Nearly 200 staff members, presenters, and guests came to Atlanta, Georgia (United States) as guests of Peachtree United Methodist Church for a historic meeting connecting almost all the staff members from all around the world. They joined the Staff Meeting of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). This historic event brings two agencies together for the first time since their foundation. GBGM was established in 1819 and GBHEM was created in 1866, but only now, more than 200 years after their beginnings, they are coming together in alignment in order to explore the synergies and collaborative possibilities between Education and Mission. Historically, Methodist educational institutions were among the first initiatives by missionaries who partnered with local populations in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and different parts of North America. Today, the idea of “mission” has evolved to include mutual engagement and the building of symmetric collaborative relationships, but “education” continues to be a key component of this process.
Roland Fernandes, the General Secretary of both agencies, has been challenging the agencies, churches, institutional partners, and society at large to address current social challenges and explore unique opportunities in strategic areas such as education, social justice, health and environmental work, disaster relief and humanitarian aid, peacebuilding and migration, and poverty alleviation. This historic Staff Week is a key moment in which both agencies and hundreds of staff and partners are coalescing into a broader movement with more resources and the resolve to invest in these areas.
For more details, please contact GBGM’s website: https://umcmission.org