The Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) at North Park University in Chicago is an academic program which serves as a source of Christian and ecumenical perspectives on international and cross-cultural studies. CMES not only supports the body of Christ in the Middle East, but also educates churches in North America about Middle Eastern concerns. Through a series of lectures and performances on campuses and in churches, CMES engenders academic understanding and personal awareness of the people, issues, religions and cultures of the Middle East.