Under the patronage of Reverend Dr. Haroutian Souleiman, head of the Armenian Church in Syria, the Armenian Protestant Church, and in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches, held a graduation ceremony for the participants in the professional courses organized in Aleppo Governorate, with the presence of the President of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce Amer Hamwi.

During the ceremony, professional tool kits were distributed to 87 outstanding beneficiaries of the professional courses in order to help them start their own businesses.

Standing Together Towards a More Sustainable Partnership

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches held its annual meeting with its international and regional partner organizations and institutions, online, on Thursday, March 24, 2022. The meeting aimed at exchanging point of views and experiences in order to develop the MECC role and to ameliorate the work mechanisms in order to achieve the desired goals, and work together for a more effective future partnership.

The Archbishop of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Jerusalem, His Eminence Dr. Hosam Naoum visited the headquarters of the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut, today, Thursday, March 24, 2022. His Eminence was heading a delegation included Rev. Archdeacon Imad Zoorob, Rev. Canon Fouad Dagher, Rev. Malcolm Forrest, and Rev. Canon Donald Bilder. Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs and the General Secretariat team welcomed them.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find an invitation from MECC to participate in an online discussion about Anti-Racism and Anti-Segregation, on Wednesday 30th of March 2022. As for the message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled this week “The Middle East Council of Churches: Towards the Twelfth General Assembly”.

For months, administrative and operational preparations have been underway for the convening of the twelfth General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches at a rate that increases as we get closer to its maturity, as this assembly comes five years and eight months after the eleventh assembly that was held in Amman in 2016. It goes without saying that the delay is caused by the pandemic which has been ravaging humanity for three years and is still doing so up till now.

Click here for the Zoom link.

Saint Georges’ School Bsalim: A Model of the Struggle of Lebanese Schools

Turn to the abyss! These words were said years ago about a sector considered one of the most crucial basic facilities for building societies. The Lebanese education sector has always formed a major lifeline and has been a factor for prosperity and progress, but today it is reaching rock bottom. This is a bitter reality that the educational institutions in the Middle East must now faceat the ional, especially following the outbreak of the economic and cost-of-living crises in the midst of the dangerous health conditions that were manifested by the Covid-19 pandemic.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Maronites, on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the Papal Headquarters in Abbassiya, Egypt. His Holiness delivered a welcoming speech in which he stressed on the importance of the ecumenical event that the Church of the East will witness at the 12th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches that will be held in Egypt from 16 to 20 May at the Papal Logos Center under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

A New Afforestation Campaign with the Middle East Council of Churches

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the international campaign “Season of Creation” for the first time in the region in September 2021, the Council’s was keen to promote environmental awareness and culture through its various projects. Therefore, MECC continued its environmental activity, especially with youth, and in partnership with Danmission organization and with its support. A new afforestation campaign was hence organized in the Lebanese town of Monteverde, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

Weekly Prayer Towards the Feasts of Feasts

In preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the family of the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches is uniting in weekly ecumenical vigils at the Council’s headquarters in Beirut. So the team members pass together the blessed season of Lent, which is one of the holiest periods awaited annually, raising their prayers with one humbled heart, praying to God the Father.

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 about the visit of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs heading a delegation from the General Secretariat to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, aiming at giving him an invitation from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, to participate in the MECC 12th General Assembly. As for the message of Dr. Abs, it was entitled this week “Collateral Damage”.

Collateral Damage is the name given by those involved in wars to people who are killed, burned, or perished under the rubble of their homes. The designation also includes the damages inflicted or eliminated on the lifespan accomplishments of thousands of people. It includes too damages incurred by whole civilizations achieved by societies.

Quite simply: collateral damage...No, say marginal damage, and no one cares about it or notices it.

The launchers of missiles and rockets are not interested in those who are in their way by unfortunate coincidences.

No sound is louder than the sound of the battle. The roar of bullets, the thunder of cannons, and the cries of planes deafen all ears and overshadow the screaming of children, the groaning of the elderly and the wailing of the frightened.

Why Is the World Celebrating It?

It is true that the world celebrates the Day of Happiness on the 20th of March, but can we find happiness in a wounded world full of crises and conflicts and which its people are suffering from wars, diseases, poverty and famine...???

Despite this situation, we will stress on happiness and join the United Nations in celebrating the world day of happiness, which was added to the UN calendar of international days. With this day, the United Nations recognized the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings amidst the difficulties that our world is witnessing.

Days Before Mothers’ Day, Who Are the Holy Mothers?

“Behold, your mother” Said Jesus on the cross to one of his disciples. “Behold, your mother” … She has become our mother, the mother of the Church and of the whole of humanity. She is the Mother of The Lord and the Queen of Peace. The mother who endured constant hardship with patience and obedience, overcame evil and chose to cultivate holiness crowned with compassion and humility, to become a source of life of grace and a fountain of hope.

In this volatile world, the Mother of God protects us from all evil whims, especially from an illness that His Holiness Pope Francis called “spiritual orphanhood”, which besieges us whenever we lack the feeling of belonging to family, people, land, and one God.

You can find a photo album from the MECC 11th General Assembly, held between 6 and 8 September 2016 in Amman, Jordan, under the title of “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136: 1).

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs headed a delegation from the MECC General Secretariat in a visit to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, today, Friday, March 11, 2022, at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon.

Dr. Abs delivered to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I a special invitation from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to participate in the 12th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, which will be held in Egypt under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), between 16 and 20 May 2022.

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 about the visit of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs heading a delegation from the General Secretariat to His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, aiming at giving him an invitation from His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to participate in the MECC 12th General Assembly. As for the message of Dr. Abs, it was entitled this week “In Sebastia, There Were Martyrs, and There Was Martyrdom”.

The story of the martyrs of Sebastia is one of the examples of the victory of the powerless over the mighty.

Forty declared their affiliation to the creed of the Incarnate Master, and they rushed to stand firm in martyrdom. However, when one of them weakened, and gained the share of the subservient, those who were not deterred by the cruelty of tyrants supported him.

The testimony of the forty in Sebastia is only the tip of the iceberg of the epics of faith, courage and sacrifice. Some were executed by hailing on the snow, others were killed between the canines of predators, others were put to death by burning, slaughtering, or cutting up, and the list goes on.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs headed a delegation from the MECC General Secretariat in a visit to His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Maronites, today, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerki, Lebanon.

At the invitation of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Dr. Abs asked His Beatitude to participate in the 12th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, which will be held in Egypt under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), between 16 and 20 May 2022.

Rev. Rifaat Fikri: The Evangelical Conference of Cairo is Part of the Evangelical Synod of the Nile

The MECC 12th General Assembly in Egypt Is a Blessing

Last week, the Evangelical Church in Egypt witnessed new elections. The Associate Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Rev. Rifaat Fikri was elected as a new president by acclamation of the Evangelical Conference of Cairo in its 159th session, which was held on February 25, 2022. Thus, we can ask many questions; what is the Evangelical Conference of Cairo? and what is the mission of the new president?