Readers mail…..
Michael Graham
On Sunday 13th May 2018 we are pleased to welcome the Revd. Andrew Ashdown and his wife, the Revd Victoria, to participate in the 10.30 am worship at St. Andrew’s Church Kyrenia.
Following the service, there will be a “Bring and Share” lunch in the church hall where Andrew will speak of his fascinating experience in Syria and present us with the challenge of a perspective often quite at odds with mainstream media.
“Signs of hope? Christian-Muslim relations in Syria. Historical and contemporary dynamics, in peace and conflict.”
This talk will illustrate current realities in Syria through the lens of the life of faith communities in that country, both prior to and during the conflict.
Please do make the most of this opportunity and join us for worship or the talk afterwards or both.
The Revd Andrew Ashdown has been an Anglican priest for 28 years, and is currently undertaking Doctoral Research in the field of Christian-Muslim Relations in Syria.
As well as being a regular visitor to Syria prior to the conflict, Andrew has visited the country 9 times in the last three years. He has travelled widely in the country both independently and as a member of delegations, including visiting areas most affected by the conflict, and has met thousands of people from all communal backgrounds, including hundreds of internally displaced persons in different parts of the country. He has met with many senior religious and political leaders, both government and internal opposition figures in the country, and in December 2016, he witnessed the final battle for East Aleppo, and was the first British person to enter the Old City of Aleppo, and areas of East Aleppo just hours after the last snipers had been removed. His research focuses on the religious dimensions of Syrian society and context.
Andrew is married to Victoria, who is an Incumbent in the Winchester Diocese.
Source: St Andrew’s Church, Kyrenia
