“Momentum”

29-6-2026

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the Church, Ecumenical, and social events…

This is in addition to the weekly word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs which is entitled in this issue “Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul: A Witness of Struggle and a Mission of Unity”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/6310bbc705bd/momentum-mecc-weekly-newsletter.

You can also subscribe to the Momentum Newsletter via the following link:
https://mecc.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?id=fd3381352a&u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a.

Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah Installed as Pastor of the National Evangelical Church in Beirut

And President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Participates in the Installation Service

Reverend Dr. Habib Badr: “After 41 years, I hand over the responsibility, marking the beginning of a new chapter of renewal and continuity”

The National Evangelical Church in Beirut held the Installation Service of Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah as its ordained Senior Pastor, consecrated for ministry under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The celebration was attended by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, and his wife Dr. Frida Haddad Abs; Reverend Wilbert Van Saane, Reverend Rima's husband, and their family; alongside many Pastors, including Reverend Dr. Uwe Gräbe, Head of the Middle East Unit of the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS), Ms. Kirsten Auken, Regional Director of Danmission in the Middle East, Directors of institutions affiliated with the National Evangelical Church, Coordinator of Church Relations and Media at MECC Lea Adel Maamary, Members of the Church Board of Elders, and believers.

مرصد فلسطين – تقرير الاثنين 29 حزيران/ يونيو 2026

In light of the worsening humanitarian and social conditions in the region due to the escalation of security operations, the Middle East Council of Churches presents a weekly report entitled "Palestine Monitor," which includes the latest developments in Palestine, especially amid the deteriorating living, social, and security conditions in the country. Some texts will be in Arabic, and some others in English, depending on the source.

في ظلّ تفاقم الظروف الإنسانيّة والاجتماعيّة في المنطقة جرّاء تصاعد العمليّات الأمنيّة فيها، يقدّم مجلس كنائس الشرق الأوسط تقريرًا أسبوعيًّا بعنوان "مرصد فلسطين" حيث يتضمّن آخر المستجدّات الّتي تشهدها فلسطين خصوصًا وسط تدهور الظروف المعيشيّة والاجتماعيّة والأمنيّة في البلاد. ستكون بعض النصوص باللغة العربية، وبعضها الآخر باللّغة الإنكليزيّة، وذلك حسب المصدر.

Receives the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs

and a Delegation from the General Secretariat

A Meeting that Emphasizes the Importance of Martyrdom in the Church and Strengthening the Ecumenical Spirit

His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), received the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, at the head of a delegation from the General Secretariat, on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the Patriarchal Residence in Mathaf, Beirut.

Attendees from the Patriarchate were Member of the MECC Executive Committee Chorbishop Habib Mrad, and Father Karim Kalash.

The MECC delegation included Associate Secretary General Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, Director of the Lebanon’ Office in the Diakonia and Social Service Department Ms. Nina Hallak, Finance Director Dr. Laudy El Khoury, Coordinator of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Rehabilitation Programs Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of Media and Church Relations Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Senior Human Resources Officer Mrs. Caroline Haddad, Procurement Officer Richard Sassine, Executive Assistant to the Secretary General Mrs. Maha Samaan, IT Officer Rabih Abou Rjeili, Social Media Officer Johnny Anton, and Communication and Media Officer Elia Nasrallah…

What Are the Details?

“… Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”

(Matthew 16:18)

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) 

The Commemoration of Saints Peter and Paul is a special date in the history of the Church and the consolidation of Christianity over the decades. The Church celebrate their Commemoration on June 29, and believers ask for their intercession to Christ to grant peace to the world and mercy to our souls.

They are the Founders of the Antiochian See and they were given many titles: Leaders of the apostles, founders of the Church, first in line for the apostolate sees, and teachers of the world... Peter was the first to admit that Jesus is the Son of the living God according to the Gospel of Matthew 16:16. He then denied Christ three times and repented, so the Lord forgave him accordingly. Paul’s name was Saul. The Lord appeared to him on his way to Damascus, where he wanted to kill Christians... He took Paul's name after his baptism at the hands of Jesus to convert and preach the name of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

From the Holy Family Monastery in Abrine, Lebanon – Tomb of the Blessed Patriarch Elias Howayek – the Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) presents this video, which it filmed.

‏Hymn "Man of Providence" (Patriarch Elias Howayek), sung by Mounir Khalifeh.

Land of Holiness 1 - Saint Rafqa Hemlaya, Lebanon

Together Towards Strengthening the Ecumenical Spirit and the Media Mission!

At the invitation of the Communication Department of the World Council of Churches (WCC), an online Ecumenical meeting was held on Monday, June 22, bringing together communication and media colleagues from various global Ecumenical organizations, with the participation of the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

Discussions centered around the most prominent current Ecumenical and media-related issues and topics. Participants provided updates on their work and activities, each according to their respective programs. They also shared their concerns and aspirations regarding both the Ecumenical and media spheres in the coming period.

The gathering served as a platform for exchanging expertise and perspectives, as well as strengthening cooperation among Ecumenical Church and humanitarian organizations, with the aim of developing a shared media mission.

“Momentum”

19-6-2026

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the Church, Ecumenical, and social events…

This is in addition to the weekly word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs which is entitled in this issue “Sayfo, Justice, and Memory, From the Perspective of the Middle East Council of Churches”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/06af911a306d/momentum-mecc-weekly-newsletter.

You can also subscribe to the Momentum Newsletter via the following link:
https://mecc.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?id=fd3381352a&u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a.

Produced by MECC

A Spiritual Retreat for the MECC General Secretariat Team

From Jrebta to Kfifan and Aabrin

The family of the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) experienced a spiritual and cultural day in the Lebanese villages of Jrebta, Kfifan and Aabrin. The day was marked by a Spiritual Retreat organized by the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department for the General Secretariat team, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, on the occasions of the 25th Jubilee of the Canonization of Saint Rafqa, and the Beatification of Patriarch Elias Howayek.

The Retreat began at Saint Joseph Monastery in Jrebta, at the Tomb of Saint Rafqa, where Sister Marta Bassil welcomed the participants and guided them on a tour of the Monastery, presenting an overview of its history, as well as its spiritual and Ecclesial mission.

Then, a spiritual reflection and discussion with Mother Dolly Chaaya, Superior General of the Lebanese Maronite Order of Nuns, was made under the title “A Path of Holiness in a Wounded East.” In her presentation, she reflected on the meanings of witness, hope, and holiness amidst the challenges that the East is facing today. Her talk was followed by a discussion and exchange of ideas with the participants.

Mother Dolly Chaaya, Superior General of the Lebanese Maronite Order of Nuns, During a Spiritual Retreat for the MECC General Secretariat Team:

A Wound Transformed into Hope and Resurrection

During a spiritual and intellectual gathering with the General Secretariat team of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at Saint Joseph Monastery in Jrebta, Tomb of Saint Rafqa, Mother Dolly Chaya, Superior General of the Lebanese Maronite Order of Nuns, delivered a reflection entitled “The Path of Holiness in a Wounded East.”

Drawing from the life of Saint Rafqa and the wounds of the contemporary Middle East, Mother Dolly explored the meaning of holiness in everyday life. She emphasized that holiness is neither a distant ideal nor an image preserved in memory, but rather a daily path lived in the heart of suffering, in the face of fear, and in the continual search for hope.

Her reflection came at a time when many people in the region feel deprived of security and burdened by fear, migration, displacement, and wounded belonging. Yet Mother Dolly urged not to view this reality solely through the lens of defeat, but through the lens of faith, which sees that a wound, when touched by the Mystery of the Risen Christ, no longer remains a sign of death but can become a testimony of love and hope.

MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Participates in the Celebration at the Head of an MECC Delegation

Under the presidency 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, and at the invitation of the Bzommar Patriarchal Congregation and the Municipality of Jounieh, a cultural and spiritual evening was held on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Ignatius Maloyan under the title: “From the Wounds of Genocide to the Crown of Holiness.” The event took place on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the Municipal Palace in Jounieh.

The evening was attended by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, heading an MECC delegation that included the Coordinator of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Program Professor Laure Abi Khalil, and the Coordinator of Media and Church Relations Journalist Lea Adel Maamary.

Attendees were also Religious, official, and cultural personalities.