St. George's College, Jerusalem

St. George's College Jerusalem[1]
Established 1920[1]
Type Private[1]
Affiliation Anglican[1]
Dean Graham M. Smith
Location East Jerusalem[1], Jerusalem[1], Palestine/Israel
Campus Urban[1]
Website www.sgcjerusalem.org/

St George’s College Jerusalem (SGCJ) is a Continuing Education Center of the Anglican Communion. It is part of the Anglican diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

History

The school was originally founded as a seminary for Palestinian seminarians.[1] When George Francis Popham Blyth, a Church of England cleric with sympathy for High Church Anglicanism, became the bishop of the diocese in 1887, he found himself estranged from the evangelical societies which were working in Jerusalem at the time; the Church Mission Society and the London Jews Society. Therefore, he formed his own Jerusalem and the East Mission, purchased land outside of the Old City, and raised funds for the construction of St George's Collegiate Church (which is today the diocesan cathedral), and St George's College as well.[2]

In 1962, it expanded its mission to include educating clergy and laity from other parts of the country. Currently students from 92 countries and 96 faith traditions.[3]

Today, Christian pilgrimage is its primary purpose, offering 10-14 day courses to clergy and laity of all denominations.

Courses cover Old and New Testament events with teaching on history, archaeology, theology and personal faith formation.

Campus

The college is on the grounds of the Cathedral. It is in East Jerusalem, near the American Colony Hotel and is ten minutes’ walk from the Old City of Jerusalem. The school has a three story building containing en suite rooms capable of housing up to 42 people. The 21,000 volume library is one of the largest English language libraries in Jerusalem.[4]

Recent history

In 2011 Rev Dr. Graham M Smith became Dean of the College In 2013, Dr. Rodney Aist became Course Director

In 2008, the SGCJ launch a joint curriculum with the Council for World Mission. The program, called ‘Face to Face' matches individuals in the developed world with individuals locally in different contexts of deprivation. The program in Jerusalem is run by SGCJ. In the first iteration of the 26 people from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States came to campus.[5]

See also

External links

References

Coordinates: 31°47′14.24″N 35°13′45.68″E / 31.7872889°N 35.2293556°E