Momentum, the Weekly Newsletter from the Middle East Council of Churches
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 participation of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, at the Last Judgment Sunday Mass, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, on Sunday 19 February 2023, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon. This is in addition to details about the meeting of Dr. Abs with His Beatitude Patriarch John X, and also with Archimandrite Dr. Jack Khalil, President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME).
As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “The Northern Antiochian Levant, A Glimmer of Hope in the Heart of Tragedy”, he talked about the tragedies and sufferings that Antioch has always witnessed over the decades. He added that we should never give up in the face of difficulties and work to support the neediest and most vulnerable people, so that Antioch remains, as His Beatitude Patriarch John X said in his Sunday Homily, “the glorious Bride of Christ.”
You can also find in the issue, a letter from the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs to the Protestant Churches in Egypt, in which he congratulated Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki for his re-election as President of the Protestant Churches in Egypt, and Reverend Dr. Georges Shaker for his re-election as Vice President.
As well as, the issue includes a news about the visit of the Secretary General Dr. Abs to the participants of the second phase of the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling Program, which was implemented by the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department, for Parishes’ ministers and their associates from the various Church families in the Middle East, between Sunday 12 and Saturday 18 February 2023, at the St. Augustine Center in Kafra region, Lebanon. This is in addition to details and photos about the sessions included in the second phase of the program.
Moreover, the issue presents a news about the participation of the Secretary General Dr. Abs, on Wednesday 15 February 2023, in an international webinar entitled “Working together for those alone”, on the occasion of the Contemporary Martyrs' Day 2023, which was designated by the Coptic Orthodox Church. It was held at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, and Founder and Director of REFCEMI, the Coptic Orthodox Office for Advocacy and Public Policy.
You can also find the celebrations’ program of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” in Egypt, between 15 and 22 February 2023. In addition to the speeches of Dr. Gergis Saleh, MECC Honorary Secretary General, and Rev. Refaat Fikri, MECC Associate Secretary General, at the opening Prayer of the Week of Unity, which was hosted by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, on Wednesday 15 February 2023, in the Church of Saint Mary and Anba Bishoy, St. Mark's Cathedral, in Abbasiya.
Furthermore, the issue presents many reports issued by MECC 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. The MECC will be also publishing other periodical and updated reports.
The issue also shares photo albums from Syria, the Ecumenical Calendar for February 2023, Ecumenical reports, the weekly Prayer, videos, and news of the Middle Eastern Churches.
Additionally, the issue presents a socio-economic overview of the Middle East during January 2023 and the latest updates of the Coronavirus in the region.