Words Stresses that the Human Fraternity Document Should be a Guide for Emerging Generations

On the occasion of the International Day of Human Fraternity, and at the invitation of the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Lebanon His Eminence Bishop Mar Mathias Charles Mrad, a meeting was held on “Human Fraternity: Journey and Participation”, at the Islamic Cultural Center – the Two Imam Al Hussein Compound - Al-Zahraa Hall - Haret Hreik, Lebanon.

Attendees were His Eminence Bishop Mar Mathias Charles Mrad, the Scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, Church and Religious personalities, Scholars, Priests, members of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue and journalists.

The meeting started with the National Anthem, followed by the Lord’s Prayer for the journalists, prepared and written by Télé Lumière-Noursat TV Channel.

Then the journalist Lea Adel Maamary addressed a speech in which she welcomed the audience and summarized her speech with a statement quoted from the words 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, "Between We and You, the "and" disappears and We becomes You and You becomes We", stressing that this quote and others are applied to the content of the Human Fraternity Document.

of the “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” Program in Syria

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6: 31)

Amidst a world burdened by wars and crises that are also casting a shadow over the Middle East, Eastern people suffer from many daily challenges and life pressures that may negatively affect their mental health. Therefore, psychological and spiritual support has become essential to help the most vulnerable people to overcome the difficulties and troubles that reduce their usual activity. 

In this context, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) implemented a new session of the “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” program in Syria, under the title “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6: 31), over the course of five days, between 29 January and 1 February 2024, in Al-Naama Center, Al-Mishtaya, Western Homs Countryside. 

Syrians Want Life...

A year has passed since the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, and the Syrians' wounds have not yet healed. A year has passed, carrying with it pain, tragedy, and a lot of sadness that the Syrian people are still passing through, and are suffering under the burden of difficult living conditions, especially with the unjust economic sanctions imposed on the country. One year after the earthquake and 13 years after the Syrian war, what is the circumstances of Syria today?

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

At the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and as 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), an Ecumenical Prayer Service was held on Sunday 28 January 2024, hosted by the All Saints Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church in Beirut. Hence, the video sheds light on this Service that brought together the Heads of the Middle East Churches and Believers in Prayer.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs which title is “A prayer for unity, or a prayer in unity?”. It was the speech that Dr. Abs delivered at the Prayer Service which was held on the occasion of the end of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, on Sunday 28 January 2024, hosted by the Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church of All Saints in Downtown Beirut.

The issue also includes details, photos, a video report and a video reel, about this Prayer Service which was held as part of the celebrations 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.

To gather, despite our diversity, in humility before the Cross of the Redeemer, in a church different from ours, reciting common prayers together, distributing their stages, this is something we cannot call anything other than unity!

Diversity is not a division, differentiation is not a division, uniqueness is not a division, and renewal is not a division. The division occurs when we deny the incarnation of the Word, and when we deny the Redeemer’s wounds and his blood that was shed for the New Testament, and his resurrection with which he gave new life to humankind.

We are one, no matter what they say, no matter our differences, and even our disputes. If we were not one, there would be no disagreement or conflict. If we had not disagreed, we would have been in a state of indifference towards the message of salvation, and this message would not have spread to all corners of the earth and pervaded the globe.

Once you believed in Him, you are one with all the children of the faith, because He said, “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21)

No one should think that unity requires complete dissolution between components, or cloning from one component to another. This is contrary to human nature and the structure of societies. Unity is maintaining aspirations even if the means differ.

For fifty years, the Church of Christ has been meeting, praying, glorifying the Creator, and restoring the Redeemer’s message in all its dimensions, divine and human. Isn't this a unit?

Sunday 11 February 2024, at 8:30 pm Beirut Time

Watch the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs in an episode of the program “I Came to Serve,” prepared and presented by Father Elias Karam, on Télé Lumière and Noursat, on Sunday 11 February 2024, at 8:30 pm Beirut Time.

During the episode, Professor Dr. Abs will highlight the mission of the Middle East Council of Churches and the activities that will be held on the occasion of the Fiftieth Year of its Founding. He will also talk about the issue of Christian unity, in addition to the Ecumenical Musical event “Beirut 2024,” which was held at the Forum de Beirut on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the MECC Fiftieth Jubilee. In addition, Professor Dr. Michel Abs will speak about the Church’s role regarding the environmental issue, as well as the MECC work in dealing with crises and the importance of the seminars it holds monthly.

At the Invitation of the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue His Eminence Bishop Mathias Charles Mrad

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Will Deliver a Speech

On the occasion of the International Day of Human Fraternity, the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue His Eminence Bishop Mar Mathias Charles Mrad has the honor to invite you to participate in a gathering on “Human Fraternity, Journey and Participation”. During the gathering, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs will deliver a speech. It will be held on Saturday 3 February 2024, at the Islamic Cultural Center – the Two Imam Al Hussein Compound - Al-Zahraa Hall - Haret Hreik, Lebanon.

As the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) prepares to celebrate its 100th jubilee, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the UAECNE, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon and MECC President for the Evangelical Family, addresses a special word on the occasion for the Middle East Council of Churches website. You can watch and listen to it via the video. 

In an Exclusive Interview with Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian: we will celebrate one hundred years of Prayer, service, Evangelism, social service, and educational service, and Church service, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ

With great faith and deep hope, the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) is entering a new and bright era in its history. After the Armenian Evangelical Churches witnessed the dawn of a new epoch with the founding of the Union, the UAECNE is celebrating its hundredth jubilee this year. One hundred years crowned with testimony, Prayer, and work in the field of the Lord... one hundred years in which the Union looks forward to a brighter future with the grace and blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In celebration of this jubilee, the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East prepared a special and new logo, and chose the slogan of “The Lord’s Prayer” in all the programs and activities that it will implement this year. Therefore, it will consolidate the Christian faith in the Father who is in the Heavens and His Holy Name, and enhance the spiritual awareness of the One God Almighty.

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.

At the end of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2024, the Heads of Churches and Believers in Lebanon unite in Christian unity in spirit and Prayer, from the All Saints Evangelical Anglican Episcopal Church in Beirut, on Sunday 28 January 2024.

An Ecumenical Prayer Service in the Presence of the Heads of Churches in the Middle East

In the Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church of All Saints in Beirut

With a lot of hope, the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” ended with a Prayer Service held on Sunday 28 January 2024, hosted by the Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church of All Saints in Downtown Beirut. It was part of the celebrations 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). 

Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches in Cooperation with the Gulf Churches Fellowship, the Anglican Alliance, Kerk in Actie, Al Amana Center and Al Sabeel Center

The Middle East Council of Churches, in cooperation with the Gulf Churches Fellowship, the Anglican Alliance, Kerk in Actie, Al Amana Center and Al Sabeel Center, held a workshop on “Migration through the Middle East, a Vision for Reflection and Action for the Churches”, with the active participation of 25 participants. It took place between 24 and 26 January 2024, in Jebel Ali - Dubai, following the annual meeting of the Gulf Churches Fellowship.

The workshop focused on exploring the role of the Church and identifying strategies to assist migrants. During the workshop, the participants exchanged theological, practical, and relief perspectives and experiences on various issues related to social justice, Churches’ embrace of migrants, the repercussions of migration on Churches, and the importance of rooting in the land...

JERUSALEM - From Saturday, January 2nd till Sunday, January 28th, 2024, the Churches of Jerusalem welcomed faithful and religious people from other traditions for a time of prayer together. This week is always an opportunity to seek out what brings Christians together, while appreciating their diversity, and their historical and cultural specificities, which are deeply rooted in the Holy Land, where, unlike any other place in the world, almost all the Churches are present.

"You shall love the Lord, your God, ..., and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27) was the theme for 2024, prepared by members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, the Protestant Churches and the Chemin Neuf Community of Burkina Faso, a Sahelian country also in the grip of a very serious security crisis, where Christians, representing less than 30% of the population, are regularly the target of attacks and kidnappings.

In Jerusalem, in union with all the Churches of the world, a prayer for Peace was above all raised, so that each person may see his neighbor as a brother to love and find a loving brother in his neighbor. There was also unanimous thanksgiving and tribute for the testimonies of faith, hope, and charity that Christians continue to give in the face of adversity, particularly in Gaza.

With the escalation of wars and conflicts in the world and the Middle East, the Lebanese people are suffering from economic, social and health crises... which are casting a shadow over the country. Therefore, many citizens are facing daily challenges, especially since many of them live alone without a source of income or support to help them secure their basic needs.

For its part, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is seeking, since its founding, to heal the wounds of the neediest and affected people due to the difficult living conditions through humanitarian programs that it implements during the year. In this context, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, recently distributed new multipurpose cash assistance to 975 Households which included female-headed households and elderly who are living alone and who do not have anyone to turn to.

The Monthly Webinar Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: It is useful to provide decent housing from the inside and place it in a destroyed, polluted, and neglected environment, where public life is miserable

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) pursues its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar entitled “Adequate Housing and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 25 January 2024, with the participation of specialists, academicians, universities’ students and interested attendees 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 webinar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page, included two interventions, moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh who presented in his opening speech a definition of adequate housing, stressing the need to respect human dignity and provide privacy and security, noting that safe housing is a basic human right recognized by the United Nations. He added that when families grow in decent housing, societies will flourish.

The webinar began with a speech delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, in which he talked about the model home and the dangers to which housing is exposed to, and said, “The housing must be sufficient for the size of the family, has the conditions of comfort, and even luxury, preserve the privacy of the family, and allow the privacy for all the family members, and must be healthy, free of starch and moisture, and has all the basic service elements related to health, hygiene and prevention...”

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the article of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs which title is “Talking to the Lord for the sake of humankind”. Dr. Abs delivered most of this article at the opening of the Ecumenical Musical Event “Beirut 2024” which was held on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth Year of the MECC Founding, on Saturday 20 January 2024, at the Forum de Beirut.

You can also find the press release of this Ecumenical event, as well as a video including interviews with the presidents of the Middle East Council of Churches, Church leaders in the region, and the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. As well as, the issue presents reports, videos and photos highlighting this event.

In addition, the issue includes 2 episodes with the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs on Télé Lumière and Noursat, and Suboro TV, during which he talked about the Fiftieth Year of the MECC Founding, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and the Ecumenical Musical event “Beirut 2024”.