A blessed step in a blessed country

Dr. Michel E. Abs

The Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Christ is risen.

A blessed step in a blessed country

Speech by the Secretary General, Dr. Michel Abs, at the inauguration of the new MECC office in Jordan on June 4, 2024

Your Eminence Archbishop Christoforos Atallah,

Your Eminences the heads of the Churches of Jordan and their representatives,

Ladies and Gentlemen current and former Ministers and Deputies,

Ladies and Gentlemen, intellectual, cultural, and economic elites,

Honorable Fathers,

Reverent Pastors,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we are inaugurating a new office of the Middle East Council of Churches in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The office is new, but the MECC’s presence in Jordan is not, as it has been here for a long time, thanks to church leaders and church members who are committed to serving those who are weary and heavy burdened.

Our long-standing presence here is due to the unlimited support provided to us by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem whose Patriarch, highly respected, Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III we salute as children of the church. His support has enabled the MECC to overcome the crisis that has plagued it more than a decade ago, and he has taken the necessary steps to ensure the Council’s continuity in Jordan.

Today, after changes in work policies, we are opening this new regional office, provided to us with the same generosity as the blessed Church of Jerusalem, by its Archbishop in Jordan, His Eminence Archbishop Christoforos, the pastor of the diocese and the leader of its thriving institutions, active in serving Jordanian society in all its segments.

His Eminence, his advisers, and us at MECC, have discussed new working methods and modalities to preserve the rights of the supporting Church on the one hand, and the evolving MECC’s rules and regulations on the other. These discussions led to two documents, two memorandums of cooperation, one related to facilities hosting, and the other related to support by human competencies. This came after a feasibility study of MECC work in Jordan, which I prepared with the MECC team, and which was approved by the MECC and the Associate secretaries general, for moving forward.

The next stage involves dealing with the economic, social, and cultural challenges in the country. We will learn from our interaction with the field, as well as from the monthly report prepared by a colleague tasked with researching and monitoring transformations in the Middle East. This report is issued at the beginning of each month with our weekly newsletter, Momentum, which I launched at the beginning of my ministry as secretary general four years ago. It brings news of the MECC and the churches of the region to the churches, to those interested, and to followers.

All of this can be found on MECC’s website and its active social media.

With the support of His Excellency Archbishop Christoforos, our regional delegate in Jordan, whom we call the Country Representative or Director, will be the Rev. Father Ignatius Khalifeh, considering his competences, experiences, and know-how. He will coordinate with the head office in Beirut the follow-up on the Council’s projects in the country, develop and launch new projects that deal with the needs and aspirations of the people. He will coordinate fully with the churches, most of which are MECC members.

Jordan will gradually become a center of intense activity for the Council, where all its projects will be implemented, as is the case in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and later in other countries of the Middle East. Jordan may also be a springboard for new projects or new ways of working, resulting from local needs or expertise, which can be transferred as a pilot to other regions.

We must draw the attention of the member churches of the Council, and its affiliated institutions, to the fact that this office is for all churches. This is the vision of the blessed archdiocese that hosts us, and this is what was expressed and announced quite frankly by His Eminence, who is experienced in joint Christian work, through the Council of Heads of Churches in Jordan. Based on my knowledge of His Eminence, and the culture of the dear Jordanian people, resulting from a wise leadership, this office will be for all the people of Jordan who live unity in life at all levels.

In addition, having discussed the matter several times at the office in the working group, we must call for international intellectual and cultural seminars and conferences in Jordan. The information unit of the Council will play a major role in highlighting the activities that will be carried out here.

Through this regional office and its working group, and with the blessing of His Eminence, the MECC will have contact with the Jordanian society, which is rich in potentials and offers significant work possibilities. Thus, we have created a new synergy between the Council, as a pillar of ecumenical action in the region, and a promising country in terms of areas of work, from developmental, to educational, to rehabilitation, to environmental, to cultural, and the list may go on. Thus, as we are destined to be, we are an auxiliary or complementary instrument of the Lord’s instruments in the service of His creatures.

At the end of my speech, which I intended not to be prolonged, I must first thank His Eminence Archbishop Christoforos with great respect, and the highly qualified team of the Archdiocese, from the Reverent Fathers, to the competent lawyer, to the administrative assistants, and all those whom I have not yet met, for their loving and generous collaboration. They dealt with us with remarkable cooperation, thus making us feel that we have become one in work, as we are one in the Lord.

In conclusion, I would also like to thank the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Royal Leadership, and the efficient government agencies, for all the facilities they have provided us throughout our work, and for the positivity that we have always felt on their part. We assure them, and our church leaders, that we are a law-abiding institution that operates in accordance with the laws in use, with the highest levels of transparency and effectiveness.

Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen,

I began my speech by addressing you with “Christ is risen,” a salute we say until the day of Pentecost, and until the end of times, and I will end my speech by addressing you, affirming that “He is truly truly risen!”