The Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2023. 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.

Hosted by Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon

Together Towards Easter

On the occasion of the Great Lent and in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches, headed by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, organized a Spiritual Retreat, on Friday 24 March 2023. It was hosted by the Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon, and the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul, Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

The meeting was held in coordination with Father Nicolas Bustros, the General Assistant of the Paulist Fathers Congregation, Director of Saint Paul's Institute, and Associate Secretary General at the Middle East Council of Churches, with the participation of the MECC’s General Secretariat team of various departments from Beirut.

Youth Bringing Life Back to the Heart of Nature

MECC Implements a Forestation Campaign in Al Wassieh, Jordan

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the “Forestation Days” project as part of the “Season of Creation” program, the Council has been keen to enhance environmental knowledge and green culture, especially among youth in the region. Hence, MECC aims at highlighting the youth’s role towards God’s creation and motivating them to work for the preservation of the environment and the common home in which we all live.

Thus, the Middle East Council of Churches pursues its environmental activities through a new forestation campaign implemented in Jordan, specifically in the Latin Patriarchate High School in Al Wassieh, on Saturday 25 March 2023. It was organized in coordination with His Eminence Bishop Jamal Khader, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, and in partnership with the humanitarian international organization “Danmission”.

Begins His Visits to Theological Institutes in the Region

In order to strengthen communication between the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) and Theological Institutes in the region, the Executive Secretary of ATIME, Father Dr. Michael Kanbar is holding a series of visits to these educational institutions, according to the internal regulations of the Association, which requires the Executive Secretary to visit the institutes once a year.

Father Dr. Kanbar started its visits from Lebanon. During March 2023, he visited the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand, the Higher Institute of Religious Studies, the Faculty of Religious Sciences at St. Joseph University in Beirut, and the St. Paul Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Harissa. Noting that other visits will be hold next month.

Report: March 23rd, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

"Dignity for the Afflicted People"

 Thursday 30 March 2023 - 7:00 pm

The Middle East Council of Churches has the honor to invite you to its new monthly webinar, entitled "Dignity for the Afflicted People", on Thursday 30 March 2023, at 7:00 pm.

You can participate in the webinar via the following Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/24k26h5b, and live on the MECC Facebook page.

The webinar will start with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. It will include 3 interventions on the topic at hand, and will be moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh who will present an opening note which will be followed by a video and testimonials.

MECC Rescue Syria Campaign

Following the devastating earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, let us join hands and support the MECC appeal in order to bring back hope and joy to the hearts of the needy and heart broken people in Syria.

For donation, you can click on the following link: https://donate.mecc.org/project/rescue-syria-campaign.

For more information about the MECC relief work in Syria and the humanitarian circumstances in the country, you can visit the following link: https://www.mecc.org/syr-ar. 

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “The Feast of the Annunciation and the Unity of Humankind in Mary”. Dr. Abs centered his message around the act of the Annunciation which in itself constitutes a unique event in the course of the Christian faith as well as in the course of human salvation. He also talked about the Virgin Mary, the mother, the intercessor of tortured humanity and the symbol that brings people together.

On the twenty-fourth of March every year, the Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation, the Annunciation of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of Man, and the Mother of the Believers.

The act of the Annunciation in itself constitutes a unique event in the course of the Christian faith as well as in the course of human salvation, as the Lord chose His servant Mary from among all the women of the world to bear in her womb the child who will bear the sins of the world.

How great is the good news and how great were those moments, when the angel of the Lord came to Mary, and announced to her that she would be the mother of God, the mother of the Savior.

No mind and no words can describe the feelings that may have stirred in the heart and soul of Mary as she ascended the path of holiness.

She is the chosen one who will give the world what it has not tired of waiting for and this for many millennia.

How meek and wise are you  O Mary, for the Lord to choose you as a mediator for the coming of the Savior into the world!

MECC Implements an Afforestation Campaign in Kfar Falous, Lebanon

Together for a Safer Home!

With the aim of enhancing environmental awareness and working to protect nature and God's creation, the Middle East Council of Churches continues its green activities with the Ecumenical youth in various countries of the Middle East. Thus, MECC implemented a new forestation campaign, in cooperation with the international humanitarian organization "Danmission", in Kfar Falous region in Lebanon, under the slogan "Plant a tree that will protect ten trees", on Saturday 18 March 2023, with the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Elie Haddad of the Greek Catholic Melkite Diocese of Sidon and Deir El-Qamar.

A Forestation Campaign in Mahrada, Syria, with MECC

Together for a Green Environment!

Amidst all the dangers that threaten the environment and human life today, it is necessary to enhance environmental awareness and increase green activities with the aim to build a better future and a more sustainable environment. Hence, and as part of the "Season of Creation" program, the Middle East Council of Churches works with the youth in various countries of the Middle East in order to achieve the desired goals through environmental awareness and activities.

Within its ecological mission, the Middle East Council of Churches organized, with the support of the humanitarian international organization “Danmission”, a forestation campaign in the Mahrada region in Syria, as part of the “Forestation Days” project, on Saturday 11 March 2023. Participants were 50 young women and men from the Church accompanied by Father Elias Najjar and Reverend Maan Bachour.