{"id":127,"date":"2025-11-29T18:45:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T18:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/?page_id=127"},"modified":"2025-11-29T18:45:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T18:45:47","slug":"about-bless","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/about-bless\/","title":{"rendered":"About Bless"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services (BLESS)<\/strong> is the social and developmental arm of the <strong>Coptic Orthodox Church (COC)<\/strong>. Founded in 1962 by Papal decree and led by the visionary leadership of the late <strong>Bishop Samuel<\/strong>, BLESS has long been dedicated to uplifting communities, promoting social justice, and strengthening ecumenical relations in Egypt and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since its establishment, BLESS has been entrusted with three core mandates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Community Development<\/strong> \u2013 Empowering the most marginalized communities through sustainable, inclusive, and transformative development programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Charity and Social Support<\/strong> \u2013 Providing essential assistance and financial support to individuals and families in need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecumenical Engagement<\/strong> \u2013 Strengthening the Coptic Church\u2019s relationships with national and international churches and ecumenical bodies.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our Reach<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>BLESS operates in diverse urban and rural settings across Egypt.<br>By the end of 2022, our programs and services had expanded to <strong>44 dioceses<\/strong>, reaching <strong>187 communities<\/strong> with impactful development interventions tailored to local needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our Programs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>BLESS implements its mission through two major service departments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aghapy Program<\/strong> \u2013 Delivering charity and direct social support to vulnerable individuals, families, and communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>BLESS Sustainable Development Programs (BSDP)<\/strong> \u2013 Launched in 2024 as the new phase of our community development efforts.<br>BSDP is focused on advancing national and global sustainable development priorities, particularly in:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gender equality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social and economic inclusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmental sustainability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Through participatory approaches and long-term partnerships, BSDP works to ensure that every community has the tools and opportunities needed for lasting progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our Partnerships<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>BLESS is a strategic partner to numerous national and international organizations supporting Egypt\u2019s development agenda. We collaborate closely with governmental bodies, NGOs, development agencies, and civil society networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, BLESS plays a key role in <strong>ecumenical cooperation<\/strong>, maintaining strong relationships with churches and ecumenical organizations both locally and globally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Us The Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services (BLESS) is the social and developmental arm of the Coptic Orthodox Church (COC). Founded in 1962 by Papal decree and led by the visionary leadership of the late Bishop Samuel, BLESS has long been dedicated to uplifting communities, promoting social justice, and strengthening ecumenical relations&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-127","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128,"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127\/revisions\/128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessuk.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}