This report presents an overview about the activities of the ACT Alliance General Assembly, which was held under the theme “Hope in Action, Together for Justice,” between October 28 and November 1, 2024, in the Yogyakarta region - Indonesia.

Photo: Albin Hillert/ACT

In the presence of ACT Alliance General Secretary Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria and the World Council of Churches General Secretary Reverend Professor Dr. Jerry Pillay, the General Assembly of ACT Alliance elected a new Governing Board. It includes representatives from different regions and continents around the world, among them Eng. Samer Laham, the nominee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Director of its Department of Diakonia and Social Service.

Photo: Albin Hillert/ACT

The issue of climate justice was the focus of many activities during the activities of the Youth Pre Assembly and the 4^th General Assembly of the global ACT Alliance in Indonesia, so what are the details?

This report presents some clarifications!

Photo: Albin Hillert/ACT

What Are Its Details?

Youth hopes for a better future. In this report, you can find an overview about the Youth Pre Assembly held by the international ACT Alliance in Yogyakarta - Indonesia, in addition to interviews with some of the participants who emphasized the bond of love that unites them.

Photo: Albin Hillert/ACT

The General Secretary of the International ACT Alliance Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria delivers a word via video on the occasion of the launching of “The Platform of the Word” at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in partnership with Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel.

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches Reverend Professor Dr. Jerry Pillay delivers a word via video on the occasion of the launching of “The Platform of the Word” at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in partnership with Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel.

Report: October 2024

The war in Gaza and Lebanon continues to drag on despite international condemnation of the occupier which continues to murder civilians. Unable to find a diplomatic solution to end the conflict the world braces for a prolonged conflict by mobilizing humanitarian aid to assist the displaced. Meanwhile regional players tighten their grip on the region by sending arms and related defensive equipment only to fuel the war and expanding it in scale and scope. Many are awaiting the outcome of the presidential election in the US hoping that either candidates will   fulfill their promises for peace once elected.

Ms. Caroline Haddad, Executive and Administrative Assisatnt for the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, during the inauguration of "The Platform of the Word"

Word of Dr. Marie-Thérèse Kreidy, Director of Programs at Télé Lumière and Noursat, Representing the TV, during the inauguration of "The Platform of the Word"

Word of the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Responsible of the Platform and Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), during the inauguration of "The Platform of the Word"

Word of Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of the Social Capital Rehabilitation Project at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), during the inauguration of "The Platform of the Word"

We meet today for a first gathering at "The Platform of the Word," colleagues and partners in ecumenical work, to celebrate the opening of the platform—a project equipped by Noursat for the Middle East Council of Churches—to advance ecumenical media in the Middle East and worldwide.

It was a blessed moment when Télé Lumière, through the tireless efforts of a struggling ecumenical media professional—our colleague in the Council and a veteran in Télé Lumière—decided to provide the oldest institution in ecumenical work in the region with modern and advanced means to spread the salvific message.

This initiative comes in the fiftieth year since the establishment of the Middle East Council of Churches in 1974, and in the ninety-fifth year since the establishment of the Near East Christian Council in 1929, the foundational nucleus of our Council.

However, this initiative, in addition to the efforts to achieve it by those concerned, did not come from a vacuum. There is a strong bond between Noursat and the Middle East Council of Churches due to decades of interaction, as well as the shared goal of common Christian work—that is, ecumenism.

An astute observer of the work of these two institutions might ask why they are not a single institution, not only because of their goals but also due to the homogeneity in approach and methodology. In this platform, the two institutions have become one in working to raise the lamp high in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the path for humanity.

During the opening of the Télé Lumière and Noursat office in the North of Lebanon, and the assignment of the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), to manage the office, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Professor Dr. Michel Abs delivered a speech entitled “Noursat: The Good Word in the Face of Violence and Barbarism”.

You may find the full video of the opening of the Media Production Center “The Platform of the Word,” which was launched by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in partnership with Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel, in an official ceremony held on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at the Platform’s headquarters in the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

"Between Yesterday and Today"

A documentary that sheds light on the presence and mission of the Chaldean Church in Lebanon, on the occasion of the 150th jubilee of its founding in the Land of the Cedars.

The MECC Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs: “we have taken new administrative and technical measures and procedures in order to strengthen the role of Ecumenical media in the Council, especially at the level of advocacy and awareness”

Stemming from the importance of the media in advocacy, awareness, and promoting human values, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is launching a new phase for its media work, seeking to be a crying voice in the wilderness and a source of hope amidst all difficulties.

After months of preparations, the MECC regional media team held, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, a coordination meeting in the presence of the MECC Secretary General, Professor Dr. Michel Abs, and Father Rifaat Bader, the Head of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, Publisher of Abouna Website, and Media Consultant on behalf of the MECC Executive Committee, who participated online from Amman.

Participants were also colleagues in Lebanon’s office who participated in person from the MECC Headquarters in Beirut, and colleagues in Syria’s office who participated online via Zoom. They exchanged ideas and opinions in order to develop the mechanism of work among them and launch an updated work plan for the coming period using the advanced technologies and new equipment.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of November 2024. 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.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Télé Lumière - Noursat launched a New Media Ccenter entitled “The Platform of the Word,” in an official ceremony held on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at the Center’s headquarters in the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.