Culture of the Word
On the occasion of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding the American University of Beirut (The Syrian Protestant College) Rev. Habib Badr participated in the celebration organized by Abey-Ain Drafil municipality at the old Evangelical seminary in the town, at the cradle of AUB. The ceremony took place on Monday, October 3, 2016. President of AUB, Dr. Fadlo Khouri unveiled a memorial plaque for the occasion. The ceremony included speeches by Rev. Badr, Dr. Khouri, Mr. Ghassan Hamze (Mayer of Abey), and Mr. Mounir Hamze (Association for Revival of Abey Heritage). Music by Ihab Jamal also accompanied the event.
“The Evangelical ethos is based in the culture of the "Word" ”, said Rev. Badr, “therefore, the educating and learning process is an integral part of the Evangelical church since the beginning of the Reformation”. Rev. Badr also encouraged educational institutions in Lebanon to train their students to resolve the conflicts in peaceful and constructive ways.
The General Assembly of the MECC
The four families of the Middle East Council of Churches (Orthodox, Oriental, Catholic and Evangelical) gathered in Amman for its 11th General Assembly from 6th to 8th of October 2016. The General Assembly was hosted by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and was supported by the welcoming of King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The Assembly has elected Rev. Badr as president of MECC on behalf of the Evangelical Family. He will serve a 4-year term along with Patriarchs Youhanna X Yaziji of the Orthodox (Antiochene) Family, Ignatius Aphrem II of the Oriental (Syrian) Orthodox Family and Louis Roufael Sako of the (Chaldean) Catholic Family. Father Michel Jalkh (far right) was elected General Secretary of MECC for a second term.
The Council reasserted the unity of the churches and called to strengthen the relationship between them and the Churches in the West, having in mind particularly the mass Christian immigration from the Middle East to the West, which has escalated and reached dangerous limits in the last 5 years. However, "we are not hopeless.. because Christ is in our midst".
See the Final Communique (ARABIC)
(Left: Bp. Munib Younan, Patr. Yussef Younan, Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, Patr. Afrem Karim, Patr. Theophilos, Patr. Youhanna Yaziji, Catholicos Aram Keshishian, Fr. Michel Jalkh)
Summer Camp 2016
More than 60 boys and girls from our church participated in the Summer Camp for kids at Schneller School in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, from 14th of July to the 18th, 2016. The theme was "Following Jesus the Light of the World". This year 4 young people joined us from Germany and Nederland.
Youth Intercultural Exposure in India
Nour BouMalham and Munir Paul Moacdieh took part in the International CSI-EMS Youth Exposure in India from June 24 to July 2, 2016. 22 young people from various countries (Lebanon, Germany, Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa and Ghana …) were invited for this intercultural experience. The participants visited local congregations and interacted with the local young people of many parts of India to know and understand the challenges faced in each of the different contexts. They visited the heritage sites and were exposed to the urban and rural life-experiences in India. Having this opportunity and being introduced to the socio-economic context of India will necessarily help our young people to strengthen their solidarity among each other and worldwide.
Follow the below links to read about Nour BouMalham experience and the event:
https://ems-online.org/en/news/18-07-2016-a-day-to-remember
http://www.csisynod.com/news_view.php?Id=361
Württemberg Church Synod
Rev. Badr speaking to the annual meeting of the Württemberg Synod (Germany) on Friday 8, July 2016. With him is Mrs. Wadia Badr and Rev. Klaus Rieth from Württemberg Church. He spoke from the Gospel according to John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Rev. Badr distinguished between "peace of Christ" and the "peace of the world", and he said, "we must seek peace, work for peace and pray for peace. But we must also learn to wait in patience - and leave the rest to God".
