Series of Family-related seminars organized by “Books for Life”

 

Beirut-LEBANON: As partners in the Year of the Family 2006 campaign, the Bible Society organized a series of family-related seminars at its Christian Resource Center “Books for Life”. The five seminars have been held weekly every Friday evening starting April 28 and ending May 26 inclusive. Hundreds have attended the events while thousands more will be able to view them when they are broadcast on SAT-7, the Christian Satellite Television in the Middle East, who is the campaign leader for the Year of the Family initiative.

The first seminar was led by Bishop Bechara Al-Raii, President of the Episcopal Commission for Family Affairs. Bishop Al-Raii addressed the issues behind one of the objectives of the Year of the Family campaign: Instilling Christian values in homes. “The family is the first place where its members learn about Jesus Christ,” said the bishop. “The Christian faith starts at home and is then nourished in the Church”.

 The second talk was presented by Ms. Jocelyne Khouieri, a social worker and heading the John Paul II institute for social and educational service. Ms. Khouieri talked about the responsibility of the Christian family towards their community, emphasizing the need to live our Christian faith through actions and words.

 The following week, educational specialist Suzie Nasr shared about the various stages of development in the life of every individual, emphasizing the importance of each stage, citing examples of her own development and the challenges facing each stage.

 The fourth week was an interesting seminar led by Deacon Athanasius Chehwan. He talked about the feelings of belonging and rejection among teenagers and youth. “The teenager era is a difficult one because it is dependent on the previous stage – childhood – and must carry forward into adulthood,” said Deacon Chehwan. “Therefore, this period is very important as it bridges our infancy with the rest of our lives”.

 

 The final talk – Communication inside the Family – was presented by Mr. Nicolas Rizk, principal of a local school and an expert in clinical and educational psychology. “There is a need to have clarity in our family communication,” exclaimed Mr. Rizk, stressing that our verbal communication should be carried directly with each family member and not through a third party member.

 All the seminars ended up with a Question & Answer section and some refreshments, allowing the participants to interact and share some of their own experiences.