The foundation stone for the Anglican Centre which will provide a place for conducting worship services and fellowship meetings was laid here yesterday at ceremony attended by clergymen, lay leaders and prominent members of the Christian community. The Rt Reverend Michael Lewis, Anglican Bishop of Cyprus, Iraq and the Gulf, presided over the ceremony attended by diplomats, representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Oriental Churches and leaders of many Evangelical Christian fellowship groups in Doha. The bishop personally placed the first shovelful of concrete into the foundation. This ceremony flags off the construction of the second Christian church in Qatar following the consecration of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary earlier this year. The Anglican Centre will provide a place for prayer and worship for many Anglican Protestant and Evangelical congregations in Doha. The Bishop and other leaders prayed at the site for the successful completion of the project, for the safety of the workers, and special thanksgiving to God for his Mercy and Compassion to all people living in Qatar. Speaking at the site yesterday, Father Bill Schwartz of the Church of the Epiphany said: "We offer our sincere thanks to His Highness The Emir and to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior for their sustained help and support with this project. We hope that the eventual completion of the Anglican Centre will offer a place of prayer for the many Christians who worship in small groups in different places all around Doha. We also hope to see opportunities in the future to encourage increased dialogue among Christians and people of other religions. We trust that God will be pleased to receive the prayers of all people from this place and will continue to bless praying people in Qatar with His grace and peace for the years to come." One of the prominent leaders of King's Revival Church International, Doha, Ajayi Tayo who attended the ceremony praised Qatar's leadership for granting permission for this facility that would give a place of worship for the large Christian community that has hitherto congregated in homes to conduct their worship services. "The Christian community appreciates and thanks the authorities for granting all relevant permissions to construct this facility that would be a blessing to all people," said Tayo. The project is being undertaken in three stages, with hope that the first stage will be completed within 15 months, initially allowing for three-four spaces of different sizes for simultaneous groups of Christians to offer prayers. The second stage of the project to be built will include the main sanctuary, which will enable larger groups of Christians to gather at one time, and in sequence one after the other on days of prayer. The third stage will add on more rooms for groups of various sizes to gather for prayer. The Pen

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