Al Amana Centre looks to the future

With new Mission, Vision and Values statement

Oman is opening up to the outside world again. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Oman and joining us for programs, for encounters with people of various faith traditions, or even just to come and find a restful retreat in the amazing country we call home, the Sultanate of Oman.

There are no longer any restrictions, based on COVID-19 concerns, on who can enter the country. There are new requirements before entry, i.e. vaccine requirements, COVID testing, and insurance mandates, but we are hopeful that very soon people will return to visiting Oman, experiencing her beautiful landscapes, engaging her culture, and being welcomed by her hospitable people. 

During the last year and a half much of the physical elements of the Centre have remained dormant. We took this time to upgrade our amenities and physical assets. We refurbished the upstairs majlis, created our long hoped for library on the main floor (books are being added rapidly!), added bathrooms, that were not located in guest rooms, and installed a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi system so there are no longer dead zones and is high speed throughout. 

We are working on preparing the grounds too and creating spaces to rest and reflect under the shade of the many trees in our gardens.

New Mission, Vision, and Values statement

As Al Amana Centre looks to the future, we felt it would be important to take some time to look at our Mission and Vision statements and discern if they need to be adjusted or amended as we begin to live and work in a world changed forever by COVID-19. We started with what we had created a few years ago and took time as a staff to think about who we are, what we hope to give to the world, and evaluate how we want to engage our work as a Centre. 

Both the staff and the Board of Directors were involved. We took into consideration that our staff is now a multifaith staff, with the addition of Ali as our Business Administrator and Mohammed as a regular consultant. We also hope to add more Omanis onto our staff in the coming months and years. This is the result of our work of discernment:

Al AMANA CENTRE
is an ecumenical and interfaith organization built upon the legacy of over 130 years of
Christians working with their Muslim hosts and neighbors from different faiths represented in Oman. 

OUR VISION
is people of faith building trust, mutual understanding, and sustainable peace in their communities.

OUR MISSION
is for Al Amana Centre to provide safe spaces, diverse encounters,
and engaging methodologies for people of faith to build sustainable peace.

OUR VALUES

1. We seek to be peacemakers:
In a world where some would use religion as a rationale for violence and conflict,
we seek to embrace faith and religion as instruments for peace.

2. We welcome the stranger as a neighbor:
There is a deep tradition within the Bible and the Qur’an that teaches that hospitality
is one of the highest virtues and should be extended to those both near to us
and those who are unfamiliar to us.

3. We love those who challenge our beliefs, or with whom we have conflict,
and we celebrate religious difference:
We believe that difference of religious beliefs should not be a cause of conflict.
Instead, through mutual love, understanding, and celebration of religious difference
we can be examples for others to follow
in building peace in their communities where religious difference is present.

4. We promote tolerance as a first step but strive for mutual understanding and reconciliation: 
Tolerance of each other may prevent violence, but sustainable peace is fostered
when people understand their differences and choose to reconcile past conflicts
for the purpose of creating new opportunities for peace within a diverse community.

We are committed to continuing the online work that we started during the pandemic and we are excited that it will soon be possible to bring groups back to Oman. We will be looking toward this mission, vision, and values statement as we engage in new projects, evaluate our current ones, and as we continue to seek new partners and avenues for the important work: building trust and peace between people of different faith traditions and cultures. 

Justin Meyers
Executive Director