Dr. Mary Mikhael
The civil war in Syria has created a desperate humanitarian crisis throughout the region. This crisis follows floods of war-driven refugees out of Afghanistan, Iraq, and other nearby countries over recent years. What are the refugees’ needs? What are the challenges that NGOs and religious groups face in trying to meet those needs? Dr. Mary Mikhael will address these urgent topics.
A Presbyterian who was born in Syria to Greek Orthodox parents, she works with the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, was president (1994–2011) of the Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon, and was the first woman seminary president in the Middle East. Previously, she was director of women’s program for the Middle East Council of Churches (1988–95). Dr. Mikhael has been involved in ecumenical and interfaith activities and is a noted authority on the church in the Middle East and the role of women in the church.
She is author of the 2009 Horizons Bible Study Joshua: A Journey of Faith and was coauthor of She Shall Be Called Woman (2009), a meditation on biblical women.