From June 20th - 30th a team of the Global Christian Forum visited Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. The team met with leaders of the Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Anglican member churches of the Middle East Council of Churches in the three countries and with several Evangelical / Pentecostal churches that do not participate in the ecumenical movement in the region. Meetings were also held with the Middle East Council of Churches, the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches, the Near East School of Theology and the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon. In over twenty conversations the team was able to learn much about the life and witness of the churches and the relationships between them, to explain the purpose, the background and the working methods of the Global Christian Forum and to address questions and concerns that were raised. Some of the issues that emerged repeatedly were the relationship between the GCF and the World Council of Churches and other global and regional church bodies, whether the GCF was competing or seeking to replace some of these organisations, what was new in the approaches of the GCF to Christian unity, what could be the meaning of the GCF for the Middle East, etc. While some of the church leaders knew about it, for most with whom the team spoke the Global Christian Forum was new. The team was able to clarify the unique role of the GCF, which complements and does not compete with existing ecumenical bodies (WCC, MECC). Many saw the Forum as a promising initiative and welcomed especially the emphasis on the sharing of faith stories and spirituality. Some probed further. One of the most pressing questions the team became sharply aware of is that of the differing views on evangelism between the 'traditional' churches (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant / Anglican) and the 'new' Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and groups, not only with regard to Muslims but also among members of existing churches. There is hardly any communication between these two groups of churches and relationships are difficult.

The team decided to share the report of the visit with all those visited in the three countries and to ask for their comments and suggestions for possible follow-up. Decisions on follow-up will be taken by the GCF Committee in consultation with all concerned.

The members of the team were: H.E. Archbishop Makarios of Kenya, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, Rev. Dr. Prince Guneratnam, Assemblies of God Malaysia, Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Reformed Church of America (USA), Rev. Pirjo-Liisa Penttinen, World Young Women's Christian Association (Finland), Engineer Fouad Youssef, Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Hachem, Greek Catholic Melkite Church (Lebanon) and Mr. Hubert van Beek, GCF Secretary.

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