2026 marks the 35th anniversary of the Education Committee of the World Methodist Council (WMC), which was created during the meeting of the World Methodist Council in Singapore in 1991. As the World Methodist Council had its official meeting in El Salvador in August 2026, The Rev. Prof. Dr. Connie Semy Mella, who is the Chairperson of the WMC Committee on Education and Theological Education, took the opportunity to celebrate this moment with the publication of a report documenting these 35 years as well as with committee meetings and a special liturgy to reflect about the achievements and challenges in Methodist education. These activities provided an opportunity to project new perspectives and plans for the committee’s future work.
The publication of a detailed historical report assessing the evolution of the committee was made possible by relying on the research done by Prof. Dr. Almir de Souza Maia (Brazil) for the years 1991-2011. This was complemented by Prof. Dr. Amos Nascimento (Brazil/USA), the former Chairperson of the WMC Education Committee between 2006 and 2024, who consulted the official minutes and documents describing the committee’s work to expand the account and include developments between 2011 and 2024. The Rev. Prof. Dr. Connie Semy Mella became the Chairperson of the committee in 2024 and provided more recent information and perspectives, showing how the committee has evolved with a new structure between 2024 and 2026 as the Education Committee (EduC) merged with the Committee on Theological Education to become the Committee on Education and Theological Education (CETE). Bringing together all these years of experience and the activities, the authors of the report suggested that the joint work of EduC and CETE yields a new nomenclature and acronym, EDUCATE, which combines education (EDUC) And Theological Education (TE).
This publication also honors the life and legacy of Almir Maia (1945-2015), a former member of the WMC Committee who initiated the project of writing the committee’s history in 2010 and published a first part of its history in 2011. By recognizing his authorship, the committee also honored his memory. The full report was distributed to all delegates of the World Methodist Council (WMC) and is available to all those interested. For more information on the WMC Committee on Education and Theological Education (EDUCATE), please contact The Rev. Prof. Dr. Connie Semy Mella.