The MECC Partners¹ meeting held in Amman from May 23-24, 2006, brought together an important number of MECC¹s longstanding partners and friends from all over the world, who have once again indicated their solidarity and support to the churches of the Middle East and to their Council.
The two-day meeting addressed many issues of concern. In addition to the usual business agenda that included narrative and financial reporting, an overview of the situation in region and the challenges facing the churches and the societies in general was contributed by Dr. Kamel Abu Jaber, previous Foreign Minister of Jordan and historian, who focused on the centuries old clash of civilizations and cultures making an analogy of the past and present times.
Father Youssef Mouannes, director of the Catholic Center for Media and Communication in Lebanon highlighted the role and position of the churches underlining the importance of dialogue at all levels.
Another item on the agenda was the issue of Advocacy. North American, European and Middle Eastern perspectives were shared and discussed, emphasizing major advocacy issues, possibilities and limitations.
The Strategic Planning and Evaluation process started by the MECC was discussed at length. It includes short and longer term processes that are expected to be finalized before the end of the year.
Middle East Council of Churches Office of International Ecumenical Relations P.O. Box 5376, Beirut, Lebanon
Guirgis Ibrahim Saleh, General Secretary
mecc@cyberia.net.lb or guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb
+961-1-353-938 http://www.mec-churches.org/