As part of the Program “Restoration Fund for Rehabilitation of Faith-based Social Services & Religious Infrastructure Damaged During the Crisis in Syria”

Implements Emotional Support Sessions for Youth Girls in Lebanon

With the intensification of daily challenges, the Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), organized a program titled "Emotional Support for Youth Girls" with two groups of adolescent girls aged 12-14 years and 15-17 years. The program aimed to empower them, enhance their mental health, and help them overcome the difficulties they may face.

This program, which extended over many weeks, comes at a time when both parents are obliged to work to sustain their households, and many children and adolescents are left alone without the proper guidance and the necessary counseling of their loves ones. As such, they are left to deal with the different hurdles in school or society in general without getting the proper chance to talk about what they go through.

Service with Dignity! What are the most prominent humanitarian programs of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)? What is its field relief role?

The answer is with Nina Hallak, the Director of the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, and the Nurse Roula Al-Sahwi, the Coordinator of the Home Care Program at MECC, in a special episode of "Don't Be Afraid" program on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel, prepared and presented by Father Charbel El Khoury.

Video - A Special Episode of the program "Don't Be Afraid" on Télé Lumière-Noursat about the MECC Diakonia Department, Lebanon’s Office

What programs and projects does the Diakonia Office in Lebanon, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), offer? Are there any challenges?

What is the importance of constructive workshops targeting women, families, and institutions?

What is the role of the Home Care Services Platform at the Middle East Council of Churches?

You can know more about these topics and other topics with

Nina Hallak, Director of the Diakonia Office in Lebanon at the Middle East Council of Churches, and the Nurse Rula Al Sahwi, the Coordinator of the Home Care Program at the Council, in an interview with Father Charbel El Khoury on the program "Don't Be Afraid," live on Monday at 8:30 pm on Télé Lumière_Noursat.

As part of its human capacity building objectives, the Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), continues to implement its food security program with the participation of a group of Lebanese women in the villages of Hmayra, Ouwaynet, and Machta Hassan.

The three-year program includes several diverse sessions on how to properly produce mouneh and its necessary steps. It also covers marketing methods and its basics, as well as the importance of using social media for this purpose. The sessions also help participants overcome the challenges they may face in this field and give them the opportunity to participate in many exhibitions.

Hence, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is participating through this program in the Rachid Karami International Fair, where you can find the participants' products, from June 5 to 9, 2025, between 4 pm and 12 am, in Tripoli - Lebanon.

It is worth noting that this program is implemented with the support of the international organization Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

MECC Organizes a Health Awareness and PSS Training for Deaf and Mute Women

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, MECC, through its Service and Relief Department – Diakonia, organized a health awareness and psychological support (PSS) training for deaf and mute women in Damascus.

Twenty-four women participated in the training which focused on delivering information through sign language using simplified methods that take into account their specific needs.

After the training, the participants visited five families that include deaf and mute individuals, where they shared the useful information they had received.

This initiative falls within the framework of efforts to effectively integrate deaf and mute women into society and to empower them by expanding the circle of beneficiaries and spreading awareness in the community.

One of the participating women, aged 30, said: “this was the first time ever she had attended a health awareness and PSS training tailored for the deaf and mute.”

*Home care services are available at reasonable and discounted prices.

*Home care services are available at reasonable and discounted prices.

Praying for the Ascension Thursday

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs presided over the weekly meeting of the MECC General Secretariat, with an online participation of the Associate Secretary General Reverend Dr. Refaat Fikry, and colleagues from various departments, in person and online. The meeting took place on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

As is customary, the meeting began with a Biblical Reading, which this week focused on the Gospel of Luke 46: 24-53 and Acts 1: 1-14. The attendees then raised their Prayers on the occasion of the Ascension Thursday, saying together, "Lift with you, O Lord, our souls and minds from emptiness and temporal concerns to divine understanding and truth."

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs received Deacon Royce Bahjat Samir Malak Hanin, Head of the Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon, appointed by His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family. The meeting took place on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

Attendees were Ms. Nina Hallak, the Director of the Beirut Office in the Diakonia and Social Service Department at MECC, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and Director of the Platform of the Word at MECC, and the Council's Media Team.

Following Up on Work Updates with Great Hope

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its weekly meetings, with colleagues uniting in work, Prayer, and reflection in an Ecumenical and fraternal spirit, praying for peace and justice in the region and the world. Today, the team is living the Holy Week with humility and hope in preparation for the joy of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this context, the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, held the latest weekly meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the Council’s headquarters in Beirut, with the presence of the General Secretariat team from various departments and the online participation of colleagues from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Canada.

At the beginning of the meeting, Professor Michel Abs, delivered, on behalf of the MECC family, a word of consolation, sympathy, and support to the colleague Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at MECC, who lost her life partner. He prayed that the Lord, through His Resurrection, would grant her strength and determination in this new chapter of her life.

With the increasing of daily pressures, not all families have the required knowledge to parent their children on topics related to health. This is especially the case among disadvantaged refugees who have very little knowledge about such topics, especially when it comes to young girls. For this reason, the Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launched a health awareness session for 8 young girls to cover topics related to puberty. 

This session was designed to educate and support young girls as they navigate the physical and emotional changes of adolescence. In a safe and respectful environment, and accompanied by a health specialist, participants learned about body development, menstrual hygiene, and emotional well-being, helping them better understand and manage this important stage of life. The session encouraged open dialogue, promoted self-care, and empowered girls with the knowledge and confidence to make healthy choices.

Saint Assia the Wise Clinic Center in Aleppo, which belongs to the Armenian Catholic, Syriac, and Maronite Communities, was inaugurated, on Friday 11 April 2025, in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Boutros Marayati, His Eminence Archbishop Antoine Shahda, and His Eminence Archbishop Joseph Tobji.

The center was renovated with the generous support and funding from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and the ceremony was attended by the Council's representative Lamis Makhloul, as well as the management and members of the charity organizations of the concerned Communities, doctors, and staff at the center.

The ceremony was opened by His Eminence Archbishop Antoine Shahda with a short Prayer, followed by a speech delivered by Dr. Rizkallah Malo, who reviewed the steps that led to this achievement. His Eminence Archbishop Boutros Marayati congratulated all the doctors, workers, and donors, especially the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), before cutting a cake to celebrate the occasion.

The ceremony concluded with a speech delivered by His Eminence Archbishop Joseph Tobji, and commemorative photos were taken for this significant event in the history of joint work between the Communities to serve the society.

What are the details…

As part of supporting rural communities and enhancing food security, MECC team, through its Service and Relief Department – Diakonia, carried out an initiative to distribute winter vegetable seeds and agricultural tools to the residents of Al-Quniyya village in rural Dara’a. The aim was to support family stability and improve economic livelihoods.

A total of 895 families benefited from the initiative, including households where women are the sole breadwinners.

The distributed seeds included: fava beans, garlic, spinach, lettuce, radish, parsley, coriander, and onions. The agricultural tools provided included: shovel, grape hoe, mulch, hose, water tap, garden rake. In addition, the families received Balanced fertilizer, two water tanks and had modern irrigation systems installed to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production.

The beneficiaries also attended training sessions on proper farming techniques, how to deal with plant diseases, and practices that help increase crop yields. Moreover, an agricultural engineer visited the beneficiary families on a monthly basis to monitor the crops and provide necessary guidance to improve production quality.

Hosted by the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh: "Let us work to enhance cooperation and solidarity to serve the little brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ with honesty and dignity"

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: "It is necessary to serve people with dignity and protect their rights"

With the blessing and presence of His Eminence Archbishop Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut and Delegate of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches to the Diakonia and Social Service Department, and in coordination with MECC, the Lebanon Forum of the International ACT Alliance held its annual meeting on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4, 2025, hosted by the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut.

In the presence of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, participants were representatives of the members of ACT Alliance in Lebanon from various Church Families, associations, local, regional and international organizations.

After the opening Prayer, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs welcomed the attendees, thanking His Eminence Archbishop Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh for his hospitality. He also introduced His Eminence to the participants, emphasizing his long Ecumenical career in the Middle East Council of Churches where he held many responsibilities, as well as in the Ecumenical world which he realizes its importance today in networking and cooperation. Professor Abs also mentioned the necessity of serving with dignity and preserving human rights.