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Ordaining the Second Female Pastor in Beirut
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Rev. Habib Badr participated in the ordination of the second female pastor in the Middle East, Rev. Najla Abu Souwan-Kassab, at the Rabieh Evangelical Church in Beirut on Friday 24th of March, 2017. This marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, in the Feast of the Annunciation. This was the second ordination in almost one month. The first ordination was of Rev. Roula Sleiman in Tripoli’s National Evangelical Church on the 26th of February 2017.
Many local and international church leaders and Christian organizations joined the event. Bishop Mounib Younan (president of the World Lutheran Federation, WLF), Rev. Chris Ferguson (president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, WCRC), Rev. Sabine Dreßler (Reformed Alliance in Germany), Rev. Laurie Kraus (manager of the Presbyterian Disaster Association USA), Rev. Sophia Comnerin (vice president of the Uniting Church of Sweden), Rev. Andrea Zaki (president of the Evangelical Church in Egypt), Rev. Paul Haidostian (president of Haigazian University), Bishop George Saliba (Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon for the Syriac Orthodox Church) and other leaders along with many faithful believers.
"It is indeed a historical moment", said Dr. George Sabra, the president of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) who preached on that day. Women’s ordination in the Middle East, however, came after the women's ordination in many different parts of the world (USA, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and finally in the Middle East). Thus, it was the result of decades of discussions in the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) and the theological training of women at NEST along with the decision taken by the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon to ordain females. "Certainly, serving Christ needs no gender qualifications", said Dr. Sabra, "rather needs not to be despaired in following Christ, and to love Him from all one’s heart". It is a clear message, rooted in theology and the Bible, that we send to our people here and to the world in this particular time of rising religious fanaticism and extremism, Dr Sabra concluded.
Guests from Württemberg Church in our Church
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From Friday March 10 to Monday evening March 13, the NECB hosted a group of 24 church leaders from the diocese of Württemberg in southwest Germany. The group included the regional bishop (Prelat) of the Heilbronn district, Rev. Harald Stumpf, 13 assistant bishops (Dekans) with their spouses, and the officer for ecumenical and foreign relations in the governing Synod of the Württemberg diocese, Rev. Klaus Rieth. They were also accompanied by Rev. Dr. Uwe Gräbe, the ME liaison secretary at EMS. On Friday morning the group visited NEST and met with Dr. George Sabra. Later, accompanied by Rev. Badr, they were received by Maronite Archbishop Paul Sayyah in Bkirki who spoke on the current situation. Afterwards they were briefly greeted by Patriarch Bechara Raii. On Saturday morning Rev. Badr gave them an introduction to our church and its role in society, followed by Dr. Muhammad Sammak, who briefed them on the recent document issued by Al Azhar on “The Muslim-Christian Coexistence”. On Sunday the group joined our worship service at church where Rev. Rieth preached. A reception followed that included church council members and several evangelical church leaders from the larger community.
On Monday the group spent the whole day in Schneller School where they participated in the inauguration of the new computer library and football field. Of course the visit was interspersed by sightseeing trips to Byblos, Baalbek, the Chouf cedars, the National Museum, etc. All in all it was a most successful visit wherein both churches in Beirut and Württemberg benefited and celebrated their longstanding partnership.
World Day of Prayer in Lebanon 2017
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The World Day of Prayer (WDP) this year was celebrated at the Near East School of Theology, Beirut on the 3rd of March. The theme was prepared by the women in Philippines and inspired by the Gospel of Matthew 20:1-16, "Am I being Unfair to You?" The message of the day affirmed that in order to build and sustain a community, it is necessary to practice compassion and care for one another. Maybe this is the key to answer the question “Am I Being Unfair to you?” The speaker of the day was Dr. Renée Ghattas, a member of WDP's committee in Lebanon. Another member of WDP's committee from our church who helped in organizing this day is Mrs. Samia Boulad.
Al Azhar Conference and Christian Muslim Relations
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Rev. Habib Badr was invited by Al Azhar to participate in two-day international conference on freedom, citizenship, diversity and integration. Scholars, church leaders and thinkers have come from different countries to promote peace and dialogue. The conference was co-organized by UAE’s Muslim Council of Elders and Al Azhar global's seat of Sunni Muslim Learning, and took place in Cairo, from February 28th till 1st of March. Rev. Badr had the opportunity to address the subject of Christian Muslim coexistence and the diversity experience in Lebanon.
