News
It was a day of “looking forward” when church leaders, journalists and communications experts gathered outside Beirut on 11 September for the one-day communications workshop at the General Secretariat of the Catholic Schools in Lebanon.
Initiated by the secretary general of The Middle East Council of Churches, Fr Michel Jalakh, the workshop was intended as a kick-off for a re-vitalized collaboration between member churches, where communication is seen as a key ingredient for progress.
After the workshop, WCC Communication had a chat with the secretary general, a cheerful and very determined man:
“I came in as secretary general to bring about change, and that is what I intend to do. The unification of Christians is crucial for the strength of the MECC and our influence in this troubled region. We cannot lose, we must move forward and make things happen together as a team”, he says.
A Catholic monk specialized in ecumenism, as he often presents himself; Fr Michel Jalakh seems to be a humble and modest man by nature. A strong believer in communication as a strategic tool for change, he deliberately set up the workshop as a brainstorming session where participants with different backgrounds and professions could tackle communication challenges from different perspectives.
“Involvement and more interaction between church leaders are key elements in building a stronger ecumenical movement in the Middle East. We are here to lay the foundation for more action. We share the same values and the same objectives, and our main challenge is to create alignment towards common goals. Then we can reach out to more people, especially the young ones, who are our hope for the future. Mutual trust and open communication are key factors for success”, says Fr Michel Jalakh.
He also emphasizes his mission to attract attention from all over the Muslim world by saying: “We can work together”. That message, he believes, will have more weight with a unified vision of the Christian churches behind it.
Pleased with the enthusiasm and presence at the workshop, he feels confident about the outcome.
“After having focused on our finances for a while, we can now put communications at the top of our agenda. Today, I feel that we have started a new discourse and embarked on a new journey together. That gives me hope for the future”, he concludes.
The WCC Communication department was represented at the workshop and will provide strategic advice and support to the MECC along the way.
Voices from MECC Communication Workshop:
“It has been an enriching discussion with important talks about strategy. I expect that we have come up with something that can be realized”, says Marie-Therese Kreidy, director of programmes at Christian television station Télé lumière/Noursat.
“It is very valuable, with a practical session. The most important thing now is to start working”, says Hanane Merhej, journalist at Sawt El Mada Radio.
“It has been a constructive discussion on critical issues with good hope to see concrete results”, says Patrick Attallah, social media expert and founder of social4ce.
By Claus Grue, WCC Communication
