Global Ministries

Once again, in defense of human rights and human dignity, the Middle East Council of Churches renewed its call for the lift of the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, violating their right to live in dignity and anticipating an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the region.

In a direct and urgent call to end the restrictions on the Syrian people, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, signed a letter that held the signatures of many Middle Eastern Churches Leaders, including Their Beatitudes Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius III Younan, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Youssef Absi, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Ephrem II as well as a number of religious, political and social leaders. The letter was addressed to the new American President Joe Biden.

Lectionary Selection: 

Prayers for Lebanon:

We come before you, our God and Creator, with hearts that are bewildered by the struggles and difficulties that continue to overwhelm and pressure us physically, emotionally, economically, and spiritually.

With the start of the new year, and in the season of Epiphany, we find it difficult to see new hope and new beginnings or see changes for the better in the lives of the people of Lebanon, or even throughout the world. Yet we find comfort in knowing that your love for us does not change.

Guide us to open our hearts to you; to open our ears to hear your voice, as you invite us to hear your clear call to follow you.

Make us eager to accept your invitation to repent and believe your Good News. Only in you can we find rest; our hope comes from you alone!

Guide us to trust you in all circumstances. Only through complete trust in you will we find refuge, and be certain of your unchanging love for all, and be willing to share that with the world.

Dr. Michel Abs, General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, recorded a Christmas message by video, entitled, "A Child is Born, God is Incarnated."  Click here to watch the message, and here to read it.

Haigazian University Campus Arises from August 4 Explosion

“For people of faith, hope, and charity, the vision of doing good supersedes any evil or destruction.” --Rev. Paul A. Haidostian, Ph.D., President, Haigazian University

Message by Dr. George Sabra, President
Near East School of Theology

“ … for darkness is as light to you.” (Ps. 139:12)

Darkness covers us these days in Lebanon; the light around us has become night. Darkness has set upon us because of the COVID19 pandemic and the way it has transformed and damaged our personal, professional and social lives. The devastation and suffering resulting from the Beirut port explosion cast clouds of darkness over our capital city and over the lives of hundreds of thousands of killed, wounded and displaced people.

[The following article appeared in the New York Times on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.]

Mindful of a history of persecution, members of the Waldensian Church have been at the forefront of a push to bring refugees from Syria to Italy.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Dismay at Deaths in the Mediterranean

Rome (NEV), 13th November 2020 – Can people get accustomed to deaths in the Mediterranean?  Can a child aged only a few months lose his life amidst political indifference? Paolo Naso, coordinator of Mediterranean Hope, migrant and refugee programme of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, [and Global Ministries Board member], is “outraged”. And states: “Coordinated search and rescue (SAR) in the Mediterranean is more urgent than ever.  Read more...

Lectionary Selection: Psalm 126

Prayers for Lebanon:

Almighty God, creator of all, giver of life, we come to you with hearts that are overwhelmed with many thoughts and feelings.

We stand before you, raising our voices to you, trying to understand all that is happening in our personal lives, communities, country, and world.

Although overwhelmed, yet we come to you with the confidence that you are a loving God. We thank you for loving us unconditionally.

The six weeks of bloody armed conflict that occurred a few weeks ago in Artsakh- Armenian name of Nagorno -Karabakh- ended with a ceasefire, in effect as of midnight November 9-10, as well as with a deal that leaves the region short of a clear and sustainable and long-lasting peace. It was an arrangement loose enough to maintain a tense coexistence with no reliable foundation for more durable peace.

Written by Dr. Bernard Sabella, Executive Secretary
Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees

The Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is pleased to share this update in this challenging time. In the Middle East, the situation is still tricky, and the financial condition makes us face significant challenges. Recently it has become impossible to walk between the Palestinian and Israeli territories without quarantine, which makes life incredibly difficult for many Palestinians. We pray that the situation will change for the better.