Christianity came to Cyprus with St Paul, landing as he did at Salamis within a couple of kilometres of the Chaplaincy House in Glapsides. 

The history books tell us that the first English language service to be held in Cyprus was the wedding of King Richard the Lionheart and Princess Berengeria on the 12th May 1191. English ministry after that was minimal until after nearly 400 years of Turkish Ottoman Empire administration the British took over in 1878. St. Paul’s Cathedral in Nicosia was consecrated in 1893 and after the island formally become a British Crown Possession in 1914 a mixed pattern of military and civilian chaplaincies developed  through the island. The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf as one of the four Dioceses within the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
came into being in January 1976, from out of the former archbishopric in Jerusalem. There exists in the Diocesan Office a copy of the deeds of St. Mark’s English Church Famagusta dated 1913. The previous registration at the land registry is indicated as 1895 – we suspect that was when it was opened and consecrated being two years after the church in Nicosia. Although details have been hard to come by we believe that it was demolished – along with the Rectory and the lands sold in the 1960’s at the behest of the then hierarchy in Jerusalem as it was poorly attended. Seating only 40 or so it would these days have been wholly inadequate in size anyway. It stood in the street where the hospital and post office are, on the site of the very modern looking court building. For historical continuity our congregation is therefore known as St. Mark's Church. 

The forerunner of St Mark's was the Famagusta Fellowship was founded in 1994 at the suggestion of the Rev John Okuru a Nigerian Roman Catholic Priest who had trained for the ministry in Austria and was then serving the Austrian Forces of the United Nations in Famagusta as Chaplain. Very much instrumental in teh beginnings of the Fellowship was the Rev Canon William (Bill) Schwartz MBE, then Diocesan Secretary in Nicosia and now in Qatar at the Church of the Epiphany. 

So far two founding and early members have found time to write of their experiences of the church:-

The following first contribution is from Kathleen Walstan Pagan

The first Holy Communion of the fellowship was held in the Quonset hut (UK readers read Nissen Hut) chapel at the UN camp on New Years Eve 1995. Officiating were Rev. John Okuro and Rev. Michael Stokes, (the then Chaplain of St, Andrew’s Kyrenia.) Following the service a reception was held in the UN Library on the base. Rev. Okuro was wearing a tuxedo for the occasion. I recall a small group (about 12 persons?) attending.

Services began on a weekly basis, staffing permitting. I recall the aroma of freshly baked bread and many cats wandering around outside the chapel.  On Good Friday 1996 as I arrived at the UN base for an evening service with Ursala, Voicheck and their son Peter, we saw the Hale-Bopp comet in the northern sky. Easter morning was celebrated at Salamis with a sunrise service, although it was slightly overcast (I recall Rev. Okuro saying he was hoping for a bright sunrise). There was a blessing of the fire, which I had never seen before and very memorable since a wild fire had devastated the mountains in late June 1995 (just after my arrival there with my daughter
Margot-- Nick my then husband had started at the EMU in the February.). We had met Carole Lijertwood on the way to Salamis before daylight, as well as Ralph and Dinah Goodell I think. Several children were there (I still have a photo of Margot, Liam, Agata and Peter) and the UN brought Easter surprises for a lovely breakfast celebration afterwards.

We attended a baptism of a child born to UN personnel, also at Salamis during the summer of 1996.

Another memorable event for me was a picnic at the Monumental Tree following a trip to the Fig Cave. Rev. Bill and Edith Shwartz's children (Bill and Edith are currently in Qatar) climbed the massive tree and played a game throwing a bean bag. Other picnics were also enjoyable, travelling by bus with other Christians and seeing remote parts of the island. One occasion took us to the Karpaz, and Kim and Steve Savage explained the process of archaeology.

It was the idea of Ralph Goodell to ask the University to use the Cultural Centre for services. I have a diary entry indicating I accompanied Jonathan Warner and another to make the request to the university Rector the morning there was an afternoon earthquake in October 1996. When the services began at the Church of St. George of the Foreigner, Philip encouraged the children to ring the church bell. Also, Tony Hyland and Vivian visited from St. Andrews to document part of the building and attempted to get a Dumbarton Oaks (US) grant for restoration of the building.

Kathleen W Pagan
Gainesville, FL
 

Contribution from Jonathan Warner who was in Famagusta at the EMU with his wife Lynda.

They visited Cyprus and came along to the church during the summer of 2006 and renewed old acquaintances and made new friends.

Lynda and I met with Bill Schwartz in late 1994/early 1995 to look at possibilities for a church in Famagusta. (Prior to that, we had been meeting with Andrew Swanson in Nicosia, after Bob Brenneman had left the island in 1993. Bob is currently teaching in Minneapolis; he took over a fellowship from Rodney Tilley, a fellow American Assemblies of God minister, and who had left the island in 1991.) We knew Bill through his preaching visits to the Missions to Military Garrisons (MMG) at Ayios Nikolaos, British Base, and, later, as curate at St Andrews, Kyrenia. Since our arrival in Cyprus, we'd held Christmas Carol singing at Moonwalker - taking care to insert a rousing chorus or two of "Jingle Bells" to prove to visiting policemen (one did show up one year) that this was a cultural, not a religious, occasion.

Bill located the land on the Nicosia road owned by the Anglican church, and we also looked at an abandoned Greek church in Maras. During the 1995- 1996 Academic Year permission was granted by the Rector of EMU to use the Cultural Centre - English-language services were held at the UN camp on several occasions.

In September 1996 Bill led a first service in the Cultural Centre. A committee (Philip Blair, Linda Bilton, Carol Lijertwood (Moonwalker), Kathy Pagan and I) was organised to plan services. The general pattern was a 5 p.m. service. The first Sunday of each month Linda led and Philip preached; the second Sunday I led and Andrew Swanson came from Nicosia to preach; the third Sunday Kathy led and I preached; the fourth was a Communion service led by the Kyrenia chaplain. Linda Bilton. or I played the piano, and we would have perhaps 10-12 attending. Three Albanian students were particularly faithful, plus one or both of two Polish families. When Kim Savage arrived we occasionally had sung services; when Mangatiana Robdera from Madagascar arrived, his computer upgraded the music as well.

We agreed that the basis of the church was Scripture, as interpreted by the historic creeds of the church. The service was roughly the form of an Anglican Evening Prayer service. We decided to use the same set of readings as Kyrenia (to allow the chaplain to use the same sermon on the fourth Sunday), and to provide continuity of teaching. Andrew graciously went along with this. We had visitors, including the Bishop, every so often. A Sunday School was started.

Lynda and I left for Kyrgyzstan in 1998, since when it seems God has continued to bless.