The Middle East Council of Churches is a regional ecumenical organization, which brings together churches in the East for a common Christian witness in a region where Christ was born, lived, died and resurrected.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
The hardships of time follow neither logic nor order, often pushing people into sorrow and despair.
Our dear colleague, Lea Adel Maamary, the Coordinator of the Church Relations and Media at the MECC, and an active media professional in service of both God and humanity for over a decade and a half, who never backs down from any challenge, no matter how difficult, has now lost her life partner, the successful and compassionate dentist, Dr. Michel Joseph Maamary, known for his generosity in treating the neediest people.
Dr. Michel Maamary was raised by parents with much humanity. His father served as a Priest for villages in Akkar under the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, known for his dedication to social and humanitarian service. Following in his father's footsteps, Michel grew into a remarkable man. Tragically, his brother, Boulos, a paramedic with the Lebanese Red Cross, was martyred while rescuing the wounded people during one of Lebanon’s many wars. He is considered as a martyr of the Lebanese Red Cross which center in Akkar carries his name.
Lea Adel Maamary, our strong and resilient colleague, vowed during her husband's funeral yesterday that their children, Boulos and Michella, are in safe hands. Under the guidance of their capable mother and the embrace of their loving family, they will continue the academic and humanitarian journey of this blessed family.
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which stood alongside Lea and her family during their time of grief, extends its deepest condolences for this painful and unexpected loss. The MECC tells them that they are blessed by God for the deeds of their parents and for the path they will follow in their footsteps.
Christ is risen!
He departs from us in body, the one who carried the See of Saint Mark on his shoulders and in his heart, after a life full of achievements and moments of truth during hard times,
He departs from us in body, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge, leadership, wisdom, and care,
He departs from us in body, the one who has been, in times of distress, a cornerstone, a support, and a reference,
Here is His Grace Archbishop Pachomius, Metropolitan of Beheira, Matrouh, and the Five Western Cities, entering into the Kingdom of the Lord, carrying his unparalleled talents,
This faithful servant was entrusted with much from the beginning, becoming a reference for his Church and community,
This Leader, filled with the spirit of Christ, Who resurrected on the third day, enters today into the world of eternity. His Church and the entire world bid him farewell, saying, May you be blessed for what your hands have done, O fruitful one,
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which shares with the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate the sorrow of separation, says to the venerable Archbishop Pachomius, rest in peace, O man of a great heart, for the See of Saint Mark, which you have faithfully guarded and carried with great care, is in safe hands. MECC says to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, Christ is Risen!
Professor Michel Abs
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
I browse the icons, read them attentively, gaze at the paintings, examine the sculptures, trying to see how all these people have interpreted your face, Mary!
I try to imagine your features, your expressions, the light in your eyes, the joy of the Annunciation, the pain of the Crucifixion and separation. I find myself projecting my feelings onto you, hoping to understand you, O Queen of mountains and seas. Yet I realize I cannot confine your spirit and the beauty of your soul within any human form of expression, neither writing, nor painting, nor sculpture, nor even singing or music.
What kind of being are you, chosen by the Lord as the temple of Incarnation?
How noble are you, who carried the Savior in your womb?
How patient are you, who witnessed the Savior hanging on the cross, bleeding water and blood, pierced by a spear, given bitter drink, calling out to the mighty God, Creator of the universe, and forgiving those who shed His blood on the land of Incarnation, the Antiochian Levant, where the Gospel began to spread moments later!
How great are you, the one whom all creation agrees to revere and honor above all women!
What a symbol you are, what a message, what a lesson you preach to humanity?
Your face, Mary, I see it in the faces of the tormented women of the world, victims of gender-based violence, victims of relentless patriarchy, victims of human trafficking, victims of modern slavery, victims of ignorance, victims of suppression, repression, and silencing.
Your face, Mary, is worthy of divine light bestowed by the Eternal King. It is worthy of a smile, worthy of joy, radiating endless tenderness, love, and mercy.
Your face, Mary, I turn to in hardship. From it I draw resolve and unshakable patience. From it I draw a vision that sees beyond worldly possessions and perishable things.
Your face, Mary, is part of a whole. It is a mirror of your soul, a reflection of your willpower and endurance. And it is also, despite all it bears, a source of peaceful light flowing from your serene, calm, and peaceful spirit…
BEIRUT BLAST
DEPARTEMENTS
Theology and Ecumenism
Diakonia
Communication and Public Relations
The Service of Palestinian Refugees
VIDEOS
The Middle East Council of Churches… 50 years of Continuous Witness
A Story of Success
Department of Diakonia and Ecumenical Relief
Professor Michel Abs
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the machine age, humanity entered a new era characterized by liberating production capacity from the limitations of artisanal output to the vastness of mass production. This was made possible by machines supplying producers with an ever-increasing quantity of products, thereby meeting a larger portion of human needs and raising profit margins, which led to the accumulation of capital and the emergence of large-scale production corporations.
On the level of production, agricultural, industrial, and even commercial, technology contributed to improved marketing and distribution through low-cost products, and therefore competitive pricing, in an increasingly cutthroat market.
In other aspects of human life, housing, food, transportation, entertainment, technology played a vital role in advancing these domains.
The most sensitive area remains the medical field, where diagnostics and treatments have progressed beyond imagination, extending lifespans and making healthcare faster, more effective, and less painful than in the past.
If we delve deeper into the effects of technological advancement, we find countless areas where technology brought about positive changes that people welcomed, and even demanded.
However, the field that witnessed the most drastic technical advancement, to the point that it changed the face of humanity and caused cultural, social, psychological, and economic transformations, is information technology and its associated fields.
The computer, this small device - which began as a massive machine, and later the mobile phone, even smaller and sometimes more powerful than the computer, have fundamentally and irreversibly transformed humanity…