In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “Religious Events and the Sharing in Common Life”. Dr. Abs highlighted the Ramadan experience that people live in Beirut, as in all the capitals of Arab countries. He mentioned that this experience reconciles hearts and strengthens the bond between people. Dr. Abs also stresses the importance of sharing a common life, removing psychological barriers between people, and encouraging them to get acquainted with mutual traditions, and even beliefs.

Report: March 30th, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

Towards a Brighter and More Prosperous Future

Amidst the various social, economic and health crises… that are affecting the Middle East, women today are suffering from daily stress and challenges on many levels. As well as, they are facing, since decades, many menaces that are threatening their basic rights. In fact, it seems that women are deprived of these rights.

Thus, the Middle East Council of Churches seeks, through its mentoring programs, to support women, especially the most vulnerable, and to help them overcome daily challenges with great hope. Hence, the MECC Jordan Office continues its implementation of women empowerment training courses, in partnership with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Amman. Therefore, MECC stresses that women have an important and crucial role in the growth and prosperity of societies.

I write this article on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is valid in every religious season in my country, be it Christmas, Easter, or Al Fitr.

In normal cases, and whenever civil peace is established, religious events constitute an area for people to interact with each other, socialize and integrate into a social and cultural melting pot, which produces a beautiful public spirit and spreads joy and intimacy among people.

The blessed month of Ramadan, which is the month of fasting for Muslims, in its religious aspect, is a month of prayer and forgiveness. In its social aspect, it becomes an occasion in which families, usually busy with their daily lives, meet and pray and break the fast together.

As for what makes the month of Ramadan a month of intimacy and love, it is that the participants in these daily “occasions”, that is, Iftars, which are breaking the fast at sunset, are not only for Muslims or members of the same family, but the circle expands to include Christian friends, neighbors and co-workers as well.

The Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2023. 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.

Hosted by Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon

Together Towards Easter

On the occasion of the Great Lent and in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches, headed by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, organized a Spiritual Retreat, on Friday 24 March 2023. It was hosted by the Saint Paul Convent in Harissa, Lebanon, and the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul, Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

The meeting was held in coordination with Father Nicolas Bustros, the General Assistant of the Paulist Fathers Congregation, Director of Saint Paul's Institute, and Associate Secretary General at the Middle East Council of Churches, with the participation of the MECC’s General Secretariat team of various departments from Beirut.

Youth Bringing Life Back to the Heart of Nature

MECC Implements a Forestation Campaign in Al Wassieh, Jordan

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the “Forestation Days” project as part of the “Season of Creation” program, the Council has been keen to enhance environmental knowledge and green culture, especially among youth in the region. Hence, MECC aims at highlighting the youth’s role towards God’s creation and motivating them to work for the preservation of the environment and the common home in which we all live.

Thus, the Middle East Council of Churches pursues its environmental activities through a new forestation campaign implemented in Jordan, specifically in the Latin Patriarchate High School in Al Wassieh, on Saturday 25 March 2023. It was organized in coordination with His Eminence Bishop Jamal Khader, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, and in partnership with the humanitarian international organization “Danmission”.

Begins His Visits to Theological Institutes in the Region

In order to strengthen communication between the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) and Theological Institutes in the region, the Executive Secretary of ATIME, Father Dr. Michael Kanbar is holding a series of visits to these educational institutions, according to the internal regulations of the Association, which requires the Executive Secretary to visit the institutes once a year.

Father Dr. Kanbar started its visits from Lebanon. During March 2023, he visited the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand, the Higher Institute of Religious Studies, the Faculty of Religious Sciences at St. Joseph University in Beirut, and the St. Paul Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Harissa. Noting that other visits will be hold next month.