The UAECNE Celebrates the 180th Anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church’s Founding
MECC Participates in the Celebration
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
On the occasion of the 180th Anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Evangelical Church, the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) held a celebratory Worship Service under the theme “Freedom of Conscience and the Responsible Faith” (Galatians 5.1), on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.
Attendees were His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Catholic Family; the Representative of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches; the Representative of His Eminence Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches; and the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Professor Michel Abs.
The celebration brought also together Representatives of various Church Families, as well as official, Religious, cultural, intellectual, and social figures.
In his Sermon, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family, not only emphasized the theme as the founding principle of the Armenian Evangelical Church, but also offered it as a guide for the ministry of the contemporary Christian Church.
Words of congratulation were offered by His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, and Reverend Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community of Syria and Lebanon, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches.
The celebration, which included Prayers, hymns and instrumental music performances, also marked the official opening of the UAECNE’s 79th annual General Assembly.
Photos: The Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE).
