A vital part of MEM’s new strategy is our commitment to holistically empowering, discipling and training new media ministry teams made up of local believers. Hear about the latest developments in the region from our Director of New Teams, and commit to praying for them.

Creative media impacts communities in remarkable and unpredictable ways. Read how two of our popular children's projects are not only touching the lives of children, but their parents' lives as well. 

Prayer is one of, if not the most, important pillar of our ministry in the Middle East and North Africa. With 2023 underway, there is no better way to crown the new year than by covering it in prayer. We really hope that you will continue to partner with us in this way over the coming months. To inspire you, we have provided 23 things that you can be praying with us in 2023. The 23 different points are split into seven sections, so that you can tackle a theme each day of the week!

We’ve reported on the incredible journey of Basma and her children for some years in our MEMO newsletter and Call2Prayer updates. Read the latest update on her story here.

Our Blossoms courses continue to support both local and refugee women in North Africa. These workshops use art and drama therapy to help women emotionally process and express their difficult experiences in a safe environment. Here we interview Reem, a lady in her 30s from North Africa, whose life was transformed through Blossoms this summer.

An update on the two retreats for New Church Believers run by our Gulf office in July this year.

Join us in praying this week for our new partnership with a church in Northern Iraq, as we provide media training and discipleship to a group of Kurdish and Iranian believers from Muslim backgrounds, empowering them to reach their own people groups with the Gospel.

Friday 12th August is International Youth Day. With this year’s theme focusing on intergenerational solidarity and fighting ageism, it is undeniable that one of the biggest differences and potential barriers between young and old in the twenty-first century is the pervasiveness of media and technology. Join us in prayer for intergenerational harmony in the Middle East, and for our online Kingdom Platform initiative for young people.

Our ministry in the Gulf devotes a significant proportion of their time to supporting and walking alongside Christian believers from a Muslim background – New Church (NC) believers, as they prefer to be known. Please join us in prayer today for two upcoming spiritual training retreats for a number of NC believers who are emerging as potential Christian leaders and counsellors within their communities.

The 20th June is recognised annually to honour the millions of refugees around the world. Warmth, shelter, food security, clean water, sanitation, protection from harm...these are among the most urgent needs of those seeking refuge. However, our many years of work in the region have highlighted just how much more emotional and psychological support survivors need once these basics have been established. Join us in prayer today for refugees, aid workers and nations, as well as for our Life in the Desert programme helping children in refugee camps across the MENA.

People in Arab nations spend more time online daily than the global average, according to a report published in January of this year. After a time of such faithful and fervent prayer during our recent MEM week, let us not lose this momentum. God is mightily at work in this region, and is using media at an accelerating rate to reach the unreached in our digital era. Whether you attended our events last week or not, we are eager for you to be a part of this exciting future……so will you join us in prayer?

With Ramadan now over, this shouldn’t stop us from praying for the needs of Muslims and those from all faith backgrounds across the Middle East.

For nearly 2 billion Muslims across the world, 20% of which live in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the 2nd April begins the holiest month of the year - Ramadan. Join us over the next 30 days in praying for the many Muslims undergoing a time of fasting and sacrifice at this time, learning from our field teams, and in taking time to embrace some of the cultural aspects of this season.

The first ten days (Ashra) of Ramadan are known as the days of mercy and heavenly rewards. During this time, Muslims are to spend time confessing their sins, giving account, and seeking the mercy of Allah. Join us over the next ten days as we pray and learn alongside millions across the Middle East.

The next Ashra is called Maghfirah, the days of forgiveness. During this time, Muslims must seek the forgiveness of Allah for their sins, for this is when his forgiveness is said to be at its peak. Many Muslims reading through the Qur’an during Ramadan will read the part where Jesus’ birth and life is recounted during this period. Join us in prayer and reflection.

Nijat is the third and most important Ashra because of the inclusion of a number of important dates in the Islamic calendar. It begins on the Friday evening (22nd April) with Laylat-al-Qadr (The Night of Power). This year, Coptic Easter coincides with this third Ashra in the Middle East.

On the 29th day of Ramadan, people go out and look for a new crescent moon. If it is sighted, the end of Ramadan is declared and Eid can begin. Eid al-Fitr is the act of celebration following a month of fasting. Join us as we embrace some of the cultural aspects of Eid, including your own Eid recipe to try, and as we pray for those gathering together to celebrate.

The 8th March marks International Women’s Day, and the whole of this month is marked in the United States as Women’s History Month. So much of our work not only seeks to support women in the MENA, but would not be possible without the women of MEM. Across our various teams, the women of MEM work tirelessly to see lives transformed through media across the Middle East and beyond. Join us in lifting up our various women’s projects and the women of MEM in prayer this month!