On the occasion of Christmas in the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of the Platform of the Word and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC, Lea Maamary, visited the Director of Radio Voice of Van Mr. Viken Avakian, congratulating him on Christmas and the New Year, and thanking him for the media space that the Radio provided to her in order to spread the message of love, convergence and humanity. She also noted the cooperation between MECC and the media, including Radio Voice of Van.

In his turn, Mr. Viken Awakian thanked the Journalist Lea Maamary, for her efforts and the success of the “Initiatives” program that people await weekly, looking forward to further media cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the good of the Church and the society.

The Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of the Platform of the Word, and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, was chosen among the fifty best people in the world for the year 2024 in recognition of her pioneering and distinguished role in the humanitarian, social, cultural, and media sectors.

A Special Episode for the New Year on Mariam TV, Prepared and Presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary

"New Dawn", a special episode for the New Year on Mariam TV, prepared and presented by the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of “The Platform of the Word” and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary.

The episode includes interviews with the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECc) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, and with international Ecumenical Leaders, in addition to interventions by colleagues in the MECC General Secretariat, as well as special interviews made by the MECC media team.

At the Invitation of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and the Episcopal Committee for Ecumencial Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL)

You can click on the following link to participate online via zoom: https://shorturl.at/Ivaoz.

The program "Dawn from the East" produced by "The Platform of the Word" at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel!

Watch with us the second episode, on Friday, January 3, 2025, at 1:00 pm Beirut time.

“Dawn from the East”, a program that addresses the youth, their concerns and aspirations, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that our countries are passing through. It also highlights their various activities and humanitarian initiatives during Christmas.

You can find (in Arabic) the program of the Celebrations of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025 in Lebanon.

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in Arabic

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in English

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios Al Soury, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek and their Dependencies, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), was the guest of the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of "The Platform of the Word", and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC, in a special episode within her program "Initiatives" on Radio Voice of Van.

the Journalist Lea Maamary - Amchit

Coinciding with Christmas and the New Year, Father Charbel Al Khoury, the Priest of the Parish of Our Lady - Amchit, honored the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of the Platform of the Word and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Journalist Lea Maamary, with a special honor shield in appreciation of her unlimited humanitarian and media contributions.

The honoring of the Journalist Lea Maamary came during the Christmas celebration held at the Parish of Our Lady - Amchit.

The program "Dawn from the East" produced by "The Platform of the Word" at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), will be broadcasted on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel!

Stay tuned for the first episode, on Monday, December 30, 2024, at 1:00 pm Beirut time.

“Dawn from the East”, a program that addresses the youth, their concerns and aspirations, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that our countries are passing through. It also highlights their various activities and humanitarian initiatives during Christmas.

Christmas 2024 Edition

"O Child of the Cave"

Around Your cradle, nations gather, extolling Your Incarnation
as the beginning of Your salvific mission,
From the ends of Babylon, the Magi came to the coastline of Phenicia-Canaan to bow before Your humble throne,
The universe announced Your coming, heralding a new covenant for humanity,
Heaven and earth rejoiced at Your dwelling among us,
guiding humankind toward liberation,

O King of Glory,
By Your birth, You honored the children of the world,
and granted the act of birth a sanctity beyond human comprehension,
O Manifestation of Light,
From this humble cave, You sent forth a ray of brightness that illuminates human life.
O Epitome of Truth,
Your Mother’s Annunciation, Your Incarnation, and Your Birth
were preludes to betrayal, followed by the Crucifixion and then the Resurrection, the act of redemption,
so that all things might be fulfilled…

Health, peace and security... This is what our colleagues in the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Office in Syria wished for, raising their prayers to God, the God of justice and peace, and looking forward to blessed seasons of hope.

From the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs and the MECC team, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs was a guest in an exclusive media interview on the Russian Sputnik Radio Channel, on Sunday, December 22, 2024. The episode included many topics related to the existential circumstances, as well as his message in the Christmas season, in addition to the calendar of work of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

You may find some excerpts from the episode in the video, and you may click here to watch the full episode.

A Meditation Produced by the Middle East Council of Churches

Produced by the Middle East Council of Churches

Professor Dr. Michel Abs

Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Before the doorway of the altar of the King of Glory stood His Beatitude John X, Thirteenth among the holy apostles, to speak words suited to both the place and the time, at this era of great transformations through which the Antiochian Levant is passing.

The Patriarch addresses history, and the first people he speaks to are his own: the people of the Levant, all the people of Syria, whose population is experiencing some of the most dangerous changes in its modern history.

He recalls the roots; he says to near and far alike: “We Christians are from the soil of Syria and from the cedars of Lebanon; from the majesty of Qasioun Mountain, the expansiveness of Homs, the legacy of Aleppo, the waterwheels of Hama, and the gushing springs of Idlib, from the sea of Latakia and the Euphrates of Deir ez-Zor.” His Beatitude affirms that we hail from the very essence of this land and its foundational civilizations, adding, “We are not guests in this land, nor did we come to this land today or yesterday. We are from the ancient roots of Syria and as old as the jasmine of Damascus.” He also emphasizes the universality of our mission by saying, “We are from Apostolic Antioch, from this land that has adorned the world with the name of Jesus Christ.”, for the holy apostles fulfilled the Lord’s command: “Go forth, preach to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Holy Trinity,” starting from the hills of al-Sham and the coasts of Phoenicia-Canaan to all the world.

For Her Humanitarian and Media Excellence

Amidst a distinguished presence of media and social personalities, the Heart of Giving Association, Masaya TV, and a number of media outlets in the Arab world honored the Director of the Platform of the Word and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Lea Maamary. She was chosen as the Personality of the Year 2024 due to her excellence and superiority in the humanitarian and media fields.

In her heartfelt speech, the Journalist Lea Maamary thanked the President of the Heart of Giving Association Mrs. Raifa Al-Daouk, and the media outlets who made the honorary initiative, and considered: "This honor is dedicated to everyone who believes in the humanitarian and media message,” stressing that she considers the “media an issue for her that she has carried for more than 18 years and through which she has established the principles of humanity, mercy, and limitless giving."

The Journalist Lea Maamary received another honorary certificate from the Council of Ambassadors of the Board in Europe in appreciation of her contributions and excellence.