Produced by MECC

An Interview with Father Antoine Al-Ahmar, Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department, About the Season of Creation and the Feast of Creation

Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand – Lebanon

Produced By MECC

Together We Unite in Prayer and Work to Protect Our Common Home! 

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

The Ecumenical family around the world is preparing for an environmental Ecumenical season, a season that holds a lot of hope for glorifying, praising and thanking God the Creator for all His blessings and gifts. It is the “Season of Creation,” a station that extends annually between September 1, the Feast of Creation, and October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology. 

The Season of Creation is an Ecumenical celebration for praying and responding together to the cry of creation. Hence, its calls on us to renew our relationship with the Creator and creation by learning and working, through studying the Holy Bible and delving deeper into the Teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as through commitment to the environmental issue and making efforts to protect our common home, Oikos of God. 

As is customary yearly, the season adopts a specific theme and a special slogan. This year, we will unite around the theme “Living Water” and the symbol “Immersion in Living Water,” inspired by Ezekiel 47:9 and 12. Hence, when did this season start? And how was it launched?… 

By Saint Francis of Assisi

Performed by: The Glory of Heaven Choir

Video Produced By MECC

Awareness Sessions for Displaced People and Women from Host Communities

Produced by MECC

“Ecumenical Horizons” is a weekly program that features spiritual, cultural, intellectual, educational, youth and environmental topics.

“Momentum”

24-8-2026

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 "Autonomy in Organizations: Between Accountability and Governance".

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/ee9f27c09e13/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.

مرصد فلسطين – تقرير الاثنين 24 آب/ أغسطس 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 Observatory," 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.

Emphasis on the Need to Strengthen Media Cooperation

Father Dr. Rifat Bader, General Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, Publisher of “Abouna” Website, and Representative of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for Media Affairs, visited the Council’s headquarters in Beirut on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. He was received by the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, and the General Secretariat team, in the presence of the Journalist Rafi Sayegh, from “Abouna” Website.

The visit took place as part of Father Bader’s participation in a seminar organized by MECC entitled “Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics,” where he delivered a lecture addressing the subject of Ecumenical media and the importance of its role today in serving the Church and society.

From the “Ecumenism of Blood” to the “Ecumenism of the Word”

A Lecture By Father Dr. Rifat Bader

Father Dr. Rifat Bader, General Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, Publisher of “Abouna” Website, and Representative of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for Media Affairs, delivered this lecture in Arabic at a webinar organized by MECC, entitled “Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics”, on Thursday, August 19, 2026.

At the MECC Webinar About “Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics”

Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Coordinator of Media and Church Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), delivered this word in Arabic at a webinar organized by MECC, entitled “Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics”, on Thursday, August 19, 2026.

A Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Prof. Michel Abs: “Media reflects the splendor of Christianity by showcasing its culture and its diverse dimensions”

Fr. Dr. Rifat Bader: “we have a responsibility to translate this witness into an Ecumenism of the word: media that brings people together rather than divides them, heals rather than wounds, and builds rather than destroys”

Journalist Lea Adel Maamary: “Ecumenical media serve as a bridge for dialogue, a space for encounter, a tool for strengthening a culture of unity”

As part of the series of seminars launched by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), a new seminar entitled “Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics” was held, with Father Dr. Rifat Bader, General Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, Publisher of “Abouna” Website, and Representative of the MECC Executive Committee for Media Affairs. It was moderated by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Coordinator of Media and Church Relations at MECC.

The seminar was held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in the presence of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs. It was attended in person at MECC headquarters in Beirut by Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, MECC Associate Secretary General, Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Rehabilitation Programs at MECC, Journalist Rafi Sayegh, and the MECC media team.

Online attendees were Father Dr. Nicolas Bustros, MECC Associate Secretary General, colleagues from the MECC team, as well as a Journalists and Experts from the Egyptian Council of Churches, “Abouna” Website, and many media outlets across the region.

Produced by MECC

Father Joseph Soueid: "The book ‘1,033 Hours from the Life of Christ’ is the Gospel of our lives... and the Baptism Site is preparing to celebrate the Baptism of Jesus Christ in 2030"

On the occasion of the 255th anniversary of the construction of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Bzommar, a Church exhibition entitled “Testimony of the Spiritual Heritage” was inaugurated during a ceremony held on the evening of August 12, 2026. The exhibition presents a selection of artifacts from the Monastery’s museum, offering visitors a glimpse into the spiritual, artistic, and historical richness preserved by this landmark across generations.

Highlights on the Webinar About "Ecumenical Media: Mission and Ethics", Organized by MECC

Via the SAT7 TV Channel