The Church in Lebanon Celebrates the World Day of Prayer
A Prayer Service Gathers Women at the “Nor Marash” Church in Bourj Hammoud
By the Middle East Council of Churches
On the occasion of the “World Day of Prayer,” which women around the world celebrate as an annual Ecumenical day on the first of March, the Women’s Committee of the Armenian Evangelical Church “Nor Marash” in Bourj Hammoud - Lebanon, organized a Prayer Service on the morning of Friday 1 March 2024. Participants were women from various Armenian Evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox Churches, in the presence of the Church’s Pastor Reverend Raffi Messerlian, the Coordinator of Church Relations at the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) Reverend Nishan Bakalian, and the Associate Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Mrs. Seta Hadeshian.
Under the theme that was adopted for the year 2024, “I Beg You... Bear With One Another in Love,” based on the Letter of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians 4:1- 7. The Prayer Service included a special program prepared by the “World Day of Prayer” Committee in Palestine, the country that was chosen this year for the Day of Prayer. Noting that some women wore Palestinian traditional cloths, as well as some objects symbolizing the Palestinian tradition were placed on a table.
The program included a presentation about Palestine, the most prominent historical stations it passed through and the traditions that characterize it, in addition to Prayers and Reflections that brought a lot of hope on the intentions of Palestine, Lebanon, Armenia and the world. Participants also listened to the stories of three Palestinian women, highlighting their courage, perseverance, and dedication to not giving up in the face of life’s challenges and their determination to return to their homeland.
During the Prayer Service, Mrs. Seta Hadeshian delivered a speech in which she gave an overview of the “World Day of Prayer,” its origins and goals, speaking about ways to confront the multifaceted challenges that surround the Churches as they work to overcome it. She also highlighted the Ecumenism and emphasized its importance, explaining how and why it was the only way to face the challenges that threaten all Churches, not just one Church.
Mrs. Hadeshian mentioned that uniting together in common work based on the teachings of the Holy Bible constitutes the basis of all change for the better. She added that Christian Theologians must master Politics, Economic and Social Sciences to dialogue with new ideologists of modern world theoreticians, stressing the importance of the Churches’ union, dialogue and collaboration with other faith based organizations.
In his turn, Reverend Nishan Bakalian addressed a Sermon in which he explained that the financial aid collected during the Prayer will go to Palestine’s World Day of Prayer committee, an ecumenical women’s group that planned this year’s worship service.
During the Prayer, each of the participants received an olive branch as a souvenir from this year’s day of Prayer, especially that the olive tree was chosen as a symbol for the Prayer, as its trunk, branches, and leaves represent Palestinian women of three generations who are facing great hardships with determination as a result of political, economic, and social crises. In addition, another souvenir was distributed to the participants, bearing a traditional Palestinian design prepared by the Armenian Evangelical Boarding School students’ hand work in Anjar – Lebanon.
