The 12th MECC General Assembly Next May
A Workshop on Media and Advocacy, the Preparations Begun!
With great hope, the Middle East Council of Churches General Secretariat, continues its preparations for its 12th General Assembly of the Council under the title “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), between May 16 and 20, 2022, hosted by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, in Egypt. Given the importance of the media's role in shedding the light on Christian reality in the East and serving mankind, the General Assembly has included in its activities a workshop on Christian Media in the Middle East.
Preparing for the workshop, the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches has contacted specialists in the field of Ecclesiastical media from different Ecclesiastical families and countries in the Middle East. They were asked to form an advisory committee to prepare a working paper to be presented during the workshop. The first introductory meeting was held online on Friday February 25, 2022. Participants were Patriarchal Secretary and Director of the Communication Department of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East H.E Bishop Joseph Bali, Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media Father Rifaat Badr, Specialist in Ecclesiastical media and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Star of the East magazine issued by the Chaldean Patriarchate in Iraq Father Albert Hisham, Director of Programs Department at Télé Lumière and Noursat Mrs. Marie Therese Kreidy, Director of the Communication and Public Relations Department at the Antiochian Orthodox Media Center Mrs. Nancy Najjar Haidar, and finally, Director of the Communication and Public Relations Department in the Middle East Council of Churches Mrs. Huguette Salameh.
During the meeting, participants discussed the important role of Christian media in advocacy, building bridges between churches, and spreading the Christian message. They stressed on the need to strengthen the Ecumenical spirit through media, while relying on cooperation and coordination as their key tools.
Participants also stressed on the need to interact with the youth by accompanying them through social media for example, as it has become necessary to work on some material that would speak to them.
Participants finally decided to hold a second meeting to follow up on the work and insure the success of the media workshop, thus achieving positive change in our societies.