Over the next two days, we are holding the usual annual meeting of the ecumenical partners of the Middle Eastern churches, after nearly three years of interruption due to the pandemic that afflicted the world, which paralyzed the global travel movement and turned people to the "online" syndrome, which, truth be told, has solved many problems and significantly facilitated people’s lives.

This meeting takes place a few months after the end of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was delayed by nearly two years due to the pandemic as well. Moreover, it is being held two weeks before the meeting of the MECC Executive Committee, which will discuss basic directions in the strategies of the Council and will translate the recommendations of its General Assembly into programs and projects, according to the availability of resources.

The First Day of the MECC Annual Partners Meeting in Beirut

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: Your feelings that exude through our interaction together do not go unnoticed

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches held its annual meeting with its international and regional partner organizations and institutions, on its first day on Thursday 3 November 2022, ending on Friday 4 November, in Beirut, under the title “Partners Accompanying MECC in the Ecumenical Journey”. Participants were 18 representatives of these partner organizations and institutions from all over the world such as USA, Canada, Europe and the Middle East... As well as, attendees were the MECC Associate Secretaries General, members of the Executive Committee, Directors of departments and the Council’s team headed by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

Youth Are Ringing the Alarm Bell and Getting Ready with Act Alliance

The environment is at risk and humanity is suffering due to the effects of climate change! It is a bitter truth that we cannot conceal as long as it became a lived reality threatening the future of our generations who may inherit an uninhabitable world. However, some hopes were witnessed the past years, as voices were raised, especially with youth calling on governments and international concerned parties to work hard and faster to save people's lives and achieve the required and urgent change. But is anyone listening to all these young voices?

In fact, states’ presidents, diplomats, experts, and environmental activists meet each year in an international awaited environmental event which is the COP Climate Change Summit. It is the Conference of the Parties which aims at discussing urgent climate issues and taking all possible measures for a safer and more sustainable future. This year, the COP27’s activities will be held in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, starting on Sunday 6th of November and ending on Friday 18th of November. The summit will include many activities and sessions tackling the voices of people yearning to live in a healthiest environment, and focusing on various sectors of life.

Report: October 2022

With the world still in shambles because of the war in Ukraine, many countries are looking for energy reserves that can satisfy their consumption demands. Luckily there are untapped gas fields in the Middle East that have yet to be put to good use. This is why all eyes are turned towards the area and diplomatic efforts have been underway to preserve peace in the region. As such, ME nations can expect heightened cooperation with Western nations which will lead to a more prosperous future.

The MECC General Secretariat in Beirut Prays with the Evangelical Church

“Witnessing for the God of Life Amidst a Suffering World”

On the occasion of the Evangelical Reformation Day, which is entitled this year “Witnessing for the God of Life Amidst a Suffering World”, the team of the Middle East Council of Churches’ General Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, participated in a special Prayer Service, presided over by Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah, from the Evangelical Church in Beirut, and Coordinator of the MECC Ecojustice Unit. The Prayer was held on Tuesday 1 November 2022, at the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

How to Develop Work Mechanisms and Enhance Humanitarian Services

The Middle East Committee of the Act Alliance Forum continued its annual meeting on a second day, on Monday 24 October 2022, in Amman, Jordan. Attendees were 27 participants from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt, representing local, regional and international organizations members of ACT Alliance, including the Middle East Council of Churches which was the coordinator for the Administrative Committee of the Middle East and North Africa Forum for this year.

The second day’s activities started with an opening Prayer by Rev. Imad Haddad, from the Lutheran Church. Then, participants presented the humanitarian and development activities they implemented in the countries and regions in which they work. Afterwards, a general discussion session was held and focused on the Ecumenical Diakonia topic and how to develop the work mechanisms among the Act Alliance’s members and Churches in each country.

MECC Participated in the Worship Service

On the occasion of the Evangelical Reformation Sunday and at the invitation of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, the Evangelical Churches celebrated, as each year, a worship service entitled this year “Witnessing for the God of Life Amidst a Suffering World”, presided over by Reverend Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, and General Secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. The Prayer was held on Sunday 30 October 2022 at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Participants were the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs and the Regional Director of the MECC Service and Relief – Diakonia Department Eng. Samer Laham, alongside representatives of the member Churches of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, friends from Lebanon and abroad and believers.

As part of its mission in developing its team’s capabilities and expand its responsibilities especially amidst the current circumstances the region is passing through, the Middle East Council of Churches, represented by the Financial Officer Laudy El Khoury, participated in a leadership summit, along with humanitarian and Christian organizations in the Middle East, at the invitation and organization of the Bible Society, between 20 and 23 October 2022, in Cyprus.

The summit included many sessions centered around leadership and adaptation to difficult circumstances in times of crisis, focusing on the book "Leadership… in Crisis: A global perspective on building resilience, stamina, agility, and confrontation", which is a new book by the Secretary General/ CEO of the Bible Society Dr. Mike Bassous.

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 details about the round table organized by MECC under the title "Women and Human Dignity", on Thursday 27 October 2022, at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Beirut. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “She deserved the status”, and was his opening note at the beginning of the round table.

Ella es la mujer, la madre, la hermana, la esposa, la hija, la amiga y la compañera, y todos los nombres de protección le son dados.

Ella es la seguridad del hombre y de la humanidad que fueron criminales para ella durante cientos de años, por lo que le robaron lo que tiene y le negaron lo que es, sólo porque son más fuertes que ella y porque la selva legó a la sociedad el predominio del más fuerte y su dominio de lo que merece y lo que no merece.

Ella es la paciencia, la firmeza y el aguante de lo intolerable para preservar a quien ama.

Ella es la silenciosa, prudente y sufrida que abrazó a los hacedores de la historia humana.

En sus profundidades fueron llevados y, en sus manos, crecieron, y en su melodiosa voz se durmieron o en sus historias, los que trazaron las líneas de la civilización.

Ella es los cimientos que sostienen la estructura de la vida humana, los cimientos ocultos que el hombre rara vez recuerda.

Mesa redonda organizada por el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio

Secretario General Dr. Michel Abs: la mujer es el fundamento que sostiene la estructura de la vida humana. Jesucristo trazó el camino para devolver la dignidad a la mujer

Como parte de sus seminarios mensuales, el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio organizó una mesa redonda titulada «La mujer y la dignidad humana», el jueves 27 de octubre de 2022, en la sede de la Secretaría General en Beirut, con una participación híbrida de ponentes del Líbano, Egipto, Palestina y Jordania.

Durante las dos sesiones de la mesa redonda, de 10 a 14 horas, las intervenciones se centraron en los derechos humanos y los retos políticos de las mujeres en Oriente Medio, y contó con la participación de profesores universitarios, especialistas y estudiantes en las oficinas del MECC y en línea.

Unidos en la oración con su familia

A los los cuarenta días de la memoria del difunto Gabi Habib, antiguo Secretario General del Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio, el equipo de la Secretaría General del MECC, encabezado por el Secretario General, Dr. Michel Abs, celebró un servicio especial de oración por la intención de su alma, pidiendo a Dios que lo resucite para compartir la gloria de Cristo resucitado. La pequeña familia de Habib, su esposa Kathy y sus dos hijas María Gabriel y Ana Sofía, participaron en la Oración que se realizó el martes 25 de octubre de 2022 en la sede del MECC en Beirut.