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Dr. Ayoub Tabet
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The “Helping Hand Society” held its monthly meeting on Friday, Nov. 24, at the Charles Saad Hall. Mrs. Badr began the meeting with a word of prayer then she introduced the guest, the author/poet/journalist Joseph Abi Daher who spoke about the Lebanese Protestant politician Dr. Ayoub Tabet. Dr. Tabet was the president of Lebanon in 1943 and served as a cabinet minister several times. He was also the secretary of the "Beirut Reform Movement" that sought independence from Ottoman rule. Abi Daher talked also about Tabet's poetical “Zajal” writings, his impeccable moral reputation and his faithfulness to a strict work ethic.
Mr. Abi Daher emphasized the importance of Dr. Tabet's unusual personal qualities as a politician, his writings, reputation and dedication to work. He was born in a humble house in Bhamdoun, Lebanon in 1875. His father Gerges was a butcher, but in spite of that he received a good education. He had 11 brothers and sisters, but non of them lived except Elisabeth, Rachel and Ayoub himself. He came to Beirut at the age of 10. He lived there and studied at the Syrian Protestant College. Then he traveled to Texas where he founded Syria-Mount Lebanon League of Liberation with Jebran Khalil Jebran and Michael Naimeh. Later he returned back to Beirut with MD degree, but he shifted to political writings to lead a political reformation in Lebanon when the Ottoman authority where chasing and hanging many of people from that Movement.
Rev. Badr had earlier been asked to explain the main principles of the Reformation, particularly the idea of the "priesthood of all believers." Coffee, tea and cakes were served at the end of the meeting...presented by Rev. and Mrs. Badr in celebration of the birth of their granddaughter.
Thanksgiving Day
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Helping Hand Society organized the celebration of Thanksgiving Day in our church on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. "What a wonderful thing when you count your many blessings", Said Mrs Wadia Badr, "they are in everyday". The people participated also in giving thanks to God in short testimony of something they want to share from their personal life. Then, they sang few songs together and Rev. Badr said, "I think we should create a news station called: GNN. That is 'Good News Network', to talk only about the good things God gives us and happen with us everyday." Then the youth of our church played and sang few hymns and people praised the Lord with them.
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin in Arabic
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On Nov. 11, 2017 the Near East School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut celebrated its 85th anniversary by launching the first ARABIC version of "Institutes of the Christian Religion" by John Calvin. أسس الدين المسيحي. The book is one of the most important classical writings of Reformation in the 16th century. The Arabic translation is now an important work for the Arabic library and for the Evangelical Churches in the Middle East.
The work translated from English (McNeill edition) into Arabic by Rev. Adib Awad, Rev. Walid Harmoush and Rev. Dr. Victor Makari. Revised the Arabic language Dr. Souhel Sleiman. And the editor was Dr. George Sabra, president of NEST who considered the book as the first Evangelical systematic theology-book that emerged to help the church at that time to build its spirituality and piety. One can regard the work as summa theologia, but for Calvin it was summa pietatis (the whole sum of piety and whatever is necessary to know about the doctrine of salvation).
This translation work was supported from the beginning by Fondation pour l'aide au protestantisme réformé (FAP) in France and GZB in Holland. POSTER (IN ARABIC)
The 500th Jubilee of the Reformation in Lebanon
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On the occasion of the 500th Jubilee of Reformation, tha National Evangelical Church of Beirut (NECB) hosted a joint worship service for all Evangelical churches in Lebanon on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, organized by "Reformation Sunday Committee". The head of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Churches in Syria and Lebanon, Rev. Dr. Salim Sahyouni, mentioned that the service of this year is of dual importance. It comes on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation Movement, with its all positive and negative impacts, the challenges it faced during these long years, and the significant achievements on the ecumenical level.
Furthermore, it comes with two important events. The visit of Pope Francis to Lund (Sweden) in order to inaugurate the Year of the Jubilee in which a joint communiqué was issued with the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Munib Younan, and the meeting of Pope Francis with the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Cuba and their joint statement. Rev. Sahyouni stressed the uniqueness of the ecumenical developments that we are witnessing. He implored God to grant His church the trust to preserve the blessings of Reformation and its legacy.
After a short video entitled "History Witnesses", Rev. Nabil Mamarbashi delivered the opening prayer on behalf of Rev. Dr. Habib Badr the senior pastor of NECB. The meditation given by the Rev. Dr. Ghassan Khalaf was entitled "The Constant Jesus-Revolution", in which he presented the profound implications of the Protestant Movement and its achievements worldwide on theological, ethical, social, political and scientific levels.
Refreshments followed the event and Rev. Sahyouni was honored by the Committee.
See the PROGRAM HERE
The BROCHURE HERE
