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 the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “Three years elapsed”, in commemoration of the 4 August Blast which massively destroyed the capital Beirut.
On this painful commemoration, you can find a video that presents the stories of some of investments’ owners whose businesses were damaged by the Blast, shedding light on the contribution of the Middle East Council of Churches, through the Department of Diakonia and Social Service in Lebanon, in rehabilitating many of these small businesses and investments in order to help their owners restore their sources of livelihood after they lost everything they owned.
The issue also presents a news about the meeting of His Beatitude Pope Theodoros II, Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, with a delegation that included a group of Academicians from the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) and Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology in Balamand Lebanon, which is affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and headed by Archimandrite Dr. Jack Khalil, Dean of Saint John of Damascus Institute, and ATIME’s President, in the presence of Father Dr. Michael Kanbar, ATIME’s Executive Secretary, Priest and Professor. This visit was held on Saturday 29 July 2023, at the Patriarchal Residence in Alexandria, Egypt.
As well as, the issue includes a report about the first annual conference the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) which hold it under the theme “Respect for Creation is the Glorification of the Creator”, between 23 and 30 July 2023, at the Faculty of Humanities and Theological Sciences in Maadi - Cairo, Egypt.
You can also find details about the round table organized by the Middle East Council of Churches under the title “Human Dignity and Palestinian Refugees”, as part of its monthly seminars, on Thursday 27 July 2023, at the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut, with a hybrid participation of speakers from Lebanon and Palestine. Attendees were also university professors, specialists and students, who participated from the MECC offices and online. The seminar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page, included two sessions, from 9:30 am until 2 pm. The first session focused on “Palestinian Refugees, Legal and Social Reality”. The second session was entitled “Policies to Reduce the Suffering of the Palestinian Refugee”.
In this context, the issue presents the video interview of Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, the Coordinator of the Social Capital Rehabilitation Project at the Middle East Council of Churches, madse by the journalist Zouhour Aboun Mansour, in an episode within “Hawana Hawak” program, which was broadcasted on Charity Radio TV, on Friday 28 July 2023. During the episode, Dr. Laure emphasized the importance and necessity of social rehabilitation, and highlighted the round table organized by MECC under the title “Human Dignity and Palestinian Refugees”. She also talked about the objectives of the series of monthly seminars implemented by MECC, in addition to the mission of the Council and its Theological and humanitarian role.
This is in addition to a news and photos about the rehabilitation of the Holy Spirit Church in the Syriac Catholic Archbishopric of Homs, Syria, within the “Restoration Fund for Rehabilitation of Faith-based Social Services & Religious Infrastructure Damaged During the Crisis in Syria”, which is being implemented by the Middle East Council of Churches in cooperation with “Kerk in Actie” organization in the Netherlands.
Furthermore, the issue includes many reports issued by MECC after the earthquake that hit the North of the Antiochian Levant, 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. This is in addition to photo albums showing the difficult humanitarian situations in Syria.
The issue also presents the Ecumenical Calendar for the month of August 2023, issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department. In addition to the international “Season of Creation” guide 2023 entitled “Let Justice and Peace Flow” in Arabic and English. Noting that MECC has translated it into Arabic. As well as, you can find 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 July 2023 and the latest updates of the Coronavirus in the region.