MECC Accompanies a Group of Priests and Lay People Spiritually and Psychologically

After the forced hiatus due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches resumed the “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” program, and implemented a new training in Amman entitled “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6: 31). This training was dedicated to a group of 16 participants, which included Priests from different Churches, and lay people working in different pastoral sectors or social services. They came from Amman and other regions of the Kingdom, as well as from the West Bank in Palestine, the Holy Land and the Gaza Strip. The sessions took place between 19 and 23 June 2022, at the Rosary Sisters Visitation Home in Amman, and were organized by the program coordinator Sister Emilie Tannous.

And the Middle East Council of Churches Listens to Their Point of Views

In the context of the MECC belief in the importance of the youth role and within the framework of the youth consultation project on the issue of Christian presence in the Middle East, the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department which is organizing this project, held a meeting in Amman gathering a group of young women and men representing different Churches in Jordan. This consultation was done in cooperation with the World Christian Student Federation in the Middle East, on Friday 17 June 2022, at the headquarters of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra, Philadelphia and All Transjordan.

The first session began by celebraring the Prayer for Christian Unity, presided over by His Eminence Bishop Joseph Jbara, Archbishop of the Archeparchy. It also included a brief presentation on the MECC mission and its most important programs, as well as an explanation of the meeting’s topic and objectives.

Cambridge, UK

Bible Society Lebanon (Syria & Iraq) in partnership with the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) and in collaboration with St Mellitus College, the Cambridge Center for Christianity Worldwide and the Middle East Council of Churches organized the second inter-confessional, ecumenical dialogue conference among church leaders entitled “The Magi Initiative: East ⇆ West”.

After more than two years of the first Magi conference that took place on October 10-12, 2019 in Beirut (in the East), and after the long phase of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the second conference was hosted in Cambridge, England on May 12-14, 2022 (in the West).

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches issues its annual report for the year 2021 under the title of "Against Wind and Waves: Challenging the Challenges". The report presents the MECC activities and the achievements it has accomplished at various ecumenical, theological and humanitarian levels.

Noting that international challenges and fluctuations occurred during 2021 and cast their shadows on the wounded Middle East, which was affected by the repercussions of these global and regional developments.

Standing Together Towards a More Sustainable Partnership

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches held its annual meeting with its international and regional partner organizations and institutions, online, on Thursday, March 24, 2022. The meeting aimed at exchanging point of views and experiences in order to develop the MECC role and to ameliorate the work mechanisms in order to achieve the desired goals, and work together for a more effective future partnership.

A New Afforestation Campaign with the Middle East Council of Churches

Since the Middle East Council of Churches launched the international campaign “Season of Creation” for the first time in the region in September 2021, the Council’s was keen to promote environmental awareness and culture through its various projects. Therefore, MECC continued its environmental activity, especially with youth, and in partnership with Danmission organization and with its support. A new afforestation campaign was hence organized in the Lebanese town of Monteverde, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

Weekly Prayer Towards the Feasts of Feasts

In preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the family of the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches is uniting in weekly ecumenical vigils at the Council’s headquarters in Beirut. So the team members pass together the blessed season of Lent, which is one of the holiest periods awaited annually, raising their prayers with one humbled heart, praying to God the Father.

Under the slogan of “I am the light of the world”, Egypt will be launching the days of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2022 during many celebrations that will start on Thursday 3 March 2022 and end on Saturday 12 March 2022, organized by the Egypt Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches. Noting that MECC chose the theme of the Week of Prayer for this year “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage” (Matthew 2:2) and prepared its international booklet of prayers.

“Listen to the Voice of Creation”

In response to the call of creation groaning due to human violations, the ecumenical family around the world is preparing to celebrate once again the annual season of creation, which has been launched this year in an online international event held today by the organization of the Laudato Si’ Movement, in the presence of leaders of the different Ecumenical Churches and the participation of Christians concerned by this global issue.

The Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) held, on Tuesday morning, February 22, 2022, an online meeting that gathered the deans of the faculties and institutes and their representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. It was attended by members of the Executive Secretariat and the Director of the MECC theological and Ecumenical Department Father Antoine Al Ahmar.

The meeting was presided by the President of the Association, and Dean of the Faculty of Religious and Theological Sciences at Université La Sagesse in Beirut Father Tanios Khalil, and moderated by Father Dr. Mikhael Kanbar, ATIME Executive Secretary.

Many thanks to H.H Pope Tawadros II for hosting the next General Assembly

We must work together to contain the post-Coronavirus poverty, unemployment and crises

On Friday, February 11, 2022, the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches held an online meeting in compliance with the ongoing preventive measures during the Corona pandemic. Members of the Committee from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Cyprus, and Lebanon attended the meeting.

The meeting was presided by the heads of the Church families of the Council: President of the Council for the Eastern Orthodox family His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, President of the Council for the Greek Orthodox family His Beatitude Patriarch John X, President of the Council for the Catholic family His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako, President of the Council for the Evangelical family Reverend Dr. Habib Badr. Other participants were members of the Executive Committee, the General Secretariat team, and the invitees of Secretary General Dr. Michel E. Abs.

“How lovely it is to get together in love our Lord teaches us, When two meet in my name together I will always be in between their gather” (from the “How Lovely” hymn).

On the occasion of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2022, the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches united in prayer, at the invitation of the team of the World Ecumenical Center in Geneva.

On the occasion of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2022, Télé Lumière and Noursat prepared in cooperation with the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department and Communication and Public Relations Department a special episode focusing on the meanings and importance of the week of Prayer, as well as the aspects and symbolism of Christian unity, especially amidst the difficult circumstances that Christians are going through in the East and the world.