewish family of the Levi clan. During his religious education in Jerusalem, Barnabas was able to witness some of the miracles of Jesus. He gave the family properties that he had inherited to the early church. Accompanying St Paul on the first of his missionary journeys (Acts chapter 13, verses 4 - 12), he sailed from Selucia to Cyprus, arriving at Salamis. John Mark, young cousin of Barnabas, was with them as their helper. They travelled across the whole island until they came to Paphos, which was then the centre of Government. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Paul because he wanted to hear the word of God. In spite of the attempts of Elymas, the sorcerer, to turn the proconsul from the faith, the Roman proconsul became St Paul's first known convert on the island, and Cyprus was the first country in the world to have a. Christian governor. Angered by the behaviour of Elymas, Paul caused him to become blind for a period. Barnabas and Paul, together with John Mark, left Cyprus and travelled the Eastern Mediterranean. Eventually after a quarrel, Barnabas returned to Cyprus with Mark. Back in SaIamis, legend has it that Elymas stirred up the Jewish community, and Barnabas was stoned to death. He was buried some miles west of the town, and subsequently his tomb was forgotten for many years. In 448 AD, conflict arose between the authorities of the Antioch church, which wanted to control all the churches throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Cypriot church which wanted its independence because it was a more ancient foundation. The Emperor Zeno was asked to intervene. One night, the Cypriot Bishop Anthemios had a dream in which St Barnabas revealed to him his burial place in a cave. The church authorities quickly investigated and found the tomb exactly as portrayed in the dream. When the grave was opened, the Saint's body was lying in a coffin and on his breast was a copy of the Gospel of St Matthew. Tradition has it that Barnabas always carried this copy, written in his own hand, and it is believed that his devoted disciple, St Mark, had placed it in the grave with him. The Bishop set out at once For Constantinople (now Istanbul). Astonished and impressed at this news, the Emperor granted autonomy to the Church of Cyprus. In addition, certain privileges were given, among which was the right to sign documents in red ink. These privileges are still in place today. The Emperor also funded the building of a church on the spot where the tomb was located. Today all that remains of the original building are some foundations and the Saint's tomb is housed within a more recently built mausoleum. Inside there are 14 steps which lead down to the cave containing the tomb. A monastery was built close to the tomb in 1750. It is still in good condition, and the church within it is used as an icon museum. Outside there is a courtyard, surrounded on three sides by buildings that once housed the monks and pilgrims coming to pray at the monastery. The tomb of St Barnabas has been venerated over time and remains a place of pilgrimage today.
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The conquest of Cyprus in 1191 by Richard, Coeur de Lion, (Richard 1 of England) marks the beginning of contacts between England and Cyprus. He landed at Limassol and, following the capture of Kolossi and the defeat of Isaac Ducas Comnenos (who had established an independent kingdom on the island), he married Berengaria of Navarre in the Byzantine chapel of Limassol Castle. Richard, enforcing customary feudal rules, took from the islanders half of their land which he distributed to his knights. Having appointed two Englishmen, Richard de Carnville and Robert de Turnham, to administer Cyprus jointly, Richard sailed away to meet up with the rest of the Crusaders in Syria. He had no particular wish to hold Cyprus and so he later sold the island to Guy de Lusignan. Thus, the Lusignan dynasty was established (1193). Thereafter English influence rapidly declined. During the almost four hundred years of Lusignan and Venetian rule there are very few traces of Englishmen, except perhaps among the Hospitalers (Knights of St John), The religious military Orders of the Hospitalers and of the Templars who were already established on the island also constituted a. military force. Both the Hospitalers and the Templars played an active role in developing the production and particularly the the promotion of the exports of Cyprus wines. They used and exported the traditional sweet red wine of Cyprus which became known as Commandaria, After the capture of Cyprus by the Ottomans in 1571, the West lost interest in the island. For nearly three hundred years, Larnaca was the only point of contact. Here there was a British Vice Consulate which functioned right up to 1878, with summer quarters in the village of Omidhia. Also in Larnaca was subsidiary of the Levant Company which sponsored a succession of Anglican chaplains who ministered at Larnaca British Administration in the 19th century Following the Convention with the Ottoman Empire, the British took over the administration of Cyprus in 1878. The occupation troops had their own chaplains. British administration, however, with the whole apparatus of civilian colonial government, needed a chaplain to cater for the rapidly growing British community. In February 1879, the Revd. Josiah Spencer was appointed to be the 'Chaplain to the English'. He was Chaplain for 21 years and became Archdeacon of Cyprus in 1899. At this time, Cyprus formed part of the Diocese of Gibraltar and there was only one church - the original St Paul's, Nicosia, but services were also held in other main towns. The Bishop of Gibraltar consecrated the church of St Paul in Nicosia in 1886, now the Diocesan Cathedral. It was then that Bishop Sandford assured Archbishop Sophronios of the orthodox church of Cyprus that the English church would never proselytize from the church of the county. This pledge has been honoured. Cyprus was transferred from the Diocese of Gibraltar to the Anglican Bishopric in Jerusalem in 1887. In this period, life on the island had a distinctly Colonial flavour. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a 9-hole golf course at Nicosia, cosy 'literary teas' were commonplace and the the Chaplain's sermons were printed in the English newspaper! In 1922 the Greek orthodox Church acknowledged the full validity of the Anglican Church, and the relationship between Greeks and Anglicans became so well established that it has been able to withstand the years of EOKA and the struggle for independence. Archbishop Makarios III held his political meetings with the Governor in the house of the English Archdeacon in Nicosia. At Larnaca, regular services were held in the premises of the Imperial Ottoman Bank. At Limassol, the Royal Engineers erected a row of cottages, the centre one of which had a pointed window, and here Scottish Presbyterian, and later exclusively church of England services, were held. During the next twenty or thirty years, churches were built at Larnaca, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Troodos and Limassol.
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Following independence in Cyprus (1960), there were great changes in the Anglican church. Whilst the population of Nicosia diminished, that of Limassol increased, so that on Christmas Day in spite of several services, people had to be turned away for lack of room. There was an average Sunday School attendance of sixty five, one hundred and forty communicants at Easter and one hundred and sixty four at Christmas. In the years following Independence, however, there was apprehension about the future and about changes which might take place. As it turned out, these worries proved groundless and the Greek Orthodox church continued to give its support to the Anglican church on the island. There were seven Anglican churches at this time: Ayia Napa, Paphos (2), Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia, where the Bishop has his seat. In addition, there was the church of St George in the Forest, near the top of the Troodos Mountains, sited attractively amongst the pine trees. This church was originally built to serve the needs of the military population stationed on Troodos, but is open on Sunday evenings during the summer when services are taken by clergy from around the island, The few chaplains on the island were obliged to work extremely hard. An entry from the diary of the Revd. Hubert Matthews, Chaplain at St Barnabas from 1954 - 1974 reads ' I was serving the churches in Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, Paphos and Limni Mine on the North Coast. I shared the services at Troodos with the Archdeacon. ! was already Honorary Chaplain to the Missions to Seamen for the island, and then became officiating Chaplain to the RAF as well, with responsibility for the service Families in Limasso!. There were many tributes to the energy and dedication of Hubert Matthews during his time at St Barnabas, the last years of which included the difficult post independence period. Between 1976 and 1978, the Revd. W. Gunn, St Barnabas' Chaplain was also an Honorary MtS Chaplain. He opened a; Seafarers centre in the Scout Hut adjacent to the church in Limassol. He also tried to raise the money (C£30,OOO) to build a centre in the port but this failed. Subsequently the centre at the church was closed clown. However, one positive aspect of this venture was the co-operation that the Greek orthodox Church offered and the Archimandrite of Limassol was an active member of the Seafarers Centre Committee. In 1976, after several years of discussion, the structure of the Anglican Church in the Middle East was re-organised with Cyprus becoming part of the new Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf In 1981 St Paul's was re-hallowed as the Cathedral church of the Diocese, and the first Bishop, the Rt. Revd. Leonard Ashton CB, was enthroned. Following this, Bryan Henry was installed as the first Provost as well as being Archdeacon and Chaplain. The Revd. Ben Gunn retired from St Barnabas and was replaced by the Revd. Charles Buckmaster, who was memorable for his efforts to cement relationships with the Greek Orthodox Church and local dignitaries. He became a member of the United Kingdom Citizens Association Committee, and he also became Chairman of the British Cemeteries Committee in Nicosia. After four years working for the parish, he and his wife left in June 1982. In 1983, Group Captain, the Revd. Desmond Sheppard (retd.) was appointed as Chaplain to St Barnabas. He had had a distinguished career in the Royal Air Force, having been appointed Assistant Chaplain-in-Chief whilst stationed at Rheindalen, in Germany, and from 1975 - 1978 had served as Honorary Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. On his 63rd birthday, he was enjoying a day on the beach with family and friends when he suffered a heart attack and died instantly. Locums then had to be found until the appointment of the Revd. John Godfrey (1988 - 1992). He was the first appointee to receive a full stipend equating with that paid in the United Kingdom. He was also a retired Service Chaplain, having been previously stationed at Akrotiri. He was responsible for not only St Barnabas but also Paphos, and the link with Paphos continued until 1992. His four year tenure was followed by that of the Revd. Peter Moore. The Mission to Seafarers which had been based in Larnaca moved to Limassol in 1992 owing to the larger number of ships arriving qt this port. As the Mission is within the parish of Limassol, successive Chaplains took an interest in it and visited fairly regularly. A new MtS centre at the Port was opened in 1994. The Revd. Peter Moore was appointed Chaplain (1992 ~ 1994). Throughout his short time in the parish, he organised house groups and instituted daily prayer meetings, which were well supported. The spiritual health of St Barnabas grew steadily under his ministry. Sadly, he was diagnosed with a serious illness (brain tumour) which necessitated early retirement and repatriation on medical grounds. The parish had taken out medical insurance for him on his appointment. But the cost of his medical treatment and repatriation accompanied by a nurse quickly reached the sum of C£15,OOO. Half of this sum was reclaimed from the insurance company, but nonetheless this expenditure made a sizeable hole in the church bank account. When Michael Jones arrived in 1996, he was instituted as both Chaplain to the Church at Limassol and Chaplain to the Mission to Seafarers. The Chaplaincy was split between the two, and the MtS paid half his stipend and shared some expenses. In addition to paying the other half of his stipend, the parish provided accommodation in St Barnabas House. Michael and his wife Jean, had been held as human shield hostages by Saddam Hussein for several months prior to taking up the appointment at St Barnabas. After a period of recuperation, they arrived in Cyprus and quickly won the hearts of the congregation. During his incumbency (1996 - 2003), Michael was made a canon. After reaching the age of 70, Michael and Jean retired to the UK. As they were leaving the parish, the next incumbent, the Revd. Colin Noyce arrived (2003 - 2005). His brief tenure was marred by the fact that he became ill. The work of the parish was increasing and the wedding ministry enlarged owing to the influx of young couples seeking to get married in an attractive location. It was necessary for St Barnabas to have a full-time Chaplain once again. As a result, on the departure of the Revd. Colin Noyce, the formal agreement with the MtS was terminated, and St Barnabas appointed a full-time Chaplain, the Revd. Rod Price (2006 - 2009). He came first as a locum and then CIS an appointed Chaplain, funded once again by the parish. During his time at St Barnabas, the wedding ministry grew as did the church membership. Much refurbishment and maintenance to the church buildings, including a partial rebuild of the church hall took place. The parish also worked hard at supporting the Diocese, as well as in its charitable outreach programme to both Cypriot and International Charities and deserving causes. St Barnabas continues to work closely with the Mission to Seafarers and with its new (MtS appointed) part-time Chaplain. Today, there are many volunteers from amongst the St. Barnabas congregation who work weekly at the Port in support of the Mission. The Centre offers seamen the use of internet Facilities, a games room, and a library and quiet room for prayer and meeting with the Chaplain for those who may need help and advice. The Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East has four constituent Dioceses: Jerusalem, Iran, Egypt and Cyprus and the Gulf (see map). Today, St Barnabas Church is within the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf which includes all the Gulf States, and covers an area of 3,500,000 square kilometres. It is divided into two archdeaconries, one for Cyprus and one for the Gulf. The countries served are Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Diocesan seats - St Paul's Cathedral, Nicosia, Cyprus and St Christopher's Cathedral, Manama. The current Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf is the Right Revd. Michael A. O. Lewis. Chaplains of St Barnabas Anglican Church, Limassol (NB: where there are gaps in this record of Chaplaincy, the position was probably filled by military chaplains from the British Bases. There are no accurate records of these locum situations).
1888 -1895 Revd. W. H. Milner |
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A Map of the province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
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The Extension to St Barnabas Church completed in 2003
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The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign. Places, based in London, purchased a site in Limassol In 1912. This was a large field and and it was bought for the princely sum of C£41 in order to build a new church. Once the land had been acquired, a local builder, Polycarpos Michaelides, was instructed to proceed with the construction of a church building. The name of the architect is not known. Three years later (1915), the building was completed and it was dedicated on 31 October of that year by Canon Newham. In 1921, at a meeting of the congregation, it was decided to plant many trees around the property. These trees have now grown to an enormous size and whilst adding to the picturesque nature of the church, in recent years some have had to be removed on safety grounds. By 1924, it was agreed that the church needed to be extended and a porch added. These additions were completed by the following year. Mr Williamson (whose family played a part in the finances for development of the church buildings) was appointed Secretary and Treasurer to the church. A few years later, a new altar and font were purchased and dedicated. In the disturbances leading up to and after Independence, the church and vicarage suffered little damage. St Barnabas was, and still is, accepted by the Greek community as a most respected institution and considered to be a good influence in the area, However, during a skirmish in the early 90s, the weather vane and the small cross on the church roof were shot down, possibly accidentally, by people firing in the air. On the front of the church, there is now a beautiful cross, clearly delineating that the building is a church. This was kindly donated by Mike and Nora Stevens in 1993 In the early 90's it became apparent that there were serious problems in the church roof. It was hoped that some refurbishment would! suffice to correct this. The Church Council instigated survey of all the church property by a chartered! surveyor in 1991, and this was followed! by an Inspection of the property by the Trustees of the Jerusalem and East Mission Trust. A tender was placed! with Clerimos Construction Company for repairs, redecoration and necessary alteration of the church property. The estimated! cost was C£30,OOO.
While this work
was taking place, which included minor repairs to the church roof,
it became apparent the problems were more serious than at first
appeared. By February 1994, the roof was leaking in the vestibule,
the chancel and at the back of the church. An extraordinary meeting
of Council was called For 21 July 1994, as inspection by the Clerimos Construction Company had revealed! extensive damp / wet rot
and beetle in the roof, Council agreed that these repairs
(effectively complete re-roofing)
should be carried out and paid for by the church
until the C£5000 promised by the JEMT became
available in April 2005. It was decide not to replace the belfry as
it was considered that some of the roof problems has been associated
with it. The final account for the roof alone reached C£7495.20. |
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St Barnabas in 1925 The West Door 1925 |
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Following the local pattern, the interior of the church, is of simple design. The rounded apse is a typical' feature of orthodox churches. In the early days of the church, there was only a harmonium for use on Sundays, but eventually an electric organ was purchased. This was replaced once again in later years by a better one. At the Same time ceiling fans were installed in the church and the old pews were replaced by a set from a redundant RAF church in North Africa. Following completion of the final extension to the church in 2003 and the presentation of a moveable font by the Williamson family, the original font was moved outside providing further space within the church for the increasing congregation. The new font Carries a plaque with the following words: "This font, a gift from St Mary's Church, Balcombe, Essex, was made by Peter Pope and presented by his widow, Patricia. June 2003". Bacombe is now the home of the Williamson family who worshipped in this church from its foundation until 1974". Originally the windows in the church had clear glass but over the years they have all been replaced with stained glass, donated either in memory of family members or as gifts from specific organisations. The church now has some very fine windows. The emblem of the Anglican Communion, the compass rose, is seen in the circular window above the altar. It was donated together with the Angel Window ( sited in the recess where the organ was originally placed ) in memory of Raymond and Vera. Lovell, 1996. On the wall to the left of the altar, there is a plaque commemorating the MacKay brothers: 'British boys, born in Cyprus, who gave their lives for their country in the Great War'. The younger boy, Private Arthur Jack MacKay served in the 14th Battalion London Regiment - more usually known as the London Scottish. He was killed in the region of Arras or Vimy on 26th October 1916. In the absence of major action at that time he was, presumably, the victim of artillery fire or a. sniper whilst in the trenches. He is burled in the Maroeuil Military Cemetery, 6 miles north east of Arras. Records of The War Graves Commission show that he was the son of Mr and Mrs J. MacKay of Jersey, The elder boy, Alexander Herbert Robins McKay was born in Larnaca, and joined a. Canadian regiment ( albeit affiliated to the Black watch ) , Serving as acting Captain in the 5th Battalion of the Saskatchewan Regiment, he was awarded an MC in 1917 for conspicuous gallantry in action, displaying courage and determination under very heavy fire. Tragically, he was accidentally killed during a demonstration of a gun that he had received as a present. On the left of the altar is the Passion Window. It has a background of pastel leaves and daffodils, with three nails, a wafer, a cup and the crown of thorns intertwined with a flail. This was donated in memory of John Lawrence Harris (1923 - 1987) . Over the side door leading into the porch, and above the Scout window, there is a very fine picture "Joseph and his Brothers". This was embroidered in wool by the late Mrs Annie Qualtrough who lived in the Isle of Man. This was gifted to the church by Beryl Watson, who inherited the picture following the death of her uncle, Richard Qualtrough. An attractive plaque is placed on the wall opposite the side door. It depicts the Shepherd with his sheep and wildlife around; rabbits, Iambs, birds and! flowers. This was donated in memory of Henry Baldwin Fulford Ea!es: chaplain of Limassol (1928 -1933). The small round window above the back doors was designed and donated by Mrs Judith Ford in 1993. Following his release from captivity in 1994, Jack Mann, (hostage in the Lebanon) donated C£5,000 to the church. A Number of beautiful items within the church have been donated in memory of certain persons: one of the chalices was donated in memory of Mrs Nora Benson. Mrs Gunn and her daughters are commemorated by the jug. The Revd. Peter Moore presented the two larger candlesticks to the church while he was incumbent (1992 - 94)
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| In Memory of Peggy Charles (1915 - 1989) |
In Memory of
Revd. D. Shepherd Chaplain 1983 - 1986 |
In Memory of John Samuels (1923 - 1990) : Lay Reader |
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In memory of Gilbert White Church Warden (1989 - 1993) |
Given by Limassol MtS in memory of Bob Laing and Admiral Sir Derek Empson |
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| In memory of
Kay (1922 - 1991) and Jack Walliker (1919 - 1999) |
Donated by the
Royal British Legion Limassol |
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Donated by Limassol Scouts - February 2009 |
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By the late 1990's, the congregation had increased so much that it was not unusual to have people seated outside the church on Sunday morning. It was evident that the church urgently needed to be extended. The Williamson family offered to donate C£10,000 towards the cost of an extension to the building. Various proposals were discussed by Council and finally it was agreed that a programme of fundraising could be undertaken to raise monies in addition to the donation. A local architect was employed, Mr George Meikle, son of Mr George Meikle, OBE, who acted as Chaplain's Warden, Secretary and Treasurer during the post- Independence years. The estimate for total costs for the planned extension was C£3O,O0O. Fundraising started in earnest with sponsorship sought from Various shipping businesses in Limassol and charitable trusts in the UK. Significant donations were also received from various church members. Lunch parties were organised which raised over C£1,OOO. Coffee mornings, Car boot sales, jumble sales and other activities all brought in valuable contributions which resulted, with the help of JEMT (C£5,000 grant) in the target being achieved by the end of June 2002. During the same period, a member of the congregation, Marion Jordan, organised a group of ladies in the church to make attractive new hassocks for the pews. The extension was dedicated by Bishop Clive Handford on Saturday 15th June 2003. In 2004, the organ was once again replaced and its siting was changed to the centre of the church and opposite the side door. From the mid -1950's, once there was a resident Chaplain at Limassol, the Sunday School took place in the Vicarage. The carpets were rolled back and chairs put round. A piano was purchased and this was paid for from funds raised by the Friday sewing party As the number of children increased, accommodating them all in the Chaplain's house became extremely difficult and inconvenient. Happily for the church, at this time, contractors working on the British bases offered to build a. new Hall as a gift. This was gratefully accepted. Plans for the building showed that it would measure 20ft by 30 ft and local stone, which would match the church, would be used. Inside there would be movable partitions so that it could be used as a three room Sunday School, or as one large hall for other functions. The workmen arrived in January 1956 and building commenced. It was finished by July and dedicated in September of the same year. This building is today known as the 'Schoolroom' and it is still in constant use. The Junior Church takes place there on Sunday mornings. .
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St Barnabas House - The Vicarage St Barnabas House was constructed in 1952 in the church compound. This made life much easier For the Chaplain to Limassol who, until that date, lived in lodgings in Famagusta and had to travel every week to Limassol For the Sunday morning service and then on to Paphos to take the 6pm. service there. After it was built, it was considered to be the best Chaplain's residences in the Diocese of Jerusalem! The Revd. Hubert: Matthews, who was appointed Chaplain to Limassol in 1954, wrote the Following description in his diary: 'We Found the house completely arranged, cleaned, beds made up, Food bought in, everything ready even to a box of matches on the kitchen table . We explored the house. In the kitchen was q three-burner Va!or oil! stove and a paraffin Fridge, also an icebox From Former days. Outside there was a wash house with copper . The two bathrooms each had a wood burning stove to heat the water. Our bedroom had a very large and very old wooden bedstead with so many nails sticking out of it that it was a work of art to get into it; the other two bedrooms had iron hospital beds." In those days, the Williamson family, and later George Meikle, together with the Church Council were the backbone of the church All church meetings were held at St Barnabas House and, in order to raise money, a garden fete was organised. This became an annual event And was the main source for providing necessities for the church. A weekly sewing party was started by Marjorie Hubert which met in the house every Friday morning. In the course of time enough money was made to provide a back-cloth for the altar, hassocks for the pews, and a curtain for the back door" of the church. Again, from Revd. Matthews' diary: "The land next to the Vicarage was open land where the PWD kept their tar barrels and goats browsed (and occasionally they strayed into our garden and ate the rosemary bushes )lI. Over the years, the house was modernised gradually. The wood-burning stoves were removed. All the rooms of the house were fitted with air-conditioning units and the kitchen was updated on several occasions, but by the time Canon Michael Jones retired it was obvious that the house needed major refurbishment. Some window frames and shutters were rotten, the roof leaked in places, the wiring was well past its 'sell by date' and the plumbing and sanitary units all needed replacing. The Bishop's Endowment Fund was approached for financial help as were the Trustees of JEMT and with the help of both, a. C£40,000 refurbishment was undertaken. The new incumbent, the Rev. Colin Noyce arrived whilst the work was in progress and temporary accommodation close to the church was rented for him. Some three months after his arrival, Colin and his wife, Irene, moved into the totally refurbished vicarage, complete with new kitchen and fittings, new bathrooms, refitted and re-plumbed and decorated inside and out. Once again St Barnabas House became the best vicarage in Cyprus!
In the mid twentieth century, there were many service families living in Limassol and the Revd. Hubert Matthews, being a Scouter himself~ decided to bring together the local Scouts and Cubs who had no proper meeting place. He formed a Rover Scout crew, and this crew decided to build a Scout hut beside the church, and thus the St Barnabas' Scout Troop was formed, Sometime later, the Royal Engineers built a more modern Scout hut, replacing the old one, and added extra facilities such as toilets and a kitchen, As well as Scouts and Cubs, Guides and Brownies also used the hut and swelled the congregation on Sunday mornings by regularly attending "Church Parade" at Sunday Matins. Thus the Scout Hut, or Annexe as it was later called, continued as a centre for much of the fellowship and the social life of the church. Shortly after the addition of toilets and a kitchen, a further addition of a small room (to be used as a Vestry) was made at the west end, The entire structure was, in truth, only a temporary one being shown on thee church deeds as a 'temporary structure' which almost certainly meant that planning permission was not needed. By 1990, the buildings were giving cause for concern, not least a crack in a supporting beam in the Vestry! Self-help renovations were undertaken from time to time, and the Iasi internal repainting was followed by a new floor covering being laid at the end of 2005 by a. small group of volunteers. By 2007, it became obvious to the Church Council that more was needed, and the Fabrics Member, Mike Stevens, was authorised to come up with a. renovation scheme which included a. new roof a. rebuild of both the kitchen and the vestry, tiled floors throughout and the addition of a new ladies toilet at the west end. Air conditioning was provided throughout! This was all completed at a cost of £C20,000, some of which was met by a grant from the JEMT. The result was that the old Scout hut was given a new lease of life, and should now meet the needs of the church well into the 21st century. This building is now known as the Church Hall This organisation was started by church members in 1992 to help Ladies in the area. who were alone, had husbands working in the Gulf or who had little contact with others of their particular nationality. Originally, meetings were held in the homes of the church members, but as the numbers grew it was decibel to have a permanent meeting place, which was the Annexe on the St Barnabas Site. Today, this large organisation is separate from the church but extremely supportive of it, and annul donations are made. The Limassol Ladies play an active part in many church fundraising activities, in particular the Spring Fair and the annual bazaar. A great many members of the church belong to it, and Tuesday morning meetings aqt St Barnabas are busy and active occasions. The Jerusalem and East Mission Trust (Cyprus) The Jerusalem and East Mission Fund was set up by Bishop Blyth (Jerusalem) for the maintenance and development work of the Diocese (Jerusalem) of which Cyprus was a part. The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East began as a number of Mission posts of the Church Missionary Society in Cyprus, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. During the 1820's, the CMS began to prepare for permanent missionary stations in the region. In 1833, such a post was established in Jerusalem and became known as the Jerusalem and East Mission Trust. In 1976, with the formation of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf the local Trustees received delegated responsibility from the Jerusalem and the East Mission Trust Limited (London) who are the titular owners of all! Anglican Church property in Cyprus, for the control and maintenance of that property. The Trustees meet bi-monthly to transact business, and their aim is to see that the buildings entrusted to their care are kept in good order. All chaplaincies are notified prior to meetings, in order to allow notice of repairs and schemes of improvement . to be reported to the Trustees. The work of the Trustees could be called 'preventive maintenance'; all properties have been the subject of a Ouinquennial Report undertaken in 2007, and most have had remedial work done to them in accordance with this report. The Trustees have a limited amount of capital, and where appropriate will help the local church councils with grants towards carrying out their maintenance programmes. It is hoped that the relationship of trust established between the Trust and each chaplaincy will continue to work for the benefit of the whole Church in Cyprus.
The vision of St Barnabas Church Where there is no vision the people perish Proverbs 29:18 Aware, both of our God given mandate and of particular weaknesses and limitations, we resolve to be a church that: PRAYS FAITHFULLY We will be a people known for our reliance upon God to supply all that we need. WORSHIPS JOYFULLY We will be known for our joy in worship and in the fellowship that God by His Spirit nurtures among us. LEARNS DILIGENTLY We will meet to instruct one another in God's Word and help each other grow in the Spirit. SHARES LOVINGLY We will know one another and care for each other in times of joy and sorrow, in fun and relaxation, and in worship, study and\ witness. PROCLAIMS BOLDLY We will make Christ known through how we employ our substance, by the lives we live and by the love we shall share SERVES COMPASSIONATELY We will care for the needy in our Parish and beyond and embody what it means to be "Christ for others". USES GOD'S GIFTS WISELY We will mange our affairs - as God's stewards and in Christ's name - with love, integrity, wisdom, faithfulness and generosity. And to God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - be all the glory and the praise!
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The information contained in this booklet has been based on several different sources. Details of early church history have been taken from the life of St Barnabas found on the internet. Additional information on the later period has been taken from 'St Barnabas Church' by J.E. Walliker, and from booklets in various Episcopal churches. Further detailed information has been found in the Church Council Minutes. Thanks are due to Margaret Josephides and! also to Mike and Nora Stevens for extra information provided. Our thanks also to the Revd. Eric Freeman who provided us with all the information concerning the MacKay brothers Our very grateful thanks to Charles Dodd for proof reading, and for his suggestions.
Heather and David Henchie
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