In an unprecedented step, the governor of the Jordanian capital, Amman, Yasser Al-Adwan, made a working visit, on Tuesday, November 14th to the headquarters of the Jordanian Evangelical Church Complex, located in the Free Evangelical Church building in Khalda.

Al-Adwan, the governorate’s staff, and a number of employees related to Christian affairs met with the administrative committee of the Council, headed by retired Major General Imad Saliba Ma’ayah. He also met with the pastors and leaders of Amman’s evangelical churches that operate under the umbrella of the council. The meeting included technical work aimed at coordination between the security departments and the heads of the churches. The visit included training Church leaders on entering online information about Church activities and allowing heads of churches to regularly update their accounts with the security departments regarding activities with large numbers of people so that the security forces can take appropriate action to protect the churches and church members.

Each church was given a special protected account which they could update on their own any planned activities.
The governor said that the goal of the meeting was to identify the challenges of Christian Jordanians in the capital and that the meeting came after a similar meeting with the Council of Church Leaders. Al-Adwan said that the meeting aims to coordinate and accelerate communication processes between those in charge of churches and security departments. But the governor stressed that no one will interfere with the faith, right to worship, and freedom of religion that are guaranteed in the Jordanian constitution. He stressed that the goal is security coordination only, and there will be no interference in the internal affairs of churches, expressing respect for the independence and sanctity of houses of worship.

The head of the Jordanian Evangelical Council thanked the governor for the visit, which came in response to an invitation made several months ago when a delegation from the council visited the governorate.

In his response, Maayah touched on the regional situation, saying: “We live these sad days with teary eyes and bleeding hearts as we witness the crimes committed by the unjust criminal Zionists against our people in Palestine, including Gaza, and the innocent victims. Maayah, the former member of the Jordanian House of Representatives, thanked His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince, emphasizing “the importance of the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites.”
Pastor Nabih Abbasi, head of the Jordanian Baptist Convention, described the visit as positive and practical. “The visit was successful, good, and positive. The most important thing was security coordination and the necessity of overcoming the lack of information and creating a smooth way to communicate about various activities for the purpose of security follow-ups.
Pastor David Rihani, head of the Assemblies of God Church-Jordan, said that the Jordani is organizing and arranging internal issues e, and this includes strengthening relations with the security workforce in the country.
“We welcome every coordination action that serves the nation and the citizens, and we raise our hat to the security forces that ensure the protection of Jordanian citizens and provide the needs for a decent life and the right to worship and exercise all the rights of citizenship, including freedom of worship and public efforts, knowing that our churches and their institutions have a long history in the humanitarian field, in serving refugees, caring for the elderly, supporting orphans, and visiting prisons.”

Pastor Munther Shahatit, head of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Jordan and Palestine, said that the visit was special. “We felt his respect for us, and it was a successful visit by all standards.” The meeting was aimed at introducing us to the new electronic platform so that appropriate protection can be determined during official celebrations, which include a large number of attendees. He was very nice.
The Jordanian Evangelical Council of Churches was established in 2006 and includes the Jordanian Baptist Church denomination, the Jordan Assemblies of God Church, the Free Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Church of the Nazarene denomination, and the Christian Union Church. Institutions affiliated with evangelical churches serve the local community in many areas, including education, health, refugees, prison services, the elderly, and orphans.

Retired Major General Imad Saliba Maayah presented a shield of honor to the governor from the Jordanian Evangelical Churches Complex. He also presented a documented study on the history of evangelicals in Jordan