Professor Dr. Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

When the Lord entrusted His Church to His disciples, along with this commandment, which remains active to this day, He was fully aware that the salvific message would spread throughout the world, transcending political, cultural, and social boundaries. It would attract anyone who longs for salvation through knowledge, freedom, and human feelings, and it would pose a challenge to those unwilling to accept it.

We are all familiar with the history of the spreading of Christianity, its mechanisms, obstacles, and challenges. Humanity still bears witness to the uniqueness of the Christian martyrdom in human history: from the stoning in Jerusalem after the Lord’s Ascension, to throwing Christians to the wild beasts, torturing them in all sorts of ways, mass killings in our region and around the world, and culminating today in what we see in Africa, which is rising from centuries of occupation, persecution, and slavery.

The purest form of testimony is the testimony of the blood. Martyrdom!

When the Church expands into new places—such as Africa or the Far East—amid peoples and civilizations once unimaginable to embrace the salvific message, given their deep attachment to their ancient religions - some of which we cannot deny have forms of refinement and beauty, and in an era marked by the arrogance of modern man, this cannot be classified as anything but a divine blessing…

Professeur Dr. Michel Abs

Secrétaire Général du Conseil des Églises du Moyen-Orient (CEMO-MECC)

« Allez donc, faites de toutes les nations des disciples, les baptisant au nom du Père et du Fils et du Saint-Esprit. » (Matthieu 28,19)

Lorsque le Seigneur a confié Son Église à Ses disciples, accompagnée de ce commandement, qui demeure valable jusqu’à aujourd’hui, Il était parfaitement conscient que le message salvateur se répandrait sur toute la terre, franchissant les frontières politiques, culturelles et sociales. Il attirerait quiconque aspire au salut par la connaissance, la liberté et les sentiments humains, et constituerait un défi pour ceux qui ne sont pas prêts à l’accueillir.

Nous connaissons tous l’histoire de l’expansion chrétienne, ses mécanismes, ses obstacles et ses défis. L’humanité témoigne encore de l’exceptionnalité du témoignage chrétien dans l’histoire : depuis la lapidation à Jérusalem au lendemain de l’Ascension, au fait de livrer les croyants aux bêtes sauvages, aux tortures de toutes sortes, aux massacres collectifs pratiqués dans notre région comme ailleurs, et qui atteignent un point culminant aujourd’hui en Afrique, sortie de siècles d’occupation, de persécutions et d’esclavage.

Le plus noble des témoignages est celui du sang. Le martyre !

Que l’Église se propage dans de nouveaux lieux, comme l’Afrique ou l’Extrême-Orient, parmi des peuples et des civilisations qu’on n’aurait jamais imaginé embrasser le message du salut, compte tenu de leur profond attachement à leurs religions anciennes, dont nous ne pouvons nier certains aspects raffinés et beaux, et cela à une époque où prévaut l’arrogance de l’homme moderne, cela ne peut être considéré que comme une bénédiction divine…

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of February 2025. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical Feasts of the various Families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission.

Details in this Report!

A report that sheds light on the workshop organized by the Diakonia and Social Service Department – Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in partnership with the TearFund organization, entitled "Connecting Hearts and Minds", with the participation of a group of workers in the humanitarian and social fields from different Church Families and Lebanese regions, on 23 to 25 January 2025.

A Workshop on Psychosocial Support in Lebanon with the Middle East Council of Churches and Tearfund

The Diakonia and Social Service Department – Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in partnership with the TearFund organization, organized a workshop entitled "Connecting Hearts and Minds", with the participation of a group of workers in the humanitarian and social fields from different Church Families and Lebanese regions, on 23 to 25 January 2025, at the Padova Hotel - Sin El Fil, Beirut.

This workshop aimed to train participants on ways to manage feelings and behaviors in order to work together to overcome all challenges and difficulties, in addition to enhancing their psychological health and developing their counseling abilities in order to enable them to take care of themselves in correct and sound ways, especially in times of crises, hardship and wars. As well as, the course helped the participants, through various tips and advice, to transfer these acquired experiences and information to the children of their Parishes and communities so that they could in turn overcome all the difficult circumstances they might face.

This report sheds light on the meeting that was held between 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, and the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, at the head of a delegation including colleagues from the MECC General Secretariat, on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at the Patriarchate in Balamand, Lebanon.

Held in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from January 23 to 24, 2025

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in cooperation with the United Church of Canada, organized a consultative seminar entitled "Dismantling the Authority of Decision or Participation in the Authority of Decision", with the aim of discussing the mechanism of the new partnership relationship between the United Church of Canada and its partners in the world, including its partners in the Middle East, such as the Middle East Council of Churches, in order to give partners more future freedom to choose their humanitarian and development needs and have their direct management to the programs supported by the United Church of Canada.

This initiative comes in response to the new strategic goals of the United Church of Canada on the topic of abandoning the authority of choice and decision that Church institutions in the West have been accustomed to following for many years in the past, which contradicts the spiritual and moral concept of respecting the needs of others without imposing specific goals or strategies that do not achieve the partners' goals and actual needs.

The consultation session was attended by the United Church of Canada partners in the Middle East from Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, along with some ACT Alliance members present in Jordan and abroad, either in person or via Zoom.

A report that sheds light on the Prayer that was held on the occasion of the closing of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" 2025, entitled “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut, hosted by 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, with the participation of the Heads of the Churches, and the presence of the MECC Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs.

The Closing Prayer was held under the title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), on Saturday 25 January 2025, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut.

The Closing Prayer was held under the title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), on Saturday 25 January 2025, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut.

You can find in the video the word delivered by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, during the closing Prayer of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", which was held on Saturday 25 January 2025, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut.

You can find in the video the word delivered by 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, during the closing Prayer of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", which was held on Saturday 25 January 2025, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut.

With the blessing and presence of 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, the UAECNE hosted an Ecumenical Prayer Service on the occasion of the ending of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" 2025 entitled “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), in celebration of the conclusion of the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the announcement of the launch of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church - Kantari, Beirut.

With the completion of the achievements for the year 2024 and preparation for the entitlements in the new year, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, held a general meeting for the MECC General Secretariat team, entitled progress and success in International forums. The meeting was held on the occasion of the election of the MECC candidate Eng. Samer Laham, Director of the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, as a member of the new Governing Board of the International ACT Alliance.

Noting that the elections of the new Governing Board took place at the 4th General Assembly of ACT, which was held in Yogyakarta - Indonesia, under the theme "Hope in Action, Together for Justice," between October 28 and November 1, 2024.

During the MECC General Secretariat meeting, which was held on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at the Council's headquarters in Beirut, the Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs addressed a congratulatory word to Mr. Samer, praising his distinguished competencies and capabilities, thanking him for his efforts and contributions in the Ecclesiastical and humanitarian fields. He also emphasized the credibility of the Middle East Council of Churches internationally and the quality of the humanitarian services it provides with the support of the "ACT Alliance".

In the video, you can find the word delivered by His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), during the Prayer Service held on the occasion of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025, at Our Lady of the Dormition Church, Aadbel Akkar - Lebanon.

In the video, you can find the word delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Basilios Mansour, Greek Orthodox Bishop of Akkar and Dependencies, during the Prayer Service held on the occasion of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025, at Our Lady of the Dormition Church, Aadbel Akkar - Lebanon.

What Are Its Details?

This report sheds light on the health and psychological awareness sessions for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers implemented by the Diakonia and Social Service Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Syria’s Office, in three governorates which are Damascus and its Countryside, Aleppo and Daraa.