Who We Are

The Friends of the Middle East are members of the Uniting Church in Australia who share an interest in nourishing the relationship between this ‘new’ church and churches in the Middle East.

The origins of the ‘Friends’ lie in the wake of visits made to Armenia and Lebanon. They seek to honour:

  • The way in which the Assembly of the national Church acknowledged the Armenian Genocide at its triennial meeting in 2015 and committed itself to a course of annual observance and education.

  • The promises made by Assembly staff to foster closer relationships with the evangelical union of churches in Lebanon and Syria.

The core group includes the following:

  • The Rev. Dr. Krikor Youmshajekian

    (The Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council and former Minister of Willoughby Armenian Evangelical Uniting Church, and St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Longueville)

  • The Rev. Dr. Gaby Kobrossi

    (Minister, Bankstown District
    Uniting Church)

  • The Rev. Dr. Peter Walker

    General Secretary, Synod of New South Wales-ACT, Uniting Church)

  • The Rev. Professor Dean Drayton

    (Former President of the Uniting Church)

  • The Rev. Mary Pearson

    (Former congregational minister, Chaplain Mental Health, and professional supervisor)

  • The Rev. Associate Professor Clive Pearson

    (Former Principal, United
    Theological College)

  • Mrs. Moira Bryant

    (Manager, Camden Theological Library)