Cairo - July 10, 2024

The Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East – A.T.I.M.E. launched its second annual student conference at St. Mark's Conference House in the Obour area - Cairo.

The conference was organized and attended by The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack Khalil, Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand, Lebanon, and President of A.T.I.M.E., the Executive Secretary of A.T.I.M.E. Father Dr. Michael Kanbar, Reverend Bishoy Helmi, the Associate Executive Secretary of A.T.I.M.E., and Reverend Dr. Samuel Rozfi, the Associate Executive Secretary of A.T.I.M.E.

Attendees and participants were also members of A.T.I.M.E.: Dr. Gergis Saleh, Honorary Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Dr. Ishak Ibrahim Ajban Shenouda from the Institute of Coptic Studies, Dr. Michael Edward Abdo Mikhael from the Institute of Care and Education, and forty students from many countries.

The image shown below appeared as the cover page of the first edition of the report of the King-Crane Commission, which was commissioned during the year 1919 by the US President Woodward Wilson to explore the conditions of the people of the Antiochian Levant, and to find out their opinions and aspirations regarding the fate of their country. The date of the bulletin in which the report appeared bears reference to the end of the year 1922.

The picture portrays masses from one of our cities in the Antiochian Levant, begging for bread, and bears written under it the caption: “Secret Diplomacy Won. It is now collecting, and in the Near East millions are pleading for bread”.

Millions are pleading for bread?

This was in 1922, when needs were limited and demands were modest, but today millions are begging for anything!

Food, medicine, fuel, electricity, water, air, to name but a few!

But millions are also begging for much more: political and military stability, good governance, human rights, human dignity, education, care for the disabled and the elderly, and so on.

Cairo - July 10, 2024

Dr. Michel Abs, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), arrived in Cairo to participate in the second annual conference of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East – A.T.I.M.E under the title “We Witness Together.”

He was accompanied on the visit by the MECC Media Church Relations Coordinator the journalist Lea Adel Maamary.

They were received at St. Mark's Conference House in the Obour area by the The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack (Khalil), Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand in Lebanon and President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East A.T.I.M.E.

The Middle East Council of Churches Inaugurates Its New Office in Jordan

Under the patronage of His Eminence Archbishop Christoforos Atallah, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jordan, and President of the Council of Heads of Churches in Jordan, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) inaugurated its new office in the Jordanian capital, Amman, which was offered by His Eminence with the support of the Archdiocese.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of July 2024. 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.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participating

Under the patronage of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, and on the occasion of the Centenary of the Birth of His Eminence Bishop Georges Khodr, the General Secretariat of the Orthodox Youth Movement (MJO) held a ceremony to launch a workshop centering around the thought of its Chief Founder and its various influences.

The ceremony was held on Saturday 6 July 2024, at La Sagesse University - Beirut, in the presence of Their Eminences Bishops, Priests and Deacons from various Dioceses, as well as social, cultural, judicial and political personalities. In addition, attendees were the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, and his wife, the theologian and writer Dr. Frida Abs, the Secretary General of the Orthodox Youth Movement (MJO) Mr. Elie Kebbeh, Former MJO Secretaries General, Heads of MJO centers, and MJO members in Lebanon.

MECC, UCC and Global Ministries

With the aim of strengthening the ecumenical ties, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs held a coordination meeting with the Executive Director of the organizations, Global Ministries and the United Church of Christ, Dr. Peter Makari, and the Acting Associate General Minister and Co-Executive of Global Ministries Reverend Shari Prestemon, on Friday 5 July 2024, at his residence in Beirut.

Preparing for New Ecumenical Activities in Iraq

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), received Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department, on Monday 17 June 2024, at the Patriarchal headquarters in Erbil.

Noting that this visit comes as part of Father Al Ahmar’ tour in Iraq in order to prepare for the implementation of a new session of the “Spiritual and Psychological Support” program in the country, aiming at supporting the Parish ministers and their assistants to overcome the daily challenges. 

MECC Implements a New Session of the “Spiritual and Psychological Support” Program in Iraq

Amidst the worsening security, social and economic crises afflicting the region, the Eastern people live in front of an unknown future as a result of the difficult living conditions that have burdened them and plunged them into a cycle of despair and endless daily challenges. Therefore, today, spiritual and psychological support has become an urgent necessity for many people, especially for Church workers who help the needy and affected people to overcome life’s difficulties with deep faith and firm hope.

In this context, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches continues to implement the “Spiritual and Psychological Support” program in various countries of the Middle East for Churches’ ministers and their assistants, both consecrated and lay people, who lived harsh experiences due to the various crises and difficult conditions that the region is suffering from, or who are accompanying, in their turn, people who have experienced trauma in their lives.  

A Parish Meets Its Shepherd on Holy Land

At one point in time, two apostles from my country decided to establish the Church of the Incarnate Lord, in order to minister to the believers who were suffering from persecution at the hands of the enemies of the young Church community. The Holy See of Antioch was thus founded, and Peter and Paul, the two leading father figures of the apostles, later to become martyrs, were the founders.

On the anniversary of the founding of the See of Antioch, the Church celebrates this occasion, telling history that it is a timeless entity, and that it will continue to embrace its children until the end of time, and will continue to preach the message of salvation, as long as the universe remains as universe, and as long as humanity needs such a salvation- community

The date is Friday, June 28. The place is the Monastery of the Vision of Saint Paul, in Tell Kawkab, on the outskirts of Damascus, the oldest inhabited capital in history. The time was the Vesper Service of the day.

They were there, and the sun was setting. They came in large numbers, from all parts of the See of Antioch, and from the diaspora, church leaders and parishioners, covering the whole site with their presence, waiting for the coming of the shepherd, the inspiring Patriarch. One would think they were waiting for the coming of Paul the Apostle, in expectation of a recurrence of  the vision that changed the course of humanity.

On a Visit to MECC in Beirut

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs received the President of the United Church of Christ in the USA Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, and the Executive Director of the organizations, Global Ministries and the United Church of Christ, on Tuesday 2 July 2024, at the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

During the meeting, Dr. Abs spoke about the mission of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and the most prominent programs that it is working to implement. He also presented the MECC situation, the strategies it adopts, and its future aspirations in order to achieve the desired ecumenical and humanitarian goals.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Delivers a Lecture:

The cross of humankind is huge, and Christ is still carrying it on the path to Calvary, so either we will be together, carrying the cross with him, or we will remain divided, let him down, and leave him carrying it alone

As part of the activities of the 77th General Assembly of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), which was held on the occasion of the Centenary of the UAECNE under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” a seminar entitled “Our Ecumenical Path” was held on Monday 1 July 2024, at the Armenian Evangelical Church in the Achrafieh region – Lebanon.

The seminar was moderated by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. Speakers were the President of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the United States of America Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, the General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, the President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) Reverend Najla Kassab, and the Secretary General of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches Mrs. Rosangela Jarjour.

In his speech, Dr. Michel Abs highlighted his ecumenical experience, as well as the experience of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in the ecumenical work, and also said “Ecumenism is a great challenge, too great for closed minds who fear openness and freedom. If you are truly a Christian, you have no choice but to be ecumenical! But ecumenism is not an automatic, artificial process. It is a logic, a mental structure, and a vision of life that we gradually adopt and to which we are trained, until it becomes part of our very being, making us deal spontaneously with situations that pose a challenge to us in our faith affiliation.”

In celebration of the 100th Year Jubilee of the Founding of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” the UAECNE held its 77th General Assembly between 1 and 3 July 2024 in Beirut. It was inaugurated with a Celebratory Worship Service headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Hence, the video presents an overview about the work of this General Assembly.

The Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East Holds Its 77th General Assembly in Beirut

Headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian

On the occasion of the 100th Year Jubilee of the Founding of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” the UAECNE held its 77th General Assembly between 1 and 3 July 2024 in Beirut. It was inaugurated with a Celebratory Worship Service headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Attendees in the General Assembly were members of the UAECNE Central Committee, officials from various fields in the UAECNE, representatives of international organizations, and some members of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in A Celebratory Worship Service

On the occasion of the Centenary of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), which bear the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” the UAECNE held a Celebratory Worship Service headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Participants were the Heads of the Evangelical and Armenian Churches, Representatives of various Church Families and international organizations, Priests, official and political figures, guests, and members of the Armenian Evangelical Church. As well as, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs attended the Service, congratulating the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and wishing it many years of goodness, blessings and holiness.

On the occasion of the 100th Year Jubilee of the Founding of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer”, the UAECNE held a Celebratory Worship Service Presided Over by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

In this context, the video highlights the details of this service.

A Celebratory Worship Service at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian: “My inner room is the spiritual encounter with the Lord...

The inner room of the Church is its eternal hope in days of distress”

It is with great hope that the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) celebrates the 100th Year Jubilee of its Founding under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer.” On this occasion, the UAECNE held its 77th General Assembly between 1 and 3 July 2024 in Beirut, where it was inaugurated with a special centennial Celebratory Worship Service headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Attendees were the Heads of the Evangelical and Armenian Churches, Representatives of various Church Families and international organizations, Priests, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, official and political figures, guests, and members of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

And Meets Archimandrite Meletios Shattahi, the Head of the Department

During his visit to Syria, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs headed to the offices of the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERED) which is affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and met with Archimandrite Meletios Shattahi, the Head of the Department, on Saturday 29 June 2024.

During the meeting, discussions centered around the general situation the country is passing through, in addition to ways of working to implement future joint activities. Dr. Abs also thanked the department's team for its constant cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches, and its facilitation of the MECC affairs.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X Presides Over the Holy Mass at the Mariamite Cathedral - Damascus

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Abs Participating in the Mass

In celebration of the Feast of the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Founders of the See of Antioch, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, presided over the Holy Mass at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, on Saturday 29 June 2024.

Participants were their Eminences Bishops: Elias Kfoury (Tyre and Sidon), Damaskinos Mansour (Brazil), Efrem Kyriakos (Tripoli and Koura), Ignatius Al-Hoshi (France), Antonios Al Souri Sour (Zahle and Baalbek), and Nicolas Baalbaki (Hama), Athanasios Fahed (Latakia), Yacoub Al-Khoury (Argentina), Efrem Maalouli (Aleppo and Alexandretta), Gregorios Khoury (Homs), Antonios Saad (Souaida), and bishops Romanos Al-Hanat, Mousa Al-Khoury, Dimitri Sharbak, Youhanna Batash, Mousa Al Khasi, and a group of clergymen.

As well as, participants were Archimandrite Dr. Jack Khalil, Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand in Lebanon and President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME), heading a delegation including Deans from the University of Balamand, Professors and students from the Institute, and the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs.