With the League of the Lebanese Christian Publishers Affiliated to the Bible Society Association

Within the framework of capacity building and skills development, the League of the Lebanese Christian Publishers affiliated to the Bible Society Association, organized its third training as part of its training program, with the participation of the team of the Communication and Public Relations’ Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), alongside 36 colleagues representing 16 publishing houses in Lebanon. The training was held on Tuesday 21 November 2023, at the Bible Society headquarters in Beirut.

The training was presented by Dr. Mike Bassous, Secretary General and CEO of the Bible Society, and focused on marketing and its various types, in addition to Push vs Pull marketing, and its ways of implementation, stressing on its importance especially in our time today. During the session, Dr. Bassous gave his explanations and shared his expertise and experiences with the attendees, answering the participants’ questions and inquiries, as they applied together many exercises in order to consolidate the acquired information.

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 joint statement issued by the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch and All the East on the 10th yearly commemoration of the abduction of the Archbishops of Aleppo, His Eminence Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji and His Eminence Metropolitan Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “Behind the Screen of Hate”. It was the speech that Dr. Abs delivered at the seminar organized by MECC, on the commemoration of the abduction of the two Archbishops of Aleppo, on Monday 24 April 2023.

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 “Antiochians despite the destructions!”. Dr. Abs spoke about the tour held by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, in Antioch, following the earthquake that struck this region. Dr. Abs also called this tour “a tour of hope”, “because our alphabet is Antiochian”.

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 “Dignity for the afflicted person”. It was the speech he delivered during the last monthly webinar organized by MECC, on Thursday 30 March 2023, and in which he talked about the human dignity and the vulnerable people.

The issue also includes details about this monthly webinar which centered around the dignity for the afflicted people. It was also broadcasted on the MECC Facebook page (Part 1 – Part 2). Noting that this webinar was part of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

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 “Religious Events and the Sharing in Common Life”. Dr. Abs highlighted the Ramadan experience that people live in Beirut, as in all the capitals of Arab countries. He mentioned that this experience reconciles hearts and strengthens the bond between people. Dr. Abs also stresses the importance of sharing a common life, removing psychological barriers between people, and encouraging them to get acquainted with mutual traditions, and even beliefs.

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.

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.

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 a news about the meeting of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs and an MECC delegation with His Holiness Pope Francis, after the General Audience of His Holiness in the Vatican. You can also find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “The Antiochian Levant of Life”. In his message, Dr. Abs talked about the tragedies that the people in the East have always suffered from, the East of Christianity, where the disciples were first called Christians. He also condemned all divisions, conflicts and crises, hoping that our Christianity, in the image and likeness of our Christ, is unshakable.

Report: February, 2023

1. Introduction

During February, a catastrophe in the form of an earthquake occurred in Turkey and Syria causing at least 46,400 casualties. As images of the horrifying news spread across television sets and other forms of mass media, one cannot help but wonder: Can the region bear any more calamities? Already, the region’s economy is hanging by a thread and its inhabitants have seen enough death and destruction. Although Turkey’s economy might be in a better spot to handle the earthquake’s ramification, Syria’s war-burdened economy will be unable to handle rehabilitation expenses.