The Middle East Council of Churches Holds an Ecumenical Prayer Service on the Occasion of the “Season of Creation”

With the Participation of Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian

MECC Organizes in Cooperation with the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME)

A Conference Entitled “Ecumenical Perspectives on Climate Change”

4-5 October 2023

Let Us Participate Together in These Environmental and Theological Activities!

On the occasion of the “Season of Creation” celebrations in the Middle East and the world, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) culminates this season in an Ecumenical Prayer Service, with the participation of Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and MECC President for the Evangelical Family. The Prayer Service will be held on Wednesday 4 October 2023, which marks the “Season of Creation” closing, at 5 pm Beirut time, in the Pope John Paul II Amphitheater at the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon.

The Middle East Council of Churches invites you to participate in the Prayer Service, at the Holy Spirit University - Kaslik, stressing on the slogan of this year’ “Season of Creation”, “Let Justice and Peace Flow”, asking God the Creator to open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation. Noting that this Prayer, which MECC will hold annually, will be broadcasted through media and live on the MECC Facebook Page.

 “Women’s Vocation and Mission in God’s Plan and the Life of the Church and Society”

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Receives this Document from His Beatitude in Bkerke

And Delivers a Sermon Entitled “We and Our Environment” (Video)

On the second Sunday of the “Season of Creation”, Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Service, on Sunday 10 September 2023, at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut.

During the Service, Prayers glorifying the Creator were said and Reverend Dr. Badr read the Chapter 15, 1-8 of the Gospel according to John. Then, Dr. Badr delivered a Spiritual Sermon entitled “We and Our Environment”, which you can listen to and watch it in the video. During the Sermon, he highlighted the importance of creation care and protecting the environment from climate change, denouncing Human’s abuse of the environment and emphasizing this sin that needs repentance.

Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah Prays on the Occasion of the “Season of Creation” (video)

Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Service, on the Second Sunday of the “Season of Creation”, Sunday 10 September 2023, at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut.

The Prayer, in which you can participate via the video, was led by Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah, a Professor of Practical Theology at the Near East School of Theology. It included meditations, hymns, and supplications to God the Creator calling us to preserve the creation and protect our common home.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in an International Conference on Climate Change

In preparation for the COP28 Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs participated in a conference entitled “Migration and Adaption in the Context of Climate Change: A Pragmatic Approach Towards Removing Barriers and Enhancing Opportunities”. It was jointly organized by the United Nations Network on Migration and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), on Thursday 7 September 2023, with the participation of speakers from various fields and with the presence of international specialists and interested attendees in the topic at hand.

The conference centered around the issue of migration in the context of climate change, during which the participants discussed the potential adaptive capacity of migration in the context of climate change, that has become an important issue that the world is sounding the alarm about. Participants also discussed how migrants face the dangers of climate change, in addition to finding ways to help them contribute in reducing this climate crisis.

The Middle East Council of Churches’ Team Accompanies the Neediest

As people age, their physical abilities degrade rendering them less active then before and making them in need of assistance and support to help them regain their hope despite all the pressures that surround them.

In Lebanon, the difficult living conditions are burdening the citizens who are struggling amidst the worsening social and economic crises. As for the elderly, they are, in turn, facing greater difficulties and challenges as a result of the absence of laws and procedures that protect them and preserve their dignity.

Ibrahim Habib is 76 years old and lives in one of the Beirut areas. Ibrahim has not only reached a critical period in his life, but also has a disability in his leg preventing him from easily commuting in his own house and even at public places.

They Pledge to Strengthen the Environmental Work in the Bekaa Valley

The Ecumenical family in the Middle East and the world unites in an environmental Christian season which is the “Season of Creation,” that starts, as every year, on September 1, and ends on October 4, aiming at praying and working together to protect God’s creation and our common home. Based on the theme of this year’s season which is “Let Justice and Peace Flow” and its symbol “A Mighty River,” the world celebrates God’s creation through a series of various events and activities that enhance spiritual and environmental awareness.

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched this season in the region, Churches, Christian, Ecumenical and youth groups in the Middle East are implementing several initiatives to celebrate the season and glorify God the Creator. In Lebanon, specifically in the Bekaa Valley, which is considered a place of resources for the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf, the youth of the Ebleh Church organized an environmental activity through which it established the first Church youth group concerned with environmental issues. The group decided to develop the environmental work in the Bekaa Valley, and took the name of “Our Lady of Ebleh Youth.”

Talks About the Forestation Campaigns Implemented by the Council in an Interview with “Danmission” Organization

On the occasion of the “Season of Creation,” “Danmission” organization, a partner of the Middle East Council of Churches, made an interview with Deacon Garen Yosolkanian, a member of the MECC Eco Justice Committee, and expert in the environmental issues, in which he talked about the forestation campaigns that MECC implements as part of its environmental activities. He also highlighted its importance, especially in environmental awareness, as well as the forestation campaign organized by MECC in Mhardeh, Syria, with a group of youth.

Highlights the Importance of the “Season of Creation” in an interview with “Danmission” Organization

As part of the “Season of Creation” 2023 activities, “Danmission” organization, a partner of the Middle East Council of Churches, made a video interview with Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department, during which he highlighted the meanings and goals of the “Season of Creation.” He also talked about the importance of celebrating this season in the Middle East and the MECC mission in this context, especially in environmental awareness.

With the deterioration living conditions in Lebanon, refugees, like all Lebanese, suffer from severe economic and social crises in the country. Due to the unavailability of sufficient job prospects and the nature of their legal status in Lebanon, their situation is getting worse, and many refugees struggle to secure a source of livelihood. Hence, refugees are facing many mental health challenges, in addition to the economic and social challenges that hinder them.

In this context, the Middle East Council of Churches, Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, continues to implement the capacity building program, as it recently organized new sessions of skills development for a group of refugee women at Our Lady Dispensary, affiliated to MECC, and located in the Sabtieh region – Lebanon.

Between the Middle East Council of Churches and SAT 7

Together We Celebrate the “Season of Creation”!

As part of strengthening the partnership between the Middle East Council of Churches and its partners, an online meeting was held between MECC and SAT 7, on Thursday 7 September 2023. The meeting included the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, and the Member of the MECC Eco Justice Committee Deacon Garen Yosulkanian, alongside the Director of Development Programs at SAT 7 Mr. Rafik George, and the Coordinator of Development Projects at SAT 7 Mrs. Margaret Magid.

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 details about the monthly webinar organized by MECC under the title “Human Dignity for Newborns of Unknown Parents”, on Thursday 31 August 2023, with the participation of specialists, academicians, universities’ students and interested attendees in the topic at hand. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “Pieces of us abandoned in the street”. It was the speech he delivered during this webinar, in which he talked about the issue of the children of unknown parents.

Reporting Officer

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is a regional ecumenical organization, which brings together churches in the Middle East for a common Christian witness in a region where Christ was born, lived, spread His word, died and resurrected.

The purpose of the MECC is to deepen the spiritual fellowship among the churches of the Middle East, and to unite them in word and deed as they strive to achieve the unity of the churches and to serve humans on the basis of the Christian faith. The MECC works through its various structures to achieve this purpose by promoting dialogue amongst the churches (locally, regionally and internationally), and strengthening the spirit of fellowship and ecumenical awareness. Its activities include social and economic development, interfaith and interreligious dialogue, education, woman, youth and family development, communication, and several related activities.

The Vacancy

MECC is currently recruiting a Reporting Officer

Report: August 2023

During August, the Middle East witnessed an unbearable heatwave that left climate experts warning of the disastrous consequences climate change is leaving behind. The fact that experts have warned we are no longer in a ‘Global Warming Stage’ and we are now actually in a ‘Boiling Stage’, sent shivers down everyone’s spine, humanitarian actors in particular. As such during these difficult circumstances, refugees and IDPs are forced to deal with elevated temperatures while water scarcity is increasingly becoming an issue in the region. In other words, refugees will have to face elevated heat levels from the environment and the ramifications of the ‘political heat’ between major powers.