Amidst the daily pressures and tense atmosphere in Lebanon and the Middle East, which are negatively affecting children’s lives, the Middle East Council of Churches continues to support this category, which has always been sensitive to the different problems and crises.

Therefore, the Service and Relief Department - Diakonia, Beirut office, has recently organized sessions aiming at enhencing the well-being of children and supporting them in restoring their mental health, especially since crippling anxiety has affected their usual activity.

Stemming from the importance of providing a healthy school environment for students and due to the negative effects of inappropriate WASH facilities, both physically and psychologically, on students, which may cause them to hate or dropout of school; MECC rehabilitated the WASH facilities in six schools in Aleppo, Homs and Rural Damascus Governorates.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of an episode entitled “You are the salt of the earth” as part of the TV program “La Takhaf” (which means “don’t be afraid”) on Monday, November 1, 2021, live on Télé Lumière and Noursat and the MECC Facebook page.

A delegation from the Mennonite Central Committee – MCC visited the headquarters of the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut, on Thursday, October 28, 2021. The delegation included the Representative for Northeast Asia Chris Rice and the Legislative associate for the Middle East and US immigration policy Hannah Markey.

MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar and the Executive Assistant to the Secretary General Mrs. Seta Hadeshian welcomed the delegation.

The Evangelical Reformation Sunday, what Does it Symbolize?

It is an invitation to openness, to adhere to an open mind and accept others regardless of their belief, religion, or sect. It is the Evangelical Reformation, a call to achieve the best of each one of us, live God’s love with others, and change everything that hinders or contradicts this love: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

The new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, presents the news of the Ceremony of the Appointment of His Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics Raphael Bedros XXI. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled “You are the salt of the earth: trust, testimony, and role”.

El programa «Fondo de Restauración para la Rehabilitación de los Servicios Sociales basados en la Fe y la Infraestructura Religiosa dañados durante la crisis en Siria»

Recoge los frutos de su primera fase
Una gira de campo en los proyectos restaurados

Ha pasado un año desde que el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio puso en marcha el «Fondo de Restauración para la Rehabilitación de los Servicios Sociales basados en la Fe y la Infraestructura Religiosa dañados durante la crisis en Siria» con el apoyo de la organización internacional Kerk in Actie. La primera fase del programa finalizó y las Iglesias y sus instituciones afiliadas volvieron a la vida una vez terminadas las obras de restauración y rehabilitación.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its value, with what will it be salted? (Matthew 5:13).

The Incarnate Master said this to his disciples while he was preaching to the multitudes that came to the mountain.

It is important for us to halt today in front of this saying and extract meaning from the timeless sermon through which the Master summarized the ethical, behavioral and social lifestyle that the human race should adopt.

You are the salt of the earth!

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its digital Ecumenical calendar for the month of November 2021. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical feasts of the various families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission. Noting that the remaining months of the year will be published consecutively.

The Service and Relief Department - Diakonia, Beirut office, at the Middle East Council of Churches, implemented psychosocial support sessions for a group of women, aiming at helping them overcome daily stress and restore their activity.

The "Restoration Fund for Rehabilitation of Faith-based Social Services & Religious Infrastructure Damaged During the Crisis in Syria" Program

Reaps the Fruits of its First Phase

A Field Tour in the Restored Projects

A year has passed since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the "Restoration Fund for Rehabilitation of Faith-based Social Services & Religious Infrastructure Damaged During the Crisis in Syria" with the support of the international organization Kerk in Actie. The first phase of the program ended and the Churches and their affiliated institutions got back to life after the restoration and rehabilitation works have been finished.

The Armenian Catholic Church celebrated the ceremony of appointment of His Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics Raphael Bedros XXI (Peter) on the morning of Sunday October 24, 2021 at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral - St. Elias for the Armenian Catholics, Dabbas square, Beirut, Lebanon.

Archbishop Abdel Sater:

“The primary goal of a Christian missionary is to introduce everyone to the love of God for them”

On World Mission Sunday, Maronite Archbishop of Beirut HE Mrg. Boulos Abdel Sater called for a Mass on Sunday October 24, 2021 at St. George’s Maronite Cathedral in Beirut. Officials from different professional sectors participated in carrying the message to the world, especially journalists, media professionals, judges, lawyers, doctors, and engineers... The Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches participated in the Mass alongside the Head of Department Mrs. Huguette Salameh.

Survived Destruction and Got Back to Life

The restoration activities have been completed in Lady of Annunciation Church affiliated to the Latin Church in Aleppo Governorate. The activities included the basement of the Church, which will be used to implement programs and projects aiming at serving and developing the local community in Aleppo.

Believing that education and knowledge are the optimal solution for rebuilding society, MECC rehabilitated classrooms for students in addition to vocational training halls to train and enable youth to enter the labor market.

The final video of the “Season of Creation” 2021 video series stresses on the need to keep the flame of hope alive in our hearts in order to defy all life difficulties, as well as on the importance of restoring our true identity, which is created in the image and likeness of God.

Entre la conspiración y la firmeza

Vivimos en una zona geográfica culturalmente civilizada que ha sufrido tantas crisis y ha sido designada con una plétora de nombres tan grande que ha perdido su identidad.

Algunos lo llaman «Levante», otros «Levante árabe», otros «Creciente fértil» y otros «Souristán». Todos estos apelativos se refieren a una región de diversas etnias, profundamente dividida, abundante en conflictos, que en su historia ha estado expuesta a lo que ninguna otra región del mundo ha estado expuesta en términos de invasiones y calamidades. La geografía ha jugado en contra de la historia de esta región y de la estabilidad de sus pueblos y civilizaciones.

La Fundación One Voice organizó una mesa redonda titulada «One Voice Lebanon, the Homeland of Man» (One Voice Líbano, la patria del hombre) el sábado 16 de octubre de 2021 en el Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de El-Bir – Bqenaya, Líbano. El Secretario General del Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio, el Dr. Michel Abs, participó como ponente junto con el Padre Prof. Georges Hobeika y el Dr. Paul Jalwan.

The new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, presents the news of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs’ participation as a speaker in a seminar organized by the One Voice Foundation, entitled “One Voice Lebanon, the Homeland of Man”. As for the weekly message of Dr. Abs, it was the lecture he delivered during the seminar entitled “The Antiochian Levant: People, Identity and Society Between conspiracy and steadfastness”.

Between conspiracy and steadfastness

We live in a culturally civilized geographic catchment area that has undergone so many crises and has been designated with such a great plethora of names so that it has lost its identity.

Some call it the Levant, and some call it the Arab Levant, and some call it the Fertile Crescent, and some others ‘Souristan’. All these appellations refer to a region of diverse ethnicities, deeply divided, abundant in conflicts, which in its history has been exposed to what no other region of the world has been exposed to in terms of invasions and calamities. Geography has played against the history of this region and the stability of its peoples and civilizations.

The One Voice Foundation organized a panel discussion entitled “One Voice Lebanon, the Homeland of Man” on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at the Monastery of Our Lady of El-Bir – Bqenaya, Lebanon. The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs participated as a speaker along with Father Prof. Georges Hobeika and Dr. Paul Jalwan.

Dr. Abs delivered a detailed presentation entitled " The Antiochian Levant: People, Identity and Society Between conspiracy and steadfastness".