After his election as Executive Secretary of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) which is related to the Middle East Council of Churches, Father Mikhael Kanbar visited Egypt and had many theological and ecumenical gatherings. On Friday, March 25, 2022, he visited the St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Anba Ruwais in Cairo, the Theological Seminary and Institute of Coptic Studies, and held a meeting with the deans of colleges and institutes from all Church families.

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 a news about the online discussion organized by MECC about Anti-Racism and Anti-Segregation, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. As for the message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled this week “A Speech on Hatred”.

How I hate you, you who are other than myself,

How I wish you were not there, for you take from my space and drink from my water and breathe from my air,

Your existence is not legitimate in my opinion, as you are one of the mistakes of history and nature.

You are a coincidence that I wish had not happened.

What brought you from nothingness into existence, you who do not resemble me?

Your color is different from mine, as is the shape of your ears, lips, eyes, and hair color,

The way you sit and walk and all of your bodily gestures I find abhorrent.

The Middle East Council of Churches organized an online discussion on Anti-Racism and Anti-Segregation, today, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in the presence of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs and the participation of Dr. Atef Kobrosi and Dr. Safa Rafka.

The meeting started with an opening note by Dr. Michel Abs, in which he shed light on facing racism and eliminating discrimination in all its types in order to spread the values ​​of peace, love and brotherhood.

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2022. 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 a Women Empowerment program in cooperation with the municipality of Kfartebnite, South Lebanon. The program aimed at supporting women and developing their capabilities through their participation in training courses during which they learned new skills.

The video gives more details about the program and presents the expectations of the participants.

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.