Celebration of Centenary of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East

BEIRUT — On the occasion of the Centenary of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), which bear the theme “The Lord’s Prayer,” the UAECNE held a Celebratory Worship Service headed by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family. It took place on Sunday 30 June 2024, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church in Beirut.

Participants were the Heads of the Evangelical and Armenian Churches, Representatives of various Church Families and international organizations, Priests, official and political figures, guests, and members of the Armenian Evangelical Church. As well as, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs attended the Service, congratulating the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and wishing it many years of goodness, blessings and holiness.

During the Prayer, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian delivered a Sermon entitled “When You Enter Your Inner Room”, in which he said “Where is my inner room? It is the narrow limitation where deep spiritual freedom is born, while I would have thought that the wide and open spaces were the attractive fields of freedom… It is where there is a spiritual encounter with the ONLY ONE who is Lord, Spirit, and Love, while I would have thought that the real rich encounter was in the outer rooms, the profitable encounter was with large numbers…”

He added, “The inner room of the church is its eternal hope in days of distress. It is the mission’s thrust in days of impossibilities. The inner room of the church is the eternal foundation of Christ’s sacrifice in the absence of material comfort… and is in its humility and service journey. The inner room of the church is the serious choice of Love, Sacrifice, Humility, and Justice, instead of worldly power, always and only following Christ’s example.”

The Service also included meditations, readings and various hymns performed by the Armenian Evangelical “Armiss” Choir, in addition to messages of congratulations.