Christ Church

From public donations and a government contribution the 350 seat Church was built in Steamer Point and consecrated by Bishop Harding on 10th January 1864. The chancel was 96 feet long and 52 feet wide.

Appointed and paid by the Government, a chaplain held service once each Sunday and occasionally on weekdays. In his absence prayers were read by a garrison officer.

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Between 1987 and 1995 the then Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, John Brown, was in negotiations with the government of southern Yemen and afterwards with the new united government of the Yemen Arab Republic to restore the church.  The authorities very much appreciated Bishop John's offer to build a medical clinic in the church compound for the benefit of mothers and babies.   
 

The matter was clinched when Bishop John received a fatwa from Sheikh Zabarah, the Grand Mufti of the Yemen, instructing that the church should be restored to him and that Christians should be permitted to worship freely, just as "Muslims are permitted to do in Britain".

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His successor, Bishop Clive Handford, has overseen the completion of the church restoration and the clinic, and both are now working successfully.  The Church is a home from home for expatriate Christians, especially seamen, and the Clinic with its dedicated and devoted team,  grows daily in its outreach to the poorest  sections of the community.

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Sisters of the Good Shepherd
The sisters, mostly British-born,  arrived in Aden in 1868 with a view to educating girls of all persuasions and also to afford asylum to any converts or reformed characters.

 

Church Of The Rock
This Church was a small building on the Maidan at Steamer Point opposite the M.T. Yard. Before its relocation it was originally known as the Church In The Rock, being previously located in a cave under the Military H.Q. The new Church retained a huge stone chancel wall as a reminder of its earlier history. In the 60's a choir practiced on Wednesday nights accompanied by a new electronic organ. Families from Crater and Maalla were brought to the Church on Sunday mornings by return coach service.

 

St. Andrew's
Situated near the Station Sick Quarters at RAF Khormaksar. St. Andrew's had its own padre who in the 60's held weeknight meetings for bible study, SASRA, social evenings and a teacher's preparation class. The Sunday service commenced at 9am followed at 10.30am by Sunday School for children, who were brought by coach from outlying areas.

 

Church Of Our Lady And The Four Patrons
This Roman Catholic Church was situated next to St. Michael and All Angels at RAF Khormaksar.

 

St. Michael And All Angels
With seating for 110 people in air-conditioned comfort, thanks to the generosity of the congregation in 1959, this was the station church for RAF personnel. It was located next to the new Sergeant's Mess at RAF Khormaksar.

 

St. George's
An army Church located at the Singapore Lines

 

St. Martin's In The Sands
An army Church located at Seedaseer Lines

 

Danish Mission School & Bookshop 
Records reveal that there was a Danish Mission in Crater in the 20th century. It ran a school by the name of Danish Mission School. It also had a bookshop called D.A. Bookshop. 

 

Keith-Falconer Mission Hospital & School 
There was a Christian mission located at Sheik Othman called Keith-Falconer Mission. It ran both a hospital and a school under the same name. However, at a later stage the hospital was renamed to “Dr. Affra Hospital”.

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My name is Brian Bradbury, born in Aden and so was my mother and her brothers; she was a Rayney. I remember the ordination though I was only 8 or 9 yrs old. Father Domnic christened me in 1945 in Crater !! We used to live in the church compound in Steamer Point before moving to Maalla. Father Dominic was a very close friend of the Rayney family... in fact he married my parents in the Crater church.

 

Notes: 

The garrison church at Steamer Point was consecrated by the Bishop of Bombay in February 1864. Although the structure of the building had been completed by that date, it did not have all its fittings. The church was completed in 1865, but without any accommodation having been provided for the chaplain.

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The garrison church in Crater replaced an earlier chapel. By the end of 1867 outside walls were five feet high. The church was not consecrated by the Bishop of Bombay until December 1871.