We joined in with the ‘normal’ Sunday service at Nazareth’s Anglican – Christ Church. (There was another tour group visiting from Oxford, and a Canadian group) so it was pretty full. The Right Reverend John Pritchard, the former Bishop of Oxford, was leading one group and he joined the concelebration.
The service was principally in Arabic, which some English slivers. many prayers and hymns were said and sung in the two languages simultaneously.
Even the hymn book was in Arabic.
We did manage the Sanctus and The Lord’s Prayer in Arabic.
I had some difficulty understanding the hymn numbers (I thought we used Arabic numerals?), but the service was a great success and the Arabic congregation made us extremely welcome.
Father M 
This is fabulous – thank you so much & travel home safely, Rosemary x
what struck me initially was the very English style of the church building. Inside it had an appearance of a cathedral, and then it became more multicultural by the way the service seems to have been conducted, eg the prayers and hymns said and sung in two languages simultaneously. How wonderful! To be present in such a gathering and listen to the sounds being lifted to God, would have been for me a Pentecostal type of moment. I love the image in my mind of any Pom or Aussie priests there, having to struggle with the Arabic language. Talk about a turn around and a sense of being really in the moment!
Dear Ian I trust you are enjoying your hol(y)iday in between all the photos and updates. We are currently in the old walled city of Carcassonne in SW France having just heard a male quartet of Russians singing Russian church music in the Basillica of St Naizaire (11thC). (Cathar territory but they lost a long time ago). Very atmospheric. I bought their CD. CU again in a couple of weeks.
Regards Richard and Deborah