With the same pride and glory of the Incarnate Master standing before her executioners, Takla, the first among the female martyrs, stood in front of the governor who asked her about her identity and why the beasts retreated before her meekness and faith. Her response was a testament to her belief in the Master of the way, the truth, and life, who had saved her.

Enchanted by Paul’s words, Takla, who was preparing for marriage, quickly grasped his message. She chose to follow him, leaving behind wealth, luxury, and safety. Takla chose the difficult path and had the honor of being the first female martyr in Christianity, a faith for which millions have suffered. Our ancestors have passed this faith down to us, carried with their blood and tears.

When Takla made the difficult decision to forsake marriage for life with the Incarnate Master, she knew that a period of pain was imminent. Physical and moral pain assailed her from all sides until she was brought to the fire. Yet, neither beatings, nor starvation, nor death threats could dissuade her from her choice, the choice of love.

The fire, fueled by the vindictiveness of pagan hatred, did not harm her. She emerged from her “first martyrdom” unscathed and healthy, leaving her haters to be consumed by the fire of their own anger.

Global Ecumenical Prayer with the World Council of Churches

The Middle East Council of Churches Participating in the Prayer

A global Ecumenical Prayer hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 18 September focused on the World Week for Peace in the Holy Land, and the meaning of finding a spiritual home in the Holy Land, with the participation of concerned and Church parties, alongside the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) which was represented by the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar who gave the final blessing.

After the Prayer, the World Council of Churches published on its website the following press release:

People gathered online and in-person to pray, advocate, and stand in solidarity with people in the Holy Land.

The World Week for Peace in the Holy Land is being observed this year from 16-23 September under the theme “No place to lay my head,” a theme that reflects the challenge for Palestinian families as well as other people facing difficulties to a uniting home.

WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay opened the Prayer with a greeting, noting that the theme is “deeply rooted in the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

About 7 months have passed sincd the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, and this disaster is still a large-scale emergency in Syria calling for immediate support at many levels, especially that the earthquake occurred at a time when Syrians are facing difficult living conditions and worsening economic crises.

Hence, the Middle East Council of Churches continues its humanitarian and relief work in various Syrian regions. In Latakia, MECC, in cooperation with its partners, took it upon itself to support the families affected by the earthquake through various programs that may alleviate the impact of this disaster.

“School Dropout and Human Dignity”

Thursday 28 September 2023 - 7 PM Beirut Time

The Middle East Council of Churches has the honor to invite you to participate in its monthly webinar, entitled “School Dropout and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 28 September 2023, at 7 pm Beirut Time.

You can participate in the webinar via the following Zoom link https://shorturl.at/bnqG6, and live on the MECC Facebook Page.

The webinar, which includes four interventions, will start with an opening speech by its moderator Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, which will be followed with a speech by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs.

In a New Training with "Tearfund" Organization

With every new opportunity, the Middle East Council of Churches seeks to develop the capabilities of its team aiming at its empowerment and improving its skills at various Ecumenical, humanitarian and administrative levels... in order to develop the organizational performance to adapt in a rapidly changing world and thus achieve the desired goals.

Within this framework, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches organized a training in which its team participated, with the international organization “Tearfund” on “Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.” This training was held on Tuesday 19 September 2023, at the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

During the training, the participants were accompanied by a specialized trainer from “Tearfund”, Ms. Elise Al Alam, and learned the difference between sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as the types of each of these two problems that workers in various sectors, especially humanitarian sector, may be facing.

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 message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs which is entitled this week “O Holy Cross!”. It is for the occasion of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross celebrated by the Church on September 14th, marking the end of the Forty Days’ Journey. This journey begins with the Feast of Transfiguration and culminates in this celebration, affirming God’s love for mankind. It signifies the extent of His love, to the point of incarnation and crucifixion, serving as an atonement for our sins.

In the issue, MECC invites you to participate in an Ecumenical Prayer it will organize on the occasion of the “Season of Creation” with the participation of Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and MECC President for the Evangelical Family. The Prayer Service will be held on Wednesday 4 October 2023, at 5 pm Beirut time, in the Pope John Paul II Amphitheater at the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon…

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross on September 14th, marking the end of the Forty Days’ Journey. This journey begins with the Feast of Transfiguration and culminates in this celebration, affirming God’s love for mankind. It signifies the extent of His love, to the point of incarnation and crucifixion, serving as an atonement for our sins.

O Life-Giving Cross,

You were carried by the Incarnate Lord on His shoulders. He walked with you determinedly on the path to Calvary, taking upon Himself the task of saving humanity from its sins. Crowned with thorns, He was clothed in a garment of ridicule and humiliation,

Upon you, the Redeemer was nailed and lifted high. He was mocked, stabbed, and anointed with myrrh,

You bear witness to the Redeemer’s immense love for humanity and His tolerance,

Through you, the Redeemer uttered His words, glorified by generations to this day, from the first, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), to the seventh, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). We shall continue to glorify Him until the end of time,

Upon you, the Son of Man was lifted high so that all may know that He is the one against whom false testimonies were made. He is the one who was sold for thirty pieces of silver and for whose garment they cast lots,

The Middle East Council of Churches Holds an Ecumenical Prayer Service on the Occasion of the “Season of Creation”

With the Participation of Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian

MECC Organizes in Cooperation with the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME)

A Conference Entitled “Ecumenical Perspectives on Climate Change”

4-5 October 2023

Let Us Participate Together in These Environmental and Theological Activities!

On the occasion of the “Season of Creation” celebrations in the Middle East and the world, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) culminates this season in an Ecumenical Prayer Service, with the participation of Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and MECC President for the Evangelical Family. The Prayer Service will be held on Wednesday 4 October 2023, which marks the “Season of Creation” closing, at 5 pm Beirut time, in the Pope John Paul II Amphitheater at the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon.

The Middle East Council of Churches invites you to participate in the Prayer Service, at the Holy Spirit University - Kaslik, stressing on the slogan of this year’ “Season of Creation”, “Let Justice and Peace Flow”, asking God the Creator to open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation. Noting that this Prayer, which MECC will hold annually, will be broadcasted through media and live on the MECC Facebook Page.

 “Women’s Vocation and Mission in God’s Plan and the Life of the Church and Society”

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Receives this Document from His Beatitude in Bkerke

And Delivers a Sermon Entitled “We and Our Environment” (Video)

On the second Sunday of the “Season of Creation”, Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Service, on Sunday 10 September 2023, at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut.

During the Service, Prayers glorifying the Creator were said and Reverend Dr. Badr read the Chapter 15, 1-8 of the Gospel according to John. Then, Dr. Badr delivered a Spiritual Sermon entitled “We and Our Environment”, which you can listen to and watch it in the video. During the Sermon, he highlighted the importance of creation care and protecting the environment from climate change, denouncing Human’s abuse of the environment and emphasizing this sin that needs repentance.

Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah Prays on the Occasion of the “Season of Creation” (video)

Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Service, on the Second Sunday of the “Season of Creation”, Sunday 10 September 2023, at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut.

The Prayer, in which you can participate via the video, was led by Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah, a Professor of Practical Theology at the Near East School of Theology. It included meditations, hymns, and supplications to God the Creator calling us to preserve the creation and protect our common home.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in an International Conference on Climate Change

In preparation for the COP28 Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs participated in a conference entitled “Migration and Adaption in the Context of Climate Change: A Pragmatic Approach Towards Removing Barriers and Enhancing Opportunities”. It was jointly organized by the United Nations Network on Migration and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), on Thursday 7 September 2023, with the participation of speakers from various fields and with the presence of international specialists and interested attendees in the topic at hand.

The conference centered around the issue of migration in the context of climate change, during which the participants discussed the potential adaptive capacity of migration in the context of climate change, that has become an important issue that the world is sounding the alarm about. Participants also discussed how migrants face the dangers of climate change, in addition to finding ways to help them contribute in reducing this climate crisis.

The Middle East Council of Churches’ Team Accompanies the Neediest

As people age, their physical abilities degrade rendering them less active then before and making them in need of assistance and support to help them regain their hope despite all the pressures that surround them.

In Lebanon, the difficult living conditions are burdening the citizens who are struggling amidst the worsening social and economic crises. As for the elderly, they are, in turn, facing greater difficulties and challenges as a result of the absence of laws and procedures that protect them and preserve their dignity.

Ibrahim Habib is 76 years old and lives in one of the Beirut areas. Ibrahim has not only reached a critical period in his life, but also has a disability in his leg preventing him from easily commuting in his own house and even at public places.

They Pledge to Strengthen the Environmental Work in the Bekaa Valley

The Ecumenical family in the Middle East and the world unites in an environmental Christian season which is the “Season of Creation,” that starts, as every year, on September 1, and ends on October 4, aiming at praying and working together to protect God’s creation and our common home. Based on the theme of this year’s season which is “Let Justice and Peace Flow” and its symbol “A Mighty River,” the world celebrates God’s creation through a series of various events and activities that enhance spiritual and environmental awareness.

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched this season in the region, Churches, Christian, Ecumenical and youth groups in the Middle East are implementing several initiatives to celebrate the season and glorify God the Creator. In Lebanon, specifically in the Bekaa Valley, which is considered a place of resources for the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf, the youth of the Ebleh Church organized an environmental activity through which it established the first Church youth group concerned with environmental issues. The group decided to develop the environmental work in the Bekaa Valley, and took the name of “Our Lady of Ebleh Youth.”