Gulf Clergy and Spouses Day: Wednesday 8th June 2016
On Tuesday 7th June twenty-two Gulf clergy and some spouses arrived in Bahrain for a day together the next day. I am extremely grateful for those within the Awali and cathedral congregations who 
offered to provide dinner bed and breakfast and to transport our guests from and to the airport and into the Cathedral. We began the day with a Holy Communion in the Cathedral and then spent the day based in our home. The Rev’ds John and Deborah Chapman led us in two sessions in the morning on the theme Building a Rhythm of Prayer into our lives and ministries, speaking out of their own practice and experience, drawing particularly from the Benedictine rule which encourages “finding God in the ordinary.” Deborah has several songs on her i-pad that play on the hours of 9am, 12 noon, 6pm and 9pm that help her build a rhythm of prayer. After Evening Prayer back in the Cathedral, we all went out for an iftar meal at Passion Restaurant in Adliya and Bishop Michael who’d arrived on the late afternoon flight from Cyprus joined us for his birthday celebration. Many of us enjoyed the manager, Monika’s teas. She is the only Tea Master in the Middle East and introduced us to several cold and hot teas.