October 20, 2021 – Media Associates International is pleased to announce Dar Manhal Al Hayat publishing house in Lebanon as the recipient of our 2021 Robert B. Reekie Global Publisher Award.
Named after MAI founding President Robert B. Reekie, this annual award recognizes the ministry excellence of a Christian publisher serving in a challenging context to provide valuable spiritual resources for its readers. The award comes with a cash gift made possible by an anonymous donor.
“We commend Dar Manhal Al Hayat for its many years of distinguished ministry,” MAI President John Maust wrote to publishing director Sawsan Tannoury, “and especially for your perseverance in creating quality Christian content for the Lebanese people during this period of great economic need and socio-political upheaval in the nation.”
“We have received news of the award with joy and gratitude to MAI and the Lord, who has helped and strengthened us in the midst of frustrating and harsh conditions,” Sawsan responded.
Lebanon finds itself in a deep political and economic crisis, which has sparked widespread protests and two changes of government since 2019. “A currency collapse, shortages and the pandemic have battered the economy and reduced Lebanese who were comfortably middle-class to poverty,” the New York Times recently reported–all this in a nation still reeling from last year’s Beirut port blast leaving 200 dead and sections of the city in wreckage.
But none of this has kept Dar Manhal Al Hayat from publishing and serving its readers.
On October 9, it launched six books by Dr. Imad Shehadeh in partnership with the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS). “Also, we have published two books for children by local authors, with two more on the way,” Sawsan said. “We have also started work on a promising project, ‘The Voice of Arab Women.’”
Dar Manhal al Hayat was established in the 1960s to develop Arabic Christian resources that meet the needs of the Church in Lebanon and various countries in the Arab world.
“The harvest is abundant in this region, which makes it a high priority for us to make Arabic Christian resources accessible at prices that are affordable for Christians,” Sawsan said. “Because the church in the Middle East and North Africa faces many challenges, we do our best to serve and provide it with resources that enhance its daily walk with God.
“It is a privilege and an honor for us to receive this MAI award, and it means so much to me and the staff to receive this good news amid all the sad news [now in our country].”
