Christ Church, founded 1849, is the oldest Protestant Church in the Middle East and a center of prayer for all nations with worship reflecting the Jewish context of the gospel.
Our History
Christ Church is the oldest Protestant Church in the Middle East. It was completed in Jerusalem in 1849 and soon after became known as the “Jewish Protestant Church.” When writing about the establishment of the church, well known historian Stephen Neil called it “one of the strangest episodes of modern church history.”
Christ Church is indeed unique. It was built for numerous reasons, but the foremost was that the founders of CMJ had a great love and concern for the Jewish people and wanted to share with them the Good News of Messiah Jesus. They also anticipated the Jewish return to the Land of Israel in fulfillment of what was understood to be Bible prophecy (long before the advent of Zionism) and wanted to be in a position to help that process.
Photo: Oldest known photo of Christ Church. Taken by George Wilson Bridges, 1851. (Penn Libraries/Holy Land Collection)
Service Times
Sunday service broadcast on Facebook & YouTube
6 p.m. Israel | 4 p.m. UK | 11 a.m. ET US
- Sunday Morning Holy Communion Service – 09:30
- Sunday Evening Worship – 18:00
- Wednesday Morning Eucharist – 10:30
- Wednesday Morning Ladies’ Study Group – 10:00 in the rectory*
- Wednesday Evening Bible Study – 19:00 in conference room*
*Subject to change due to special events and holidays. Please verify with the church secretary (churchsecretary@cmj-israel.org).
Weekly Sermons and Bible Studies
Sermons and more available on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Spotify, YouTube, and Google Play. (RSS feed)
Our Congregation
From the beginning, the message of CMJ has been to remind Christians of the great spiritual debt owed to the Jewish people. The Jewish symbols and Hebrew texts found in the church are reminders that our faith is built upon the foundation of God’s promises to the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets and that His covenant purposes for Israel have not been canceled (Romans 11).
Today Christ Church is an evangelical Anglican congregation that worships in our historic church in the Old City of Jerusalem. The congregation, comprised of expatriates who have come to serve in Israel or the West Bank along with local believers (both Jews and Arabs), welcomes visitors and tourists to its worship services.
We are an English speaking congregation that appreciates our Jewish roots in a liturgical and historical context. Towards this end we celebrate both Jewish and Christian holidays, incorporate some Hebrew into our liturgy and preach in a way to emphasize a Hebraic understanding of the Gospels. At the same time we remain unashamed of our Christian heritage and recognize that the spiritual treasures handed down to us by previous generations of Christians are part of our lives and worship.
We share our facilities with a Messianic Hebrew congregation (that meets on Saturday) and partner with them in various ways. We are also part of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem and cooperate in charity projects with a number of Christian churches and fellowships inside the Old City. Our commitment to reconciliation is expressed in the make up of our staff: Messianic Jews, Arab Christians and expatriates who live, work and worship together in community.
Christ Church has endorsed GAFCON’s Jerusalem Declaration (Arabic version) and is in close fellowship with the Church of Uganda and the Anglican Church of North America. In addition, we have close links with many churches in the US, the UK and South Africa.
Our Liturgies
The following links will take you to the liturgies we use for worship throughout the year. We encourage you to download the PDFs to enjoy them at home, in your own congregation, or when you come to worship with us in the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Morning Prayer
- Morning Prayer in Hebrew | תפילת שחרית בעברית
- Morning Prayer & Communion | תפילת בוקר עם סעודת הקודש
- Morning and Evening Prayer with Psalms of Ascent
- A Celebration Of Wholeness and Healing
- Holy Communion (Kenyan)
- Holy Communion
- Holy Communion (Sinai)
- Holy Communion in English and Arabic | خدمة الشركة المقدسة
- Holy Communion in English and Russian | Таинство Святого Причастия
- Holy Communion in English and Turkish | Kutsal Komünyon Ayini
- Holy Communion with Psalms of Ascent (during Passover and Sukkot)
- Advent
- Advent in English and Arabic | أحد المجيء – قداس خدمة القربان المقدس
- Advent in German | Adventsonntag Abendmahlsgottesdienst
- Christmas (Kenyan)
- Christmas (Kenyan) in English and Russian | Кенийская Рождественская Литургия
- Epiphany Season
- Epiphany in English and Arabic | المناولة المقدسة خلال عيد الغطاس
- Ash Wednesday
- Lent
- Lent in English and Hebrew | ליטורגיה לימי צום הארבעים
- Lent in English and Arabic | قداس خدمة القربان المقدس – ليتورجيا الصوم
- Palm Sunday
- Passiontide Morning Prayer
- Maundy Thursday
- Good Friday
- Easter Vigil
- Resurrection (Kenyan in English and Hebrew)| ליטורגיה קנייאית לחגיגת התחייה
- Easter Season (Kenyan)
- ليتورجيا الكنيسة الكينية لزمن عيد الفصح | Easter Season in Arabic
- Osterzeit auf Deutsch | Easter Season in German
- Кенийская Пасхальная Литургия | Easter Season in Russian
- Pentecost (Shavuot)
- Trinity Sunday
- Michael & All the Angels (Kenyan)
- All Saints Day (Kenyan)
- Wedding liturgy (English and Hebrew) | טקס נישואים
- Wedding liturgy (English and Russian) | Брачная служба
Visit Us
It’s easy to find Christ Church, Jerusalem, as we’re just 200 metres from the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. As you walk through the Jaffa Gate, bear to the right and up the slight incline with David’s Tower to your right. You’ll see the gated entrance to the Christ Church compound on your left. You can also use Google Maps to find us by entering your own start point or current location and then click “get directions”.
Our contact details are also at the bottom of this page should you need to reach us, and you can also find us via our Facebook page.
If you want to stay very locally, you’re welcome to book accommodation with us at the Christ Church Guest House or even pop in for a speciality coffee, tea or herbal infusion at our wonderful Coffee Shop and enjoy the peaceful surroundings in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Old City.
Christ Church Jerusalem
PO Box 14037
9114001 Jerusalem
Israel
T: +972 (0) 2 6277730