The Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association (JMECA), previously known as the Jerusalem and the East Mission (JEM), was founded in 1888 by Bishop

George Blyth George Francis Popham Blyth (25 April 1832 – 5 November 1914) was an Anglican bishop in the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first two of the twentieth. Life He was educated at St Paul's School and Lincoln College, Oxford, and o ...

, the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem.

History

In 1888 Blyth established a fund to maintain the diocesan properties and ministries and develop them. The fund was named The Jerusalem Bishopric Mission Fund, later renamed The Jerusalem and the East Mission (JEM), which is today known as the Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association (JMECA). In 1939 the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Assyrian Mission came fully under the control of J&EM. In 1965 a new constitution was adopted. It was later amended in 1977 and 1985. On July 1, 2015 JMECA became a Limited Company Charity with a revised constitution
a new charity number (11584760)
and a Company Number (09067852). The historical documents of the JMECA are located at

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economi ...

University.

Jerusalem and The East Mission Trust

The

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

is the patron of the JMECA, which is governed by a Council with broad experience in the Middle East. The Trust is not itself a charity. Rather, it is a non-profit which administers the assets of JMECA and a number of other charities that provide support for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. The Trust is administered by a Standing Committee which includes the Directors of The Jerusalem and the East Mission Trust Limited, which was established in 1929.

Current Mission

JMECA supports the

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion. The primate of the church is called President Bishop and represents the Church at the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings. The Centr ...

, which is a province of the worldwide

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. The province has four Dioceses based in Jerusalem, Cairo, Cyprus, and Iran. The mission publishes the journal ''Bible Lands'' and manages a websit
www.jmeca.org.uk

References

{{Reflist Christianity in Palestine (region) Anglicanism in the Middle East Christianity in Jerusalem Anglican organizations Anglican organizations established in the 19th century 1888 establishments in the Ottoman Empire