Meet our Founders

MECA was started in 2015 by Manuel and Stephanie Abu Ali.

Manuel is the Chairman of MECA. He was born in Bethlehem to a family of rich Christian heritage. His father Musa was a well-known Baptist pastor in the Holy Land.

Manuel spent his childhood in USA, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He experienced many wars and violence in the region. One of his earliest childhood memories is helping his family to stick duct tape to doors and windows while holding a mask awaiting a chemical attack during the Gulf War.

He completed a Discipleship Training School focused on reconciliation and peace making with YWAM in Belfast, Northern Ireland and he is a Theology graduate of Calvary Chapel Bible College, Peru.

Manuel was always pained to see so many Christian friends leaving the country due to war and persecution. He has devoted his life to meeting the needs of Middle Eastern Christians and to making people know that they exist and are not forgotten.

Stephanie was born and raised in Northern Ireland. The couple met when she came to volunteer at a Christian children’s home in the Holy Land. She graduated from the Queen’s University Belfast with a degree in law with politics and she has a background of working in NGO organizational development.

Manuel and Stephanie married in 2014 in Jerusalem, where they still live today with their 3 children.

How We Started

Christians in the Middle East have been persecuted for centuries. In 2015, the world watched on as ISIS decimated Christian communities. Many people watched in the comfort of their homes and choose to look away because it wasn’t comfortable, but, these were our brothers and sisters and this was our backyard.

Manuel and Stephanie were living in Northern Ireland. After seeing yet another graphic video of Christians being slaughtered, Manuel could not sleep. As he sat in church the next day, he was struck by the disparity between the comfort of the soft lighting and worship music Christians in the West were enjoying in contrast to the bloodshed eastern Christians were facing.

Where was the outcry?

Why were so few people saying or doing anything about the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria? Why was the church here not standing with the church there? Many people simply didn’t know what was happening or what they could do to help.

Manuel and Stephanie felt called to take action rather than see middle eastern Christians face the consequences of the world’s silence. They took a leap of faith and organized a trip to the Middle East to deliver aid to Christian refugees from Iraq who had fled ISIS. Friends and family and even strangers quickly rallied in support of the trip. That first trip delivered aid to hundreds of people. They sat with the families and heard their stories to share with the world. The voice of the persecuted church was not forgotten.

Since this humble beginning, MECA has helped thousands of people in the Middle East through projects from humanitarian aid to children’s camps. We have built partnerships in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. After struggling with paperwork and registration in the Middle East for several years, the organization was formally registered in the United States as a 501 c (3) in 2024.

Now, we invite you to take action with us. Don’t stay silent!