The Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East Holds a Seminar About the Ecumenical Path
The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Delivers a Lecture:
The cross of humankind is huge, and Christ is still carrying it on the path to Calvary, so either we will be together, carrying the cross with him, or we will remain divided, let him down, and leave him carrying it alone
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
As part of the activities of the 77th General Assembly of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), which was held on the occasion of the Centenary of the UAECNE under the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” a seminar entitled “Our Ecumenical Path” was held on Monday 1 July 2024, at the Armenian Evangelical Church in the Achrafieh region – Lebanon.
The seminar was moderated by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. Speakers were the President of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the United States of America Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, the General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, the President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) Reverend Najla Kassab, and the Secretary General of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches Mrs. Rosangela Jarjour.
In his speech, Dr. Michel Abs highlighted his ecumenical experience, as well as the experience of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in the ecumenical work, and also said “Ecumenism is a great challenge, too great for closed minds who fear openness and freedom. If you are truly a Christian, you have no choice but to be ecumenical! But ecumenism is not an automatic, artificial process. It is a logic, a mental structure, and a vision of life that we gradually adopt and to which we are trained, until it becomes part of our very being, making us deal spontaneously with situations that pose a challenge to us in our faith affiliation.”
He added “Ecumenism is for us to work together, and from here the MECC is defined as a place of Christian togetherness, where all meet around the incarnate Lord, in the service of those for whom he came. Therefore, our work is to be performed in love and without discrimination. This makes us messengers of justice that leads to peace. This is how we become ecumenical and achieve Christian unity.”
Dr. Abs ended, " At the end of my intervention, I must summarize the whole issue of ecumenism by telling you that the cross of humankind is huge, and Christ is still carrying it on the path to Calvary, so either we will be together, carrying the cross with him, or we will remain divided, let him down, and leave him carrying it alone. The choice is ours.”
At the end of the seminar, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian offered honorary medals as a token of love and appreciation to Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, Dr. Michel Abs, Reverend Najla Kassab, and Mrs. Rosangela Jarjour.
