National Evangelical Church of Beirut

Khalil Ramez Sarkis

The Helping Hand Association at the NECB held its monthly meeting on Feb.16, 2018 at 3:30pm. The speaker was Ms Rasha Al Amir, a novelist, a cultural critic and the owner and director of the publication house Dar Aljadid. She spoke to the ladies about Khalil Ramez Sarkis, a member of our church, who was one of the prominent thinkers in the cultural life in Lebanon. Rasha sent a letter of love and deep appreciation to Sarkis by narrating his life story from the early roots of the Sarkis family in the 19th century till his death 5 months ago. She also talked about his books and his linguistic and translation talents. The wife of the late Sarkis, Joan, attended the meeting.

The HH also celebrated the 90th Birthday of one of its members, Mrs.Tutti Khoury wishing her many happy returns and God's blessings.

3rd Lebanese Pipe Organ Week

The 3rd Lebanese Pipe Organ Week in Lebanon was ended at our church on February 4, 2018. The Polish organist Krzysztof Musiał performed 4 pieces to Bach (Adagio and Fugue; Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot; Jesus Christus, unser Heiland; Aus tiefer Not schrei' ich zu Dir), one to Mieczyslaw Surzynski (Elegia, op. 30) and one to August Gottfried Ritter (Sonata in E minor, op. 19).

The organizers (NDU and Terra Sancta Organ Festival) with the initiators (Fr. Seryani and Fr. Rahme) promised to program the opening Week for next year in our church, since the idea was created from the beginning in this place. Fr. Rahme mentioned also the importance of training local people on this great instrument, and that last week two Lebanese and one Syrian musicians played on pipe organ in Tripoli. Rev. Habib said as well that pipe organ music is a sign of our presence in Lebanon and Middle East, and that last December Schneller School had a ceremony to dedicated a renovated pipe organ offered by a church in Scotland to our school.       

See the Poster or the Program to learn more about this concerts

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Beirut

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for this year took place at the Maronite Patriarchate residence, Bkerki - Lebanon, on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, and the closing service was at St. Mark Coptic Church - Jesr El-Basha, Beirut, on Sunday Jan. 28. Rev. Habib Badr participated in that prayer, and the them was taken from the Book of Exodus 15:6: "Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power". The speeches focused on the mission the church in Middle East in protecting the vulnerables and liberating the oppressed. The program that prepared by the churches of the Caribbean this year, was adopted, translated and contextualized by the ecumenical churches in Lebanon.

(Poster: Arabic; Booklet: Arabic - English).

Zeina Kayali on the Musician Wadi Sabra

Helping Hand Society held its monthly meeting on Friday, Jan.26, 2018. Rev. Habib Badr talked about the role of music in our life and church. Then the guest speaker, Mrs Zeina Kayali, talked about the Lebanese composer and founder of the National Higher Conservatory of Music Wadi Sabra (1876-1952). Sabra is best known today as the composer of the Lebanese National Anthem. Someone from Sabra's family handed Mrs Kayali before two year Sabra's archive, and Dr Kayali is about to finish her book about his life and his musical works (including other Lebanese composers). Mrs. Kayali aims to highlight the musical Lebanese heritage through her publication and concerts sponsored by UNESCO Paris.

A New Acting General Secretary for the MECC

Habib Badr: Rev. Habib Badr, as one of the 4 President of the Middle East Council of Churches on behalf of the Evangelical Family, participated in the Executive Committee meeting of the Council held in Baabda, Lebanon on Thursday and Friday, January 25-26, 2018. In a very bold and pioneering move, the Ex. Comm. named a female, Dr. Thuraya Bachaalani, as the new “Caretaker General Secretary” of the Council. 

Dr. Thuraya Bachaalani is teaching at St. Joseph's University in Beirut (SJU). She received her PhD in Religious Studies from SJU, and her PhD in Theology from the Jesuit University of Paris. May God bless her in this new position and guide her steps to strengten the ecumenical ties between churches in Middle East and worldwide. 

Final Communique in ARABIC 

Christmas Celebrations of 2017

The Helping Hand Fellowship celebrated the advent season anticipating with joy the Christmas season on Dec.15, 2017. They read the Christmas story, prayed and sang carols. Our soprano Reem Deeb sang two solo carols and Santa Claus distributed gifts to all. Merry Christmas. They also organized a cake sale on Sunday, Dec.17, 2017 after the worship service.

Sunday School students and junior youth Group of the church shared in the Christmas service on Sunday Dec. 24,2017 after Rev. Habib Badr gave the sermon. They were a blessing and great joy for all. 

On Saturday 23 Dec. NECB hosted the LAU choir in its annual Christmas concert that it has been holding at the church for the last 5 years.

Rev. Badr and few members of our church celebrating Christmas with the elderly at the Moadieh Evangelical Center. They all joined in singing carols and listening to readings and prayers in an atmosphere of joy and thanksgiving.

Bishop Munib Younan Preached in Our Church

On the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Dec.10, 2017, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and former President of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan visited our church and preached from Revelation 21:1-4. The subject was: Jerusalem, the New Heaven and the New Earth. Bishop Younan addressed the issue of building the Kingdom of God, the New heaven and earth. In this "new earth" there will be no fear, no sorrow, no occupation, no injustice, no political plots, no repression, and no wall, rather all people live in freedom, justice and equality. This is not a dream that we wait for it in the future, rather it could be realized right now, and we have to work for it. In this sense God dwells with his people, for God's Kingdom is in our midst.       

Installing a Pipe Organ at Schneller School

On Dec. 3, 2017 at 5 PM the inauguration ceremony of the new pipe organ was conducted at Johann Ludwig Schneller School in the Beqaa, Lebanon. The German organist Klaus Schulten played several pieces and accompanied the audience as they sang Christmas carols. Rev. Habib Badr welcomed the audience and prayed. Rev. George Haddad explained the history of the organ and how it ended up in Schneller. 

The pipe organ was a donation from the Church of the Incarnation in Tombae, Scotland. It was dismantled by Gerhard Walcker-Mayer, an organ building company from Germany, and rebuilt again in our school’s chapel, St Michael at Schneller School.

We praise the Lord for the love of Tombae's parish and for their gift. 

The Sunday School and Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving and joy, the Sunday School children celebrated on Sunday by getting creative, playing games and sharing food to remember and affirm their thankfulness to all God's gifts. The children also set up a tree at the church entrance with "Thank You" cards on it. 
Thank the Lord with all your hearts and souls and minds!

1517 The Reformation and Its Impact

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Reformation Dar Ophir publisher (Amman) in cooperation with Dar Al Manhal publisher (Beirut) launched a new book in Arabic: "1517, Reformation and Its Impact on Aspects of Life" by Rev. Suheil Saoud الإصلاح الانجيلي وتأثيره في نواحي الحياة at the Lebanese American University (LAU) on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017.

Rev. Habib Badr presented the book during the ceremony and greeted Rev. Saoud for his passion and nobility to write this book to honor his daughter Grace who is suffering from cancer. Rev. Saoud mentioned in the introduction that the illness of his daughter took his soul to the abyss, but through her thankful heart and gratefulness to God, she lifted him to heaven.

Then, Rev. Badr mentioned the relation between the East and the West that resulted in the Protestant churches in this region, and how it was rooted and adopted by the people in the East. Rev. Badr called the attendees attention to the impact of Reformation on the political, economic and social life that changed the people in Europe and later in the ME. It has also been explained that the author’s intention has not been writing a "history" of Reformation but explaining its great effects. Therefore, he pointed to 9 domains, where the influence of Reformation in people's life were clear, such as education, social justice, freedom principle, sciences and other domains. 

Rev. Saoud, said Rev. Badr, courageously approached this matter subjectively mentioning the positive and negative sides of Reformation, and mainly the three reformers: Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.