Momentum, the Weekly Newsletter from the Middle East Council of Churches

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 weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, entitled “Land of Martyrs and Saints”, in which he talked about the caravan of martyrs and saints that will not end; its record is open from eternity and forever. He also mentioned the consecration of the Saints Father Nicolas Khasha and his son, Father Habib Khasha, the Damascenes, in the Orthodox Church of Antioch, and the canonization of Patriarch Estephan Douaihy, in the Syriac Maronite Church. As well as, Dr. Abs talked about the martyrs of the war taking place in the Land of God, Palestine, and particularly Gaza.

The issue also presents details about the Prayer which was presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, on the occasion of declaring the Canonization of the Martyred Fathers and Priests Nicolas and his son Habib Khasha of Damascus, with the participation of Their Eminences the Metropolitans, Members of the Holy Synod of Antioch, and Their Eminences the Bishops, on Saturday 21 October 2023, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon. This Prayer was held in the presence of Priests, Deacons, Monks and Nuns, and believers from various Dioceses of the Antiochian See. The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs also attended the Prayer.

In the issue, The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is honored to invite you to participate in its new monthly webinar entitled “Violence Against Children and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 October 2023, at 7 pm. You can participate in the webinar via the following Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84569564004 and live on the MECC Facebook page. The webinar, which includes three interventions, begins with an opening speech by its moderator Dr. Chawki Attieh, and will be followed by a speech that will be delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs.

You can also find the statement issued by MECC about the war of extermination against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

As well as, the issue includes two interviews with the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. The first interview was on Al Jazeera TV, in which he highlighted the situations in Gaza and the repercussions of the bombing that occurred on the Church of Saint Porphyrios. The second interview was on Télé Lumière and Noursat, in which Dr. Abs talked about the statement issued by MECC after the events in Gaza and the difficult circumstances taking place in the Holy Land.

Following the painful events taking place in Gaza, especially after the bombing of Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital and one of the buildings affiliated with the Church of Saint Porphyrios, and located next to the church, you can find details about the Prayer for Gaza to which the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) called, on Friday 20 October 2023. Participants from the MECC headquarters in Beirut, the MECC General Secretariat’s team alongside the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. As well as, colleagues working in the MECC Offices in the countries of the region also joined the Prayer online with also participants from different Ecclesial Families.

Moreover, the issue includes a news about the letter that the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs received from the Director of the MECC Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), Central Office, Mr. Nader Abu Amsha, in which he described the situations after the bombarding of the Church of Saint Perphyrios in Gaza.

In addition, the issue presents a news about the new women empowerment and soft skills sessions implemented by the Middle East Council of Churches, Department of Diakonia and Social Service, Lebanon’s Office, during last September, with the aim of developing the capabilities of a group of participants and enhancing their personal skills, especially amid the daily pressures that surround them.

You can also find the 2022 Annual Report of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) entitled “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid" (Matthew 14: 27). The report compiles in its pages the MECC activities and the achievements it has accomplished at various Ecumenical, Theological and humanitarian levels.

Additionally, the issue presents the MECC Ecumenical Calendar for September 2023, Ecumenical reports, the weekly Prayer, videos, and news of the Middle Eastern Churches. As well as a socio-economic overview of the Middle East during August 2023 and the latest updates of the Coronavirus in the region.