A Word From His Grace Archbishop Hermina, Coptic Orthodox General Bishop of East Alexandria

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From Mgrs. Habib Mrad, General Patriarchal Economus & Patriarchal Secretary of the Syriac Catholic Church

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From his Eminence Bishop Basilios Yaldo, Auxiliary Bishop of the Chaldeans

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which is entitled this week “Between safe migration and despair suicidal migration...a homeland”, for the occasion of the International Day for Safe Migration, designated by the United Nations on December 18 every year. In its word, Dr. Abs talked about the phenomenon of migration and its risks, and highlighted the Lebanese situation amidst the increase of the migration rate.

A Word From Reverend Nadi Labib, Head of the Evangelical Synod of the Nile in Egypt

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From His Eminence Joseph Mouawad, Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Zahle

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From Reverend Rifaat Fikry, MECC Associate Secretary General

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From Archmandrite Saba Hourani, Spiritual Head of Karak Governorate - Jordan

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Poem Shared in Honor of the Voiceless people of Gaza During the Churches for Middle East Peace Christmas Ceasefire Service

GAZA

Kathryn Habib

Does anyone hear me?

Does anyone hear me

as I lie here

buried

The United Nations has designated December 18 as the International Day for Safe Migration, and has launched the “Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,” in order to preserve the safety and dignity of people forced by economic, social, political, and security conditions to leave their homelands.

United Nations statistics indicate that there are approximately 300 million international migrants in the world, and that there are 50,000 migrants who have perished during their migration, most of which is illegal, during the last decade.

What drives a person to disbelieve in his homeland and seek to leave it as quickly as possible and by all means, forgetting or ignoring the dangers that characterize many forms of migration?

It is misery, lack of dignity, lack of security, injustice, and many other reasons that make a person feel alienated in his homeland to the point of hating this homeland and wanting to deny it.

What drives people to sneak across land borders or across oceans in search of a better life? It is also misery and the search for a lost human, political and economic dignity.

A Word From Fr. Dr. Nicolas Bustros, MECC Associate Secretary General

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

 A Word From 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 “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

On WhatsApp

Since its establishment, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) has sought to embody its slogan, “Building Bridges, Standing Together” to be a unified platform for all Church Families and religions, reflecting the Christian reality in the Middle East in a unified voice emanating from the cradle of Christianity towards all the world in the context of sharing a common life with the different social components.

In the constant pursuit to strengthen the MECC’s Ecumenical and humanitarian mission and to shed lights on all the Churches in the East through all media platforms, a new channel for MECC is now launched on WhatsApp.

Therefore, we invite you to join this channel for free by clicking here, where you can follow all the activities of the Middle East Council of Churches and the news of all Church families in the Middle East. This is in addition to various ecumenical topics, special reports and videos and other communication materials.

Believing in the importance of preserving creation, the Eco Justice Unit at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) organized an environmental day in the Bekaa - Lebanon, on Saturday 25 November 2023. It was implemented under the auspices of the Heads of Churches, with the participation of the General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Louis Lahoud, and in the presence of the region’s officials and Parishes’ Servants from various Churches, with the contribution of Michel Daher Foundation. Hence, you can find in the video a report presenting details about this environmental activity in which a group of Bekaa Schools’ students participated.

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios Al Souri, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek and their Dependencies

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

A Word From His Eminence Archbishop Boutros Marayati, Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo

The “Messages of Hope During Christmas” program is a Christmas program prepared by the Media and Communication team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through which clergy and laypersons, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, deliver Christmas messages that highlight the human meanings of Christmas, love, service, giving and mercy despite the harsh conditions that our region is passing through. Thus, they confirm, via these messages, that we are children of the light and hope.

It is the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which deals with Ecclesiastical, humanitarian and social issues. Since its foundation in 1974, MECC has worked to strengthen the Church’s mission and highlight its pioneering Ecumenical role at all levels, and has proven that the Church is for Man.

Yes, it is the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which works with non-stop through its various offices and programs in Lebanon and the rest of the region and seeks to heal the wounds that are increasing amidst the current challenges and harsh circumstances.

The Diakonia Department Office in Lebanon, which was founded since the establishment of the MECC in 1974, is one of the most important offices that is distinguished by its humanitarian, social, health, cultural, and educational programs across various Lebanese territories without discrimination, because what is most important to the Department’s work is the human being.

In a media interview, the Director of the MECC Diakonia Department Office in Lebanon Ms. Nina Hallak spoke at length about the work of the Diakonia Department Office and said:

“The name of Diakonia indicates its true meaning, that is, service through the Church and humanitarian work, and includes many programs and projects, as such relief work and emergency responses, as well as skills development that help the Lebanese citizen to find job opportunities via his participation in training workshops and improving his skills.”

Retrofitting of 28 Buildings Following the Earthquake that Struck the North of the Antiochian Levant

About 10 months have passed since the catastrophic earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant on 10 February 2023. The Syrians are still suffering from its massive repercussions, as their wounds have not yet healed. In response to the emergency humanitarian appeal in Syria, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its humanitarian and relief work in the wounded Syria since the first moments of the earthquake.

In this context, the MECC work included providing the necessary support to those affected by distributing basic aid for daily life. Recently, and with the support of its partners, MECC was able to secure the stability of more than 100 families in the city of Aleppo by retrofitting 28 buildings that collapsed as a result of the earthquake.

In the video, one of the surviving women in the city of Aleppo describes the first moments of terror immediately after the earthquake occurred, and speaks about the difficult circumstances they experienced in Syria as a result of this disaster. The video also highlights the Middle East Council of Churches' ongoing relief and field work to restore hope to the affected people.

“Every child deserves to feel safe in the school and local society.” With these words, UNICEF is sounding the alarm bell due to the escalation of serious risks resulting from the high rate of violence against children and adolescents and the violation of their basic rights in many cases due to difficult living conditions. Therefore, it has become necessary to take serious measures to protect children and adolescents and preserve their dignity. Hence, many international and regional parties seek to raise awareness about sensitive social issues in order to reduce every phenomenon that violates human dignity.

From its end, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) has been working since its founding and through its various programs to raise awareness on societal dangers in order to contribute to reducing violence and healing the wounds of the most vulnerable.