MECC Holds Its Annual Meeting with Its International and Regional Partners:
Together In an Ecumenical Journey
Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian: Our partners have accompanied the MECC quite closely and they still do, and we are blessed by a global partnership
Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs: MECC has been a tool of paradigm change in the area, among the churches and in society, and shall continue to be so
Click Here to Check All the Photos.
Under the title “Partners Ongoing Accompaniment of MECC in the Ecumenical Journey”, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), headed by the Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs, held its annual meeting with the MECC partners from international and regional organizations and institutions, on Thursday, February 6, 2025. It aimed at presenting the achievements made by the Council, as well as the upcoming entitlements, in addition to exchanging opinions and experiences in order to develop the work mechanisms and achieve the desired goals, working together towards a more effective future partnership.
The meeting was attended online by representatives of various organizations and institutions partnering with the Middle East Council of Churches from around the world, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family, and Members of the MECC Executive Committee, as well as Directors and Coordinators of the Council’s departments and the team work in person from the MECC headquarters in Beirut.
The meeting began with an opening speech delivered by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, in which he said: “With the MECC 50th anniversary behind us, we should think about MECC as a gift to us, to the wider Church, to inter Church and extra Church communities. We also realize that the 50 years of the MECC, from 1974 and on, have gone parallel with so many turmoil and wars in the region.”
He also pointed out that “Still the Churches of our region in the Middle East continue to serve in whatever resources available to us, and we are today watching and praying regarding all the changes in our world… In the 50 years, the MECC has also seen closer fellowship amongst the Christians and it has seen dialogues with also non-Christians. We have witnessed through our work much relief and educational work plus Theological discussions and conferences.”
He added, “Our partners have accompanied the MECC quite closely and they still do and we are blessed by a global partnership. Having set this, we in the Middle East should remember that we are also partners with others in there, so we are not only a receiving group but we are to witness and minister to the rest of the people of God in the world as one Church and why not as one world we exist in.”
Following the Opening Prayer, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs delivered a speech in which he indicated that “MECC deserves and needs a long-term consolidation of its organizational structures and culture. Therefore, MECC should be dealt with, with a long-term perspective, aimed at the perennity of the institution and the staff and the root of its organizational culture.” He added, “MECC has been a tool of paradigm change in the area, among the churches and in society, and shall continue to be so.” He also said, “To achieve its missions, whether in the short or long term, the Council needs to work on two levels: internal integration and external adaptation.”
He continued, “MECC Proved to be historically an extremely successful organization in the social development field, diakonia, women, youth, refugees, and the similar, and despite the fact it dealt with many services outside social support, it still carries the image of support for development and fund channels. MECC is not just a funding pump; it is an organization that thinks, analyses, reflects on issues, and has an opinion about what is going on in society.”
Afterwards, Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb and Professor Dr. Leila Nicolas presented interventions about the political, economic and social circumstances that the Middle East is passing through, within the scope of the work of the Middle East Council of Churches, in addition to the repercussions of global crises and conflicts and their effects on the region, as well as the urgent needs and demands of its people who are witnessing difficult times.
Then, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs presented his report entitled “The Entrusted Talents Paradigm”, which included all the activities, programs and projects that were implemented, touching on the challenges that the Council faced in its work and the ways to confront them with great hope and deep faith. He also spoke about his vision for the coming period as well as the entitlements that are required in order to achieve the desired Ecumenical and humanitarian goals.
In the same context, the Directors and Coordinators of the departments and sections presented the future prospects for the work to be implemented on the Ecumenical, Theological, relief, humanitarian and media levels. They presented their reports that detailed the projects and developments of the Financial Department, the Theological and Ecumenical Department, the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME), the Diakonia and Social Service Department, the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugee, the Social Cohesion and Human Dignity Program, the Communication and Public Relations Department, the Human Resources Department, and the Procurement Department.
As for the second part of the meeting, the attendees discussed the role of partners amidst the new challenges facing the world and the Middle East, in addition to ways to enhance communication, cooperation and coordination with the Middle East Council of Churches for a more sustainable partnership.
In conclusion, some administrative issues were discussed, and the meeting ended with a Closing Prayer in the hope of meeting soon.