His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered greetings and a pointed message to the delegates and participants at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany.

He began his remarks with the teaching and the belief that “the light of Christ shines more brightly than any darkness in our hearts and in our world,” offering this idea as the underlying premise to the theme of the assembly, that “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

Yet, we have fallen short of this ideal, he suggested. Asking each of us the question, “how can we reconcile our magnificent faith with our manifest failure?”

The Ecumenical Patriarch was referring to our “sin of ignoring the divine presence in all things and in all people,” and our failure to look larger than ourselves to “discern and detect the purpose for which God has created everyone and everything.”

His words were delivered on 1 September, which he notes as a “consecrated day of prayer and protection for God’s sacred creation,” and a day that “Orthodox Christians since 1989 have dedicated to praying for the protection of God’s gift of creation.”

“Listen to the Voice of Creation”

Middle Eastern Celebrations to Pray and Work Together for the Protection of Our Common Home

#SeasonOfCreationME

We are happy to announce that the international "Season of Creation" for this year will be kicked off in the Middle East after it was launched by the Middle East Council of Churches for the first time in the region last year. Noting that its international celebrations start on September 1 and end on October 4 of each year. A Season during which the people and Christians of the Middle East, unite with the ecumenical family around the world, to participate in prayer and work together to protect our common home, as well as to listen and respond to the cry of Creation which is under threat.

For the second consecutive year, the Middle East Council of Churches has translated the international “Season of Creation” booklet into Arabic, which you can download it by clicking here. This year’s theme is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and its slogan is “The Burning Bush”. The Psalmist (19: 1-4) acknowledges that hearing the voice of creation requires a kind of listening that is increasingly rare. Within the ecumenical Christian family, there is a diverse range of traditions to help us recover our capacity to hear the voice of creation.

Led by the Sami people in a special processional, 97 Indigenous delegates to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly were present in Karlsruhe for the pre-assembly. They symbolically ushered in four elements—Earth, Water, Fire and Wind—through biblical texts and prayer.

The theme of their gathering was “Reconciliation: Restoring Wholeness in Creation.”

They began their pre-assembly work on topics ranging from engagement with the Indigenous peoples in Europe, to reflecting and testifying on the learnings from Pilgrim Team Visits.

Lighting candles to remember where they came from, they also received an orientation to the German context of the assembly, as well as interaction with assembly committee members and pre-assembly delegates.

“Listen to the Voice of Creation”

The Middle East will be soon celebrating the annual international Christian and environmental “Season of Creation”, which was launched by the Middle East Council of Churches for the first time in the region last year. This is through many environmental activities and an awareness campaign to protect the creation, in addition to translating the Season’s Prayer booklet into Arabic, which is adopted internationally and in different languages. Thus, the people of the East may also celebrate the Season’s activities with the whole world, from the 1st of September till 4 October.

The theme of this year’s Season is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” taking the slogan of “The Burning Bush”. Hence, MECC issues the booklet of the 2022 Season in Arabic and in two versions. A full version translated from the original English booklet, including all details and information related the season, in addition to prayers and suggestions for the celebrations... The second version is shorter and ready for printing and distribution.

A New Afforestation Campaign with the Middle East Council of Churches

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the international campaign “Season of Creation” for the first time in the region in September 2021, the Council’s was keen to promote environmental awareness and culture through its various projects. Therefore, MECC continued its environmental activity, especially with youth, and in partnership with Danmission organization and with its support. A new afforestation campaign was hence organized in the Lebanese town of Monteverde, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

Youth Renewing the Beauty of Earth with the Middle East Council of Churches

The Middle East Council of Churches launched its environmental activity for this year with an afforestation campaign in the Lebanese town of Anjar and the lands of the Evangelical School, on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in partnership with Danmission organization and in cooperation with the youth of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

The activity was part of the environmental international campaign “Season of Creation” launched by the Middle East Council of Churches for the first time in the region in September 2021, and included many youth environmental segments that were filled with joy and friendship.

“Listen to the Voice of Creation”

In response to the call of creation groaning due to human violations, the ecumenical family around the world is preparing to celebrate once again the annual season of creation, which has been launched this year in an online international event held today by the organization of the Laudato Si’ Movement, in the presence of leaders of the different Ecumenical Churches and the participation of Christians concerned by this global issue.

Youth Renewing the Beauty of Earth with the Middle East Council of Churches

Within the framework of the global environmental campaign “Season of Creation” the Middle East Council of Churches launched in the region for the first time in September 2021, the Council concluded its environmental activity for the year in partnership with Danmission organization, and in cooperation with Bejjeh Club and the parish of the town with an afforestation campaign and distribution of fruitful trees to the people of Bejjeh on Sunday December 26, 2021.

Bejjeh was the venue

We came to this peaceful Lebanese village perched on the hills of the Byblos region, where the first boats known in history sailed across the sea carrying the cypher to the world.

We got there on Sunday the twenty-sixth of December thanks to the joint initiative of the Theological and Ecumenical Relations Department and the Environmental Justice Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches in coordination with the village parish and its cultural and sports club.

With the end of the Season of Creation 2021, the Middle East Council of Churches concluded the first season of the television program “Days of the Season of Creation” with a final episode broadcasted on Sunday, October 10, at 8:30 pm Beirut time and 5:30 GMT. The program was in cooperation between Télé Lumière, Noursat and the Middle East Council of Churches, and was broadcasted in parallel with the global celebrations of this Christian environmental season throughout the month of September. It was prepared by the Council's Communication and Public Relations Department.

At the invitation of the Middle East Council of Churches, the “Season of Creation” 2021 was concluded in an Ecumenical Prayer service under the patronage of His Beatitude Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rai, on Sunday October 3, 2021, at the Visitation Monastery, Philokalia Institute and Organization in Aintoura, Keserwan - Lebanon. For the occasion, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs delivered a speech entitled "Priceless Moments".

Ecumenical Prayer in the Monastery of the Visitation, Lebanon, Under the Patronage of Cardinal Al-Rai

The Middle East Council of Churches concluded the “Days of the Season of Creation” 2021, a first of its kind event in the east, under the patronage of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, on Sunday October 3, 2021, at the Monastery of the Visitation, Philokalia Institute and Organization, in Aintoura – Keserwan, Lebanon, chosen by His Beatitude and recently restored for the celebration.

As part of the Eastern “Season of Creation” 2021 activities, and under the patronage of the Middle East Council of Churches, a campaign to clean up the Raouche Beach in Beirut, Lebanon, was implemented on Saturday, September 18, 2021, morning. The campaign was organized by Youth and Students for Peace organization, Lebanese Scout Association, and Jerusalem See, Lebanon and the Near East, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Our Lady and Saint Mark the Apostle in Lebanon.

The fourth episode of the program "Days of the Season of Creation" 2021 was broadcasted on Thursday, September 23, at 8:30 pm Beirut time and 5:30 GMT, and reran on Friday, September 24, 2021. The program is prepared in cooperation between Télé Lumière and Noursat and the Middle East Council of Churches. It is launched in the context of the international celebrations of the “Season of Creation” and will be broadcasted throughout the month of September. The content is prepared by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

October 3rd: Proper 22 / 18th after Trinity

A Home And A Hope For The Future

About the importance of returning to oneself and evaluating the reality of life, according to the Gospel of Mark. A video prepared and presented by member of the MECC Ecojustice Adhoc Committee Father Elias Marswanian, from the Congregation of the Minor Brothers Monastery, and directed by Ali Al-Jaroush.

As part of the “Season of Creation” celebrations in the world and East, The Ecumenical Institute for the Middle East organized in its sixth edition a special meeting about this environmental and Christian season with member of the Ecojustice Adhoc Committee at the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Dany El-Obeid, from the Orthodox Church, on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at Le Crillon Hotel in Lebanon.

The new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, presents the news of the new training implemented as part of the “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” program by the Theological and Ecumenical Department for a group of youth. As for the weekly message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled " Human Dignity: Violations and Response!".

Youth Organizations in Cooperation with the MECC:

‘This is how we start the change towards a better environment’

From the wounded heart of Beirut, and from the shores of Raouche, they wanted change and insisted, even with small initiatives, to restore the beautiful face of Lebanon. The beating heart of society, young men and women keen, despite economic and social hardships, to work towards a better country. The type of change this time is different and forgotten in a country like Lebanon, just like in most of the Middle East, where deepening crises are raging and causing its residents to forget the need to care for their “common home,” but in a pained environment, is anyone listening?

October 3, 2021, at the Visitation Monastery, Aintoura – Lebanon

Under the patronage of the Syriac Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rai, the Middle East Council of Churches has the honor to invite you to participate in the closing Prayer of the "Season of Creation" which is being celebrated for the first time in the East. The Prayer will be held on Sunday October 3, 2021 at 5 pm Beirut Time, in the Monastery of the Visitation, Philokalia Institute and Organization, in Aintoura, Keserwan – Lebanon.