The General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) held the meetings of both Boards of Directors in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2026. In a context of wars and threats that affected the planning and logistics of this event, the theme for this meeting was “Blessed are the Peacemakers.” Participants gathered in the UMC East Africa Episcopal Area, also as way to honor and support a new form of relationship and partnership with Eastern Africa. As part of this meeting, General Secretary Roland Fernandes presented his report, emphasizing the urgent need for faithful global engagement in a time of deep global instability and informing participants about the actions being performed by both boards to pursue this goal.
The report reiterated and expanded the approach proposed in the previous year, which focuses on five areas: Education, Global Health, Migration, Agriculture and Humanitarian Aid, and Peace and Justice. Considering the current situation in the world and the theme “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” there was a strong consensus that “peacebuilding” should be a priority. In the area of education, Fernandes informed that the agency is developing a new education strategy, with new initiatives that include the launching of a Regional Conference Higher Education Fund (RCHEC), the Africa Education Fund, additional support for United Methodist-related Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States, and a comprehensive redesign of scholarship programs. He also highlighted improvements in theological education through revisions to the Course of Study, a theology of ordained ministry through the Study of Ministry Commission, and the partnership with Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) to accredit the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Center at Mary Johnston Hospital in the Philippines.
The meeting in Kenya also included the training and Commissioning of new missionaries being places in various locations worldwide as well as visit to projects related to global health, agriculture, ministry, and education. For more information, visit the GBHEM website.