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2nd Lebanese Pipe Organ Week
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Prof. Bernhard Gfrerer, one of Austria's leading Organists, performed on our church pipe organ many wonderful musical pieces: Mozart, Bach, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Lefébure-Wély, Dubois and Gigout. This is the second consecutive year that Notre Dame University-Louaize and Terra Sancta Organ Festival organizing this Week of organ music in Lebanon. And they concluded the Week celebration at our church on Sunday, Feb.5, 2017. Rev. Habib Badr introduced the organist and welcomed the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Gabriele Caccia; Ambassador of Austria, Marian Wrba; Head of the School of Music of Notre Dame University–Louaize, Fr. Khalil Rahme, and the superintendent of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival and Delegate for Music of the Custody of the Holy Land, Br. Riccardo.
Religion: Peace Maker or War Maker?
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Rev. Habib Badr presented a lecture on Monday 20th of February 2017 at the Alumni Club of American University of Beirut (AUB) This lecture was organized by AUB Alumni Association (AAA) and Karaz w Laimoon group.
The lecture was on a controversial issue of religion: Peacemaker or War maker? Dr. Badr after defining what religion is and the different types of world religion as missionary (Christianity, Islam and Buddhism) and non-missionary (Druze Faith, Judaism, Sikhism), and how they hold on "The Truth", he said that in principle violence is not compatible with religion unless violence is prescribed within a certain religion (such as physical punishment to transgressors of the precepts of the religion, or execution of apostates). Since religion is practiced by so-called religious people, and these people cannot be always trusted, and they are subjected to psychological, social, economic, political culture, so religion maybe used or abused.
The issue here is whether religion can become a "violence maker", said Dr. Badr, and violence is not restricted to war. In this sense, unfortunately, religion is indeed a cause of violence and war. So religion can be either a peace maker or a conflict maker. Thus the new title should have been: Religion: Peacemaker and War maker.
Middle East's First Female Pastor
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Middle East's first female pastor, Rev. Rola Sleiman, was ordained in the National Evangelical Church of Tripoli, Lebanon, on Sunday 26th of February 2017. Rev. Habib Badr with many Protestant local and international ministers, along with teachers, students from NEST and many faithful believers participated in the ceremony.
Rev. Rola was born in Tripoli and graduated from Near East School of Theology. She is 40 years old, full of love and dedication to the church, and to her own people. She has been serving her community and Tripoli Evangelical church, which is part of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, since 2005. Adding to this, Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon that confronted with enormous security, economic and religious challenges.
People were very happy and pastors were very proud to see an equal female minister with them.
