The Church in Lebanon Unites with the World on the World Day of Prayer
A Prayer Service in the Grace Chapel at the Near East School of Theology (NEST) - Beirut
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
By the Middle East Council of Churches
Under the theme adopted for the “World Day of Prayer” 2024, “I Beg You... Bear With One Another in Love,” based on the Letter of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians 4: 1-7, and in celebration of this World Ecumenical Day, the “Day of Prayer” Committee in Lebanon held a Prayer Service in the Grace Chapel at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, on the evening of Friday 1 March 2024.
Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, participated in the Prayer. As well as, participants were the “World Day of Prayer” Committee in Lebanon, women from various Church Families in Beirut, and Pastors.
With a lot of hope, the participants united in Prayer through 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. The program included a presentation on the history of Palestine, and the most prominent customs and traditions that characterize it, in addition to Prayers and Reflections on the intention of justice and peace in Palestine, the Middle East and the world. Moreover, stories of three Palestinian women were also read, highlighting their faith, courage, and efforts to work in order to face all the challenges that surround them.
Noting that some of the participating women wore Palestinian traditional cloths and the Chapel was decorated with items symbolizing Palestinian traditions, as financial aid was also collected to support the Church in Palestine.
During the Prayer Service, Mrs. Maral Haidostian, from the Armenian Evangelical Church and Former President of the “World Day of Prayer” Committee in Lebanon, delivered a speech in which she stressed that “to keep the unity we need peace” and that “the peace given by the Lord Jesus Christ is not the same political peace that the world gives”. Hence, she mentioned that the “peace of Christ is wrapped with love, reconciliation and healing, and is a product of the Spirit of God”. She also said that to “bear with one another means giving the other a second, third, and fourth chance to improve, to be patient with the other, to feel with the other, to carry the burdens of the other in actual ways, to forgive if the other done wrong…”
Mrs. Haidostian also said that by “walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we will preserve the unity of the Spirit, and that unity is a divine gift and it is for us to enjoy and grow it, adding that within unity, we learn from each other, we give space to each other, we build each other up… For this valuable divine gift to be enjoyed, we need to keep it in our hearts, and guard it in our daily decisions and behaviors.” As well as, she noted that “we need to be aware of the other and handle our relationships with love and care... When Christian believers come together from different denominations, they find they have more in common than differences, and the World Day of Prayer is one good example of this unity.”
Mrs. Maral Haidostian stressed the necessity of walking with one another in Christ, recalling the journey of the women of Palestine, Southern Lebanon, and all the women and men with whom we share the bond of love in Christ... She called on us to “walk together in Christ, with the light of God’s word leading us in humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, united in the Spirit, in the bond of peace.”
During the Prayer, olive branches were distributed to the participants 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 from three generations, in addition to a souvenir bearing a traditional Palestinian design and the theme of “World Day of Prayer” for this year, prepared by the “World Day of Prayer” Committee in Lebanon.
