An Ecumenical Musical Event from Beirut to the Whole World

What Are Its Goals and Characteristics?

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The Middle East Council of Churches

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He who has made known to us the mystery of his will, To be realized when the times reach their fulfilment, Bringing unity to all things in heaven and on Earth under Christ; Let us praise His glory… (Ep 1). With these Biblical Verses, Lebanon and the Middle East are saving the date for an Ecumenical musical event entitled “Beirut 2024”... an event that embodies the words of Saint Paul the Apostle at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians, where he indicates that praising the glory of God is the goal of the unity that has been granted to us in the fullness of time by Christ Jesus.

This event will be held on Saturday 20 January 2024, at the Forum de Beirut, on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth Year of the founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). Hence, “Beirut 2024” constitutes a spiritual meeting that brings together various Church Families in order to glorify and praise God the Creator and witness the work of the Holy Spirit through music, hymns, and meeting together.

In fact, this event comes at a time when the world is experiencing a wave of separation, hate speech, and a lack of humility in many cases... It confirms, with the power of the Holy Spirit, that whenever believers gather to sing with one voice, the bond of love grows within them, and they declare that they are “perfectly united in mind and thought” (1Co 1, 10).

The invitation is public and you can reserve your tickets for free on Ticketingboxoffice.com.

So what are the goals of this event? How did its idea start? Who is the Ecumenical Choir and what will the program include?

Richness in Diversity

From Beirut to all the world, hymns, praises and Prayers will be raised to our Lord Jesus Christ, hoping for a unity that has been desired and awaited for decades. The idea of the Ecumenical musical event “Beirut 2024” lies in the belief that the belief that the Holy Spirit, which God pours into every Church, His work is particularly evident in the melodies and hymns that believers sing together in liturgical celebrations, which throughout the ages have formed musical traditions that are diverse in their richness and rich in their diversity. Is there anything more profound than for one Ecumenical choir to sing all these hymns from various Church traditions and share them with the faithful attendees!?

In this context, this event is held to consummates the other efforts included in the Ecumenical movement, such as spiritual meetings, theological dialogues, and participation in various types of service. Usually, the work for unity and walking together is embodied at different levels, but praising the Lord Jesus also takes us to the pinnacle of unity and martyrdom.

Unity in Prayer and MECC Jubilee

The date of this Ecumenical musical event carries a special significance as it is held in celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This international Christian tradition, which extends between 18 and 25 January every year, forms a station for Prayer and contemplation in which Christians gather to pray through a unified international booklet issued by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches, and translated into Arabic by the Middle East Council of Churches to the whole world.

The idea of “Beirut 2024” also received the benediction of the Church leaders in Lebanon, and was adopted by the Middle East Council of Churches to mark the launching of the Fiftieth Jubilee Year of its Founding (1974-2024), which is under the theme of the Pentecost: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Ac 2, 1). In this context, MECC decided to include this Ecumenical musical event as part of the activities of the Jubilee Year of its Founding, supervise its organization, and extend invitations to it. Hence, the gathering of believers around their leaders, specifically during the Week of prayer for Christian unity, will present a picture of the early Church after Pentecost.

Ecumenical Experience

The Ecumenical choir project was launched by Mr. Mark Merhej under the guidance of Bishop Antoine Bou Najem, Maronite Bishop of Antelias in Lebanon. The preparation for the event began in April 2021, when a mini-committee was formed to undertake the necessary tasks for the project. The inaugural preliminary meeting for the project’s work was held under the auspices of the Bishopric at the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Saint Elias in Lebanon on 24 January 2023, after which a spiritual gathering with the attendance of Church Pastors was held on 30 May 2023, coinciding with the Feast of Pentecost.

As for the rehearsals, it began on 18 April 2023, and continued over a year of practices and preparations until today. The attendees will witness an event that brings together all Church families in the presence of the Heads of Churches and all beleivers, so that the body of the Church will be present to sing and praise together and experience the spiritual richness that distinguishes all Churches.

One Ecumenical Choir

The ecumenical choir includes more than 250 singers, accompanied by about 50 musicians from the symphony orchestra. What distinguishes it is the diversity that brings together singers and musicians who belong to various Church Families and Lebanese regions. They are clergy, consecrated and laic people, from several age groups between 15 and 75 years old. In fact, this choir reflects the reality of the body of the Church and an image of the unity that the Lord Jesus Christ ask for, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

During the rehearsals period, the choir lived a spiritual experience that strengthened their faith and their determination to work for unity, as well as an experience that bridged the distances between them, as they affirmed together the love that unites them as children of Jesus Christ. In the program, the Ecumenical choir will present many hymns and melodies selected from various Liturgical traditions in more than 12 languages. The choir will also be at the service of the participating believers, so that they in turn raise their praises to God with one heart and a contrite spirit.

Therefore, we meet in “Beirut 2024”, an ecumenical musical event that will bring about 10,000 people to pray together with the grace of the Holy Spirit for the intention of unity and peace in the Middle East and the world.