As part of this year's "Season of Creation" activities, youth movements and Church groups are organizing many activities to celebrate this annual Christian and environmental season. The Social Work Committee at the Orthodox Youth Movement - Mount Lebanon Center decided to celebrate the season, as well as the Orthodox Environment Day, in a special activity in the heart of Lebanon’s nature.

The activity included a visit to the Holy Archangel Michael Monastery for the Greek Orthodox in Baaqata, on Saturday 3 September 2022. The Social Work Committee met with the Head of the Monastery Archimandrite Youhanna (Chahine) with whom they discussed environmental issues.

The World Council of Churches 11th General Assembly is being held in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September 2022, under the theme "Christ's love moves the world to reconciliation and unity". The Assembly organized a Networking Zone dedicated for vibrant music, a lively dialogue, calming atmosphere, or a quiet coffee, and aimed at engaging participants to communicate together in a more relaxed and social zone away from the plenaries.

In fact, the Networking Zone presents four different stations and three spaces devoted for interaction. The Protestant Church in Switzerland—the birthplace of the Reformed churches—is one of these stations. It exhibits, as the World Council of Churches website mentioned, “key figures and some challenging histories in its development as a church. The space also offers a variety of conversations on topics such as carbon footprints to gender justice. The talks include practical activities and games to help the information sink in.”

As part of the “Season of Creation” 2022 activities, the Middle East Council of Churches and its Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, in partnership with “Danmission” organization, invite you to participate this year in a series of celebrations that will be held in various countries of the region. You can find below the full program. This year’s theme is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and its slogan is “The Burning Bush”. Let us pray together to God the Creator, and listen for the voice of each creature declaring His glory!

From the heart of nature in the Kfardebian region, Keserwan Lebanon, the youth of Lebanon from various Church families and youth movements inaugurated the celebrations of the “Season of Creation” 2022 in the Middle East. The international theme of this year’s season is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and its slogan is “The Burning Bush”.

Young people gathered and prayed together to God the Creator and stressed the importance of protecting our common home. They participated in a youth environmental activity organized by MECC and Danmission, on Saturday 3 September 2022. How was the activity? And what it included? The following video, prepared by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department, presents a brief overview of this special youth event. A celebration that glorified and praised the Creator from Whom all blessings flow.

Youth of Lebanon Starts the “Season of Creation” 2022 in the East with MECC

An Environmental Activity in Kfardebian Invites Us to Listen to the Voice of God's Creation

From the North and South of Lebanon, young people woke up early with enthusiasm and were ready for their activity. They had one goal: listen to the voice of creation. Youth women and men, from different Church families and youth movements in Lebanon, headed together to the Lebanese region of Kfardebian in Keserwan, on the morning of Saturday 3 September 2022. They participated in a youth environmental activity organized by the Middle East Council of Churches, in partnership with “Danmission” organization, and were accompanied by a group of clergy. In kfardebian, they met with nature, and inaugurated the series of celebrations that will be held in many countries of the Middle East for this year, on the occasion of the international “Season of Creation” launching.

The slogan of the activity was “We Walk and Listen to the Voice of Creation!”. The program included many environmental youth segments, but most importantly it motivated the participants to look deep into nature with all their senses and discover the richness of the Lord’s Gifts. In fact, the youth stressed the need to listen to the creation and save it from danger. They raised their voices and emphasized that we live in a common home and it is our responsibility to protect it.

Ecumenical Young People Raising their Voices to the World

A Youth Protest at the WCC 11th General Assembly

"Stop water and air pollution! Stop environmental crime! There’s no Planet B! Green Faith and Better Future!...”. These slogans were raised by young people from all over the world during a youth protest held, Friday 2 September 2022, in Karlsruhe, Germany. In fact, the Ecumenical Youth Gathering (EYG) at the World Council of Churches expressed the need for common work towards achieving climate justice. Noting that the “Season of Creation” 2022 is launched worldwide.

Today, youth are suffering from many issues. But the climate issue is now their most important priority. Their purpose is to highlight the danger of climate change, and invite all people for effective work in order to find practical solutions to protect the earth and their common home. But is anyone listening to them?

Throughout the session, the image of a cedar tree from the Middle East, embraced and hugged by children from different parts of the world, was present on the main screen. Plenary moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC central committee, explained how cedar trees are known for their strength and resilience. “They remind us of the bonds of our life over generations,” she said.

His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, leader of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, also offered a keynote presentations. “Together as communities, churches, cities, and nations, we must change route and discover new ways of working together to break down the traditional barriers between peoples to stop competing for resources and start collaborating,” he said.

His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, delegate of the Coptic Orthodox Church, offered a keynote on reconciliation and unity in the Middle East.

Angealos compared the roots of a tree to that of the roots of the church. “Every part of a tree has importance and effectiveness,” he said. “The stronger the roots, the more that each and every part of that tree can express its effectiveness, purpose and function.”

His Holiness Pope Francis wished the representatives of the churches at the 31 August to 8 September assembly "a meaningful and fruitful meeting that deepens and strengthens the bonds of communion between the Churches and the ecumenical organizations present."

The pontiff said in advance greetings that he has a "pastoral interest in the work of the Assembly."

Pope Francis also noted that the Catholic Church has sent "delegated observers" to WCC assemblies since the WCC 3rd Assembly took place in New Delhi in 1961.

"I am glad that a delegation is also present this year, a sign of the strong relationship between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches that has consolidated over time," the Pope said.

The MECC General Secretariat Prays for Creation

Teach us, O Lord, to contemplate your creation, and listen for the voice of each creature declaring your glory!

The international “Season of Creation” 2022 has started in the Middle East and its theme for this year is “Listen to the Voice of Creation”. The Season begins on September 1 and ends on October 4 of each year. Hence, the Season invites us this year to listen to the voice of creation, which is suffering due to many factors. So we unite in prayer, thanking God for all His blessings and glorifying His Holy Name, “faith comes from hearing.” We also unite and share a common call to care for our Lord’s creation. We are co-creatures, and part of all that God has made. Our wellbeing is interwoven with the wellbeing of the Earth.

On the occasion, members of the MECC General Secretariat’s family who were present in Beirut, gathered and prayed for God the Creator, on Thursday 1st of September 2022, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut. MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs and a delegation of Directors were absent due to their participation in the WCC 11th General Assembly taking place in Karlsruhe, Germany, as well as others were busy due to many conferences.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered greetings and a pointed message to the delegates and participants at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany.

He began his remarks with the teaching and the belief that “the light of Christ shines more brightly than any darkness in our hearts and in our world,” offering this idea as the underlying premise to the theme of the assembly, that “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

Yet, we have fallen short of this ideal, he suggested. Asking each of us the question, “how can we reconcile our magnificent faith with our manifest failure?”

The Ecumenical Patriarch was referring to our “sin of ignoring the divine presence in all things and in all people,” and our failure to look larger than ourselves to “discern and detect the purpose for which God has created everyone and everything.”

His words were delivered on 1 September, which he notes as a “consecrated day of prayer and protection for God’s sacred creation,” and a day that “Orthodox Christians since 1989 have dedicated to praying for the protection of God’s gift of creation.”

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, MECC launches the “Season of Creation” 2022 in the Middle East, and invite you with its Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, in partnership with “Danmission” organization, to participate in a series of celebrations that will be held in various countries of the region. As for the weekly message of Dr. Abs, it is entitled “An international Ecumenical meeting at the level of the actual challenges”, in which he tackled his impressions and expectations from the WCC 11th General Assembly taking place between 31 August and 8 September 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Noting that Dr. Abs is participating in this Assembly heading a delegation from the General Secretariat including the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Fr. Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, and the Director of the Communication and Public Relations Department Mrs. Huguette Salameh.

The issue also presents the “Season of Creation” 2022 international booklet entitled “Listen to the Voice of Creation”, which was translated into Arabic by MECC for the second consecutive year, and published in Arabic for the whole world.

Esta semana, El Evento es la Asamblea General del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias.

Tras una larga ausencia impuesta por la pandemia, la familia ecuménica internacional se reúne hoy en una asamblea general con una apretada agenda.

Lugar: Karlsruhe, Alemania.

Fecha: Del 31 de agosto al 8 de septiembre de 2022.

A esta asamblea le han precedido un gran número de asambleas especializadas que han allanado el camino para madurar el programa de esta asamblea.

Los preparativos llevan más de dos años a toda velocidad debido a la magnitud del evento, así como a la grandeza de sus organizadores: un Consejo de Iglesias de todo el mundo, compuesto por más de trescientas iglesias que incluyen más de 500 millones de creyentes.

En los pocos días que precedieron a la apertura de la Asamblea General, se ve a la gente por cientos de voluntarios y expertos de todas partes del mundo con el fin de poner sus competencias a disposición del evento, que no será uno ordinario este año. Puede superar en su crucialidad a las Asambleas Generales celebradas desde el inicio de la concreción del movimiento ecuménico en un Consejo Mundial de Iglesias.