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Summary Report
on the Decisions & Recommendations |
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Dear Friends in Partnership The MECC Executive Committee met in Antelias – Lebanon for two days (5 – 6 March 2008), hosted by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church of Cilicia and President of the Council. This was the second meeting of the Ex Com after the 9th General Assembly. The meeting was moderated by the four Presidents: H.H. Catholicos Aram I, H.B Theophilos III, H.E Archbishop Boulos Matar, and Rev Dr Safwat Al-Bayyadi. Members of the Executive were all present and so the quorum was there.
The agenda of the meeting highlighted several significant issues related to the work and life of the Council such as: the report of the General Secretary, the restructuring, the 4-years plan of action, the financial situation and policy, and the election of Associate General Secretaries and directors of departments and programs.
The report of the General Secretary highlighted some “issues”: the ownership of member churches to the Council, the cost of administration, the relationships with the partners, the latest development in the ICNDR issue and the terms of reference (ToR), the ecumenical ventures outside the MECC, the restructuring of MECC.
In reference to the issues on the agenda and the ones which were presented by the General Secretary in his report, the Ex Com discussed these issues in panels as well as in small groups and reached to the following decisions and recommendations: 1) Accept the report of the General Secretary with the notes in the discussions.
2) Accept the financial report. However, a new methodology of finance reporting is needed to show the potentials and persisting difficulties.
3) Approve the new proposed structure of the Council for a “one year transitional period”. During the one year period the Council will test the new structure, assess its impacts on the programs and the work, and report back to the Ex Com meeting in March 2009 about the success, the challenges and failures. 3-a) the new structure has changed the concept of the three major Units and some programs as follows: * “Faith & Unity” is changed into “Faith, Unity & Christian Presence”, under which the ATIME should remain a separate entity under this Unit. * “Education & Renewal” is changed into “Education & Leadership Development”, under which the Human Rights Program comes under this Unit, as well as the Youth, the Women, the Family Education and the Schools Programs. * “Life & Service” is changed into “Diakonia & Social Justice”, under which service to refugees, migrants and uprooted is included as well as advocacy for social justice. * The Christian-Muslim Dialogue Program remained attached directly to the General Secretariat. * “Programs of Special Nature & Emergency”: DSPR, ICNDR, ERS. Each of these programs has a special situation in relation with MECC. The DSPR is administratively autonomous and affiliated to MECC. The ICNDR situation in terms of administration is not yet re-solved and still in a process of dialogue between MECC member churches and partners. The ERS program is affiliated to MECC and administered by the General Secretariat. * Departments related to the General Secretariat are: Communication, International Ecumenical Relations, and Finance. The diagram of the new structure is attached to this letter.
4) Approve the 4-years plan of action provided that it does not contradict the new structure. Flexibility in changing the plan is possible due to funding availability.
5) Support the “Terms of Reference” (ToR) which was proposed by the partners regarding the ICNDR program.
6) Finance Policy: 5-a) Increase church membership to the Council from 10 to 20 % 5-b) Enforce participation fees on all the activities of the Council 5-c) Encourage more in-kind donations from local churches. 5-d) For the expenses of the Ex Com meetings to be fully covered when possible from its members as it happened during the last general Assembly. 5-e) Do as much as possible fund raising with individuals from the region 5-f) Encourage more part-time staffing or staff on free-lance basis. 5-g) For the Ex Com to monitor the administrative costs of the Council.
7) The Ex Com elected the following persons for the following positions in the Council: Associates General Secretary: Fr Fady Daou representing the Catholic Family of Churches Rev Nuhad Toume representing the Evangelical Family of Churches Mr Elias Halabi representing the Orthodox Family of Churches
Finance: Ms Vivian Lorenzo, Finance Secretary
Directors: Fr Dr Gabi Hachem, Director of the Unit on “Faith, Unity & Christian Presence” Mrs Seta Hadechian, Director of the Unit on “Diakonia & Social Justice” Ms Wafa Ghousous, Director of the Unit on “Education & Leadership Development” Mr George Nasif, Director of the Communication Department
8) The Ex Com decided to nominate members from the Executive to monitor the work of the Units and Departments as Commissions: 8 persons from the Executive to each Unit and Department. These sub-Commissions will monitor the activities, report to the Executive Committee and meet during the next Executive Committee meeting.
9) The next Ex Com meeting is decided to take place in Larnaca/Cyprus 2008 29 September Arrival 30 Sep, 1 & 2 Oct Working Days 3 Oct Departure
Beirut, 10 March 2008
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