{"id":21335,"date":"2014-09-12T22:27:58","date_gmt":"2014-09-13T03:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/mee\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T07:21:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T12:21:28","slug":"mee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/regions\/mee\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East and Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/span>\"\"
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tCountries<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t

Countries<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tPartners<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t

Partners<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tMission Co-Workers<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t

Mission Co-Workers<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tSpecial Projects<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t

Special Projects<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tAdvocacy<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t

Advocacy<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Jesus was a Middle Easterner, as were the first Christian missionaries\u2014James, Peter, Paul, Mark, and Thomas among them. Our Christian faith ties us to the Middle East, where Christ was born; and to Europe, to which Christianity spread and underwent historic reform. As North American churches in the Reformed tradition, our faith heritage\u2014and for many, our family roots\u2014are grounded in the Middle East and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Ministries is part of this rich Christian heritage, steeped in UCC and Disciples missionary history of more than two centuries. The first Congregational missionaries to the Middle East left for Smyrna (Izmir, Turkey), Beirut, and Jerusalem in 1819; the first Disciples missionary went to Jerusalem in 1849. They found living and witnessing Christian communities there, even as they discovered great ecumenical and interfaith diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, our Middle Eastern and European partners offer important witness in contexts of diverse religious traditions\u2014and of changing religious landscapes. We are blessed to accompany many churches, faith-based organizations, and institutions in the Middle East and Europe as they strive to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n