At the Monastery of the Vision of St. Paul - Tal Kawkab

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in the Prayer

On the occasion of the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Founders of the See of Antioch, and Heads of the Apostles, 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 Vespers Prayers at the Monastery of the Vision of St. Paul in Tal Kawkab, Syria, on Friday 28 June 2024.

Participants were Bishops and clergy, in the presence of believers from various Dioceses of the See of Antioch, 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.

A Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: We dream of a day when we will feel human dignity in everything we do, and not in burdens that accompany and stick to our daily lives. The wait has been long!

The Middle East Council of Churches is continuing its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar entitled “Youth, Family, and Preserving Human Dignity,” on Thursday 27 June 2024, with the participation of researchers and specialists from various fields and countries in the Middle East, and the presence of professors and university students, as well as interested people in the topic at hand. Noting that this webinar comes within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

The meeting, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page, included three interventions, moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, who presented in her opening speech a definition of the family, explaining the challenges it faces, and stressing the necessity of preserving the factors that contribute to the success of the family and thus building better societies.

The webinar began with a speech delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, entitled “Building a Family in My Country, an “Adventure” with Unexpected Results,” in which he pointed out that “the crisis of building a family in my country and the immigration that accompanies it is the tip of the iceberg for a political-economic-social system in crisis, for a society that is fed up with its children and has begun to throw them into all parts of the world. Building a family is a basic and obvious human right. The Master said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10)”…

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in the Celebration

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian National Sanatorium of Azounieh - Lebanon, a recital performed by the Fayha National Choir, was held on Sunday 9 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut. Noting that the Choir includes 75 singers, of whom only three are Armenian, and is directed by the Maestro Barkev Taslakian.

The celebration was attended by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, represented by His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Panossian, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Lebanon, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, Pastors and Priests, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, and guests from different fields.

Christ is risen.

A blessed step in a blessed country

Speech by the Secretary General, Dr. Michel Abs, at the inauguration of the new MECC office in Jordan on June 4, 2024

Your Eminence Archbishop Christoforos Atallah,

Your Eminences the heads of the Churches of Jordan and their representatives,

Ladies and Gentlemen current and former Ministers and Deputies,

Ladies and Gentlemen, intellectual, cultural, and economic elites,

Honorable Fathers,

Reverent Pastors,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we are inaugurating a new office of the Middle East Council of Churches in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The office is new, but the MECC’s presence in Jordan is not, as it has been here for a long time, thanks to church leaders and church members who are committed to serving those who are weary and heavy burdened.

Our long-standing presence here is due to the unlimited support provided to us by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem whose Patriarch, highly respected, Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III we salute as children of the church. His support has enabled the MECC to overcome the crisis that has plagued it more than a decade ago, and he has taken the necessary steps to ensure the Council’s continuity in Jordan.

The Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Delivers a Lecture at the Orthodox Club - Amman:

“Ecumenism is intertwined with the broader issues that Christianity faces in the world, which are the topic of dialogue, controversy, and even conflict and disagreement”

Within the framework of his tour in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to inaugurate a new office for the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and with the blessing and presence of His Excellency Archbishop Christoforos Atallah, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jordan, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs visited the Orthodox Club in Amman, on Monday 3 June 2024, where he delivered a lecture entitled “MECC in Its Fiftieth Year, Its reality, Future Vision, and the Challenges of the Next Phase.”

Dr. Abs was accompanied by the Director of the MECC new office in Jordan Father Ignatius Khalifeh, and the MECC Financial Director Mrs. Laudy Al Khoury. The lecture was also attended by the Heads of Churches in Jordan or their delegates, members of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Father Rifaat Bader, the Head of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media and Publisher of Abouna Website, and Dr. Aude Kawas, as well as a large audience of intellectuals and Orthodox elites in Jordan.

On the Occasion of the 109th Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide

And as part of the Activities of the Fiftieth Year of Its Founding

MECC Organizes a Conference About the Armenian Genocide

 “Keeping Memory Alive”, Delivered by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs

On the Occasion of the 109th Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, as part of the activities of the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and with the blessing and presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Catholic Family, MECC held a conference entitled “Keeping Memory Alive”, about the Armenian Genocide, presented by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. It took place on Monday 22 April 2024, at the Theatre of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Geitaoui, Lebanon.

Attendees in this conference which you can watch by clicking here, were His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, represented by Father Sarkis Abrahamian, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, represented by His Eminence Monsignor Antonio Wakim, representatives from various Church families, their Eminences Bishops, Pastors and Priests, Nuns from the Lebanese Hospital Geitaoui, Seminary students, the President of the Syriac League in Lebanon Mr. Habib Afram, legal and social figures, guests, media, and the MECC family. The event, was presented by the journalist Lea Adel Maamary.

The “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” was ended in Lebanon in an Ecumenical Prayer Service held on Sunday 28 January 2024, hosted by the All Saints Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church, in Beirut. It was part of the celebrations which were organized in Lebanon by the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations at the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). Hence, the video includes a highlight about this Prayer, as well as some interviews.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth Year of the MECC Founding

On LBCI TV Channel

The media coverage for the Ecumenical musical event “Beirut 2024” continues, as the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, and the Member of the Ecumenical Choir in this musical event Mrs. Sonia Samarani, were the guests of the journalist Maya Abou Al Hosn, in an episode within the “Morning Talk” program broadcasted on LBCI TV Channel, on Sunday 14 January 2024.

On Charity Radio TV

The Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Lebanese Monk, Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, was the guest of the journalist Zouhour Abou Mansour, in an episode within “Hawana Hawak” program, which was broadcasted on Charity Radio TV, on Friday 12 January 2024.

During the episode, which you can watch it in the video, Father Dr. Antoine highlighted the Ecumenical musical event “Beirut 2024”, that will be held on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches. Noting that this event will take place on Saturday 20 January 2024, at the Forum de Beirut. As well as, Al Ahmar talked about the launching of the event’s idea, its goals, and the most important segments which will be included in its program, that will be presented by an Ecumenical choir.

A Poem Shared in Honor of the Voiceless people of Gaza During the Churches for Middle East Peace Christmas Ceasefire Service

GAZA

Kathryn Habib

Does anyone hear me?

Does anyone hear me

as I lie here

buried

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, MECC releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” booklet 2024, under the title “You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27), after it was translated into Arabic by the Council, as every year.

As for the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled this week “Violence against children and crime against childhood are scourges that are out of control”, and it is for the occasion of the International Week of Science and Peace determined by the United Nations to be celebrated yearly between 9 and 15 November. In his word, Dr. Abs said that building trust between science and people is necessary, but countries, universities, research centers and laboratories must prove to us that people can trust what is being produced behind closed doors.

In Gaza and the Repercussions of the Bombing that Occurred on the Church of Saint Porphyrios

With the deterioration of situations in Gaza, especially following the bombing of the Baptist Hospital and one of the buildings belonging to the Church of Saint Porphyrios, next to the church, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs was a guest on one of the news bulletins on “Al Jazeera” international English TV Channel, on Friday 20 October 2023.

Following the painful events taking place in Gaza, especially following the bombing of Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital and one of the buildings affiliated with the Church of Saint Porphyrios, and located next to the church, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) called to a Prayer for Gaza, on Friday 20 October 2023.

Participants from the MECC headquarters in Beirut, the MECC General Secretariat’s team alongside the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. As well as, colleagues working in the MECC Offices in the countries of the region also joined the Prayer online with also participants from different Ecclesial Families.

What Is the “Recycler Donation” Initiative of the Youth Pastoral Office in the Maronite Patriarchate, Bkerke?

Amidst the increasing environmental risks that humans are facing today, many youth groups are seeking to implement various initiatives in order to preserve the environment and care for creation. This is what included the Eco-exhibition that was organized on Wednesday 4 October 2023, at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik – Lebanon. The exhibition was part of the activities of “Ecumenical Perspectives on Climate Change” Symposium held by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in cooperation with the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME).

The “Recycler Donation” initiative, which is concerned with recycling, and affiliated with the Youth Pastoral Office in the Maronite Patriarchate, Bkerke - Lebanon, is one of these youth environmental initiatives, as it launched the “Waste Boat” project. What are the goals of this boat? And how can it contribute to reducing environmental pollution? Maria Abdel Masih, an activist in “Recycler Donation,” sheds light on this initiative.