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Our Story
St Andrew’s Jerusalem
The story of St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church in Jerusalem begins in the call to the Presbytery of Edinburgh to remember the sacrifice Scottish soldiers in the Palestine Campaign of the First World War, and in celebration of the relief of Jerusalem in December of 1917.
Its cornerstone was laid by General Edmund Allenby in May 1927, and it was dedicated on St Andrew’s Day 1930. A focus for Scottish pilgrims and international visitors in the land of the Holy One, St Andrew’s has been a place of worship and hospitality for almost one hundred years now, has provided a distinctive locus from which to take up the call of God to ‘seek peace and pursue it,’ with partners in Israel and Palestine.
These days, we are examining what the legacy of our founding has been, its strengths and challenges, to see what the questions and debates might be, on the road to articulating a compelling vision for our life and work going forward, bearing witness to the compassion, justice and healing of God in Christ. It is a necessary exercise in the future tense of memory. In the face of enmity and violent conflict, decades old, we are challenged in spirit and body to incarnate and serve the peace of Christ in meaningful ways.
Such a challenge puts us in mind of a blessing of the Celtic Church, that bids us see the face of Christ in the faces of all whom we meet, each one and everyone:
May the Christ who walks on wounded feet
walk with you on the road.
May the Christ who serves with wounded hands
stretch out your hands to serve.
May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart
open your hearts to love.
May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet,
and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.
St Andrew’s Tiberias
The Church of Scotland’s presence here today is by accident of history – or providence. Since the mid 19th century, the Church of Scotland has had a presence in the Holy Land. A medical missionary, Dr David Watt Torrance, arrived in 1884 and set up a clinic in Safat and Tiberias.
A hospital was built in Tiberias, along with schools for both boys and girls and continued to serve the people of the Galilee and beyond until 1949 when the new state of Israel took over the hospital which was a maternity hospital at that time. The hospital transferred to Poriya in 1959.
The Church of Scotland then ran a guest house or hospice in the hospital buildings until 1998 when the decision was taken to upgrade the hotel and develop the number of rooms available. Today we welcome guests from around the world to a world class hotel where the staff, made up of Christians, Jews and Muslims working together, offer a welcome and hospitality which guests comment on frequently.
The associate minister of St Andrew’s Jerusalem and Tiberias serves as chaplain to the hotel, and would love to work with pilgrim and tour groups to share a bit about the story of the Scottish Mission Hospital and what came after, and to share in worship. We are always delighted to have pilgrim groups join us for worship, and you are welcome to simply show up on the day. However, if your group is larger than 20 or if you have specific requirements (e.g. gluten-free bread or non-alcoholic wine for Communion), it helps us in our preparation if you can notify us in advance. The church is also available throughout the week for visiting groups who wish to hold their own service of worship. Members of all denominations are welcome. The church is open by appointment for visitors.
The Galilee Garden
St Andrew’s Tiberias is blessed with a wonderful site adjacent to the Sea of Galilee which is ripe for development.
Our vision is to create a place of peace and tranquility and prayer, a bit like the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, which we see as a pilgrim destination for groups small and large who want to pause in their busy schedule. The garden is overlooked by the Scots Hotel and to make it visually appealing and attract the visitor we plan a large walking labyrinth to draw visitors into prayer.
We hope to have a small team of hosts to help maintain the garden, welcome visitors to the garden and to form a praying and worshipping Christian community. Over time we hope to develop a programme of workshops and retreats focusing on the arts and prayer.
If you would like to make a donation for the development of the Galilee Garden, please click here. To find out more about our programme contact Rev Muriel Pearson mpearson@churchofscotland.org.uk or +972 532444314.
Tabeetha School
Our third entity is a unique school in Jaffa: Tabeetha School. Founded in 1869 by Miss Jane Walker Arnott who began the school in her home, educating Christian and Muslim girls in reading, writing and arithmetic, and lace making.
The school was gifted to the Church of Scotland in Miss Walker Arnott’s will. Today the school has students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The students learn in English and sit GCSEs and A levels. There are international and local students from the Christian , Muslim and Jewish communities, and together they form a tartan band of difference and diversity yet unity.
In a time of deep polarization and division, our hotels and our school are living examples of the possibility of collaboration, mutual respect and dialogue.
