December 2024 FFL

First Friday Letter The World Methodist Council

December 2024

Advent: Faith seeking Justice and Faith seeking Home See! Your house is left desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ (Luke 13:35) “Lo! He comes with clouds descending” is Charles Wesley’s hymn composed for the season of Advent. The hymn reflects the two dimensions of this season: judgement and promise. The Messiah comes to judge the present and to fulfil the promise of a new creation. With Advent the Church announces in faith that the present reality of sin and oppression is about to give way to the new freedom of the people of God. Advent is a haunting season, calling for penitence and preparation to receive Christ anew. Advent is a liminal time as daylight seeks to erupt at the end of a long dark night. As we journey towards Christmas, deep wailing gives room for shouts of acclamation. The cries of Maranatha - Come! Lord Jesus, to the singing of Hosanna in the highest, on earth peace and goodwill to all (Lk 2:14).

In my most inner life I try to bring these two dimensions of Advent together as I pray: “Maranatha!

On earth be peace!” We live through very violent times. There is an orgy of violence and crimes against humanity. Ethnic cleansing is going on in Sudan, Myanmar, and Gaza. There is war in so many other places, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen to name but a few. In the face of militaristic and authoritarian regimes, advent is judgment of the present and a promise of peace in the coming of Christ.

It is significant that the Prince of Peace, the Son of God is born to a migrant family. No place in the Inn for them. No safety in this world, they became refugees in Egypt. Two years passed and there was no prospect of returning to Bethlehem. So, instead they had to go back to the mountains of Galilee. When his time came Jesus went to face the powers in Jerusalem and to die on the cross.

Following Jesus Christ and the example of the Holy Family, the church can only be a people on the move. That was the theme for the World Methodist Conference in Gothenburg, August 2024. It continues to be the theme for this quinquennium starting now in 2024. Reflecting on this theme, in his contribution to the Symposium, World Christianity in an Era of Accelerated Mobility (which took place in Rome in November), Martin Mujinga, the General Secretary of the African Methodist Council, said that in the plight of refugees and migrants we find faith seeking home! Martin brought the voice from Africa to the Symposium and highlighted the issue of the double ‘unbelonging’ faced by migrants. Their stories remain the result of injustices and dislocation at home, and a quest of faith in seeking a new home.

I wish you a searching and blessed holy season of Advent.

Revd Dr Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto General Secretary World Methodist Council

ID 50617767 Advent ©| Dreamstime.com | Dreamstime.com Photo 136007839 © |Kabayanmark World Methodist Council

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Young People Share Christmas Celebrations As Christmas draws near, youth and young adult within the World Methodist Council are preparing to celebrate in ways that reflect both their faith and vibrant local cultures. Across the globe, these celebrations vary widely—from worship services and festive gatherings to acts of service and unique regional traditions. To honour this diversity, we launched an initiative to gather insights and stories worldwide, offering a meaningful glimpse into the ways young people live out faith and spread Christmas joy around the world.

youth together in fellowship, grounding them in Christian faith to become agents of justice, peace, hope, and love. Each year’s CI has a unique theme; this year, the theme is “Sibol” (sprout), symbolizing growth. The UMYFP encourages the worldwide Methodist youth family to deepen their faith, nurture relationships, and actively participate in God’s mission.

Dave Uriel Angelo Rombaoa, President NUMYFP, UMC Philippines Central Conference (Image below NUMYFP ref.: National United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines)

And we invite you to explore some of these stories…

Sweden is very dark in December, so Christmas and Advent are deeply tied to finding light, both literal and symbolic. One cherished tradition is the feast of St. Lucia, a Christian martyr from Sicily who, through historical twists, became a beloved saint in Lutheran Sweden. In the Uniting Church in Sweden, youth groups often organize Lucia celebrations.

During these events, youth and children, dressed in white, holding candles, sing songs about finding light in darkness. The celebration often continues with festive gatherings, including sales of Christmas goods to support charitable causes. And, of course, no Lucia feast is complete without saffron buns, the signature treat of the day.

Elsa Nobuoka, Pastoral candidate, Uniting Church in Sweden (Image below Feast of St. Lucia ref.: Sala Missionsförsamling - Uniting Church in Sweden in Sala)

In the Philippines, Christmas is a highly anticipated season, marked by traditions like the nine-day evening watch leading to Christmas. For the United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines (UMYFP), it also means the annual Christmas Institute (CI), a program dating back to 1921. CI brings World Methodist Council

Christmas in Australia is characterised by hot weather and summer meals. Being ‘Down Under’ Christmas Day can often be quite warm, often up to 40ºC (105 ºF), and so our traditional Christmas Meals generally includes lots of cold seafood, recognising our costal climate. In the Uniting Church in Australia, our congregations celebrate Christmas with traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services. Outdoor Carol Services, often accompanied by a BBQ, is another common celebration throughout Advent. Frontier Services, our organisation which supports remote Australians in the bush, will be helping to support Australians in more remote parts of the Country. Our Bush Chaplains have the Bush Bash Caravan which spreads cheer across rural towns, and they also coordinate festive gatherings in regional centres. Although the traditions and temperatures may be different to other parts of the world it is still wonderful to celebrate the hope, joy, peace and love of Christmas.

Richard La’Brooy, College Chaplain, Uniting Church in Australia Read more stories here.

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In Memory of WMC Past President

In Memory of Frances Alguire 1927 - 2024 Beloved by family and friends all over the world, Frances M. (Werner) Alguire passed away peacefully at age 97, accepting a sudden health decline with grace and the faith that her work on Earth was done. Known for her love of family, genuine caring for others, and belief in women’s leadership abilities, her spirit will continue with all who knew her.

Dr. Alguire served as President/ Chairperson of World Methodist Council (1996-2001), becoming the first woman and the first lay person to ever lead the 34,000,000+ members at the time she was President. Other life honors and recognitions included receiving a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Adrian College, Adrian, MI and a second Doctorate from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL. Fran treasured the numerous Certificates of Recognition and Honorary Mission Membership pins from Jurisdiction, Conference, District and local United Methodist Women’s groups and was included as one of “350 Women Who Changed The World 1976-1996” in Working Women’s Magazine.

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Fran and Don helped found the Chapel Hill United Methodist Church (UMC) in Battle Creek, Michigan (1950s). After moving to Illinois, Fran’s leadership roles grew through church volunteer roles and her Women’s Circle, becoming a Certified Lay Speaker and Mission Interpreter.

Through the UMC, Fran consulted on Women and Health Programs, Leadership Development, Community Volunteers, Evangelism and Program Planning. She embraced more significant church leadership roles at the state, and then the regional, national, and international levels. From 1971 to 1996 she served in leadership roles with the UMC Commission on General Conference, the United Methodist Women’s Division, UMC Northern Illinois Conference, United Methodist Women Jurisdictions, United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, UMC West Michigan Conference, and the World Methodist Council.

Highlights of Dr. Alguire’s time as President/Chairperson of World Methodist Council (WMC) included meeting with the international dignitaries and local church communities, meeting with the leaders of World Religions in Rome at the Millennium, and awarding five World Methodist Peace Awards.

Fran delighted in meeting local people internationally, as well as ambassadors and dignitaries, including Pope John Paul II, Dr. Kofi Annan, the King, Queen and Royal Princess of Tonga, Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo of Argentina, Dr. Nelson Mandela, Dr. Desmond Tutu, and President Jimmy Carter. She chaired multiple international World Methodist Officers’ meetings and World Methodist Executive Committee meetings, attended World Methodist Council meetings, and gave over 50 speaking presentations at numerous U.S. and international locations including Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Tonga, West Samoa, Indonesia, South Korea, and the Philippines. Concurrently, she spoke at local churches, led

legislative groups, and served on the Boards of the North Western Missionary Society, the Epworth Old Rectory, and the Directors of Adrian College.

At the end of her tenure as President/Chair of WMC, Dr. Alguire initiated an Endowment Fund to support future lay people serving as President/Chair of the WMC as well as a WMC leadership award “The Honorable Order of Jerusalem”. She continued to speak in person and on TV/radio, publish articles, support women and laity in leadership roles at her local church, serve as Advisor to the World Council of Churches, and publish a book: God Trusted a Woman: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Dr. Frances M. Alguire, First Laywoman to Lead the World Methodist Council.

Throughout the years, Fran kept a daily journal, hosted family and friends, gardened, antiqued, and made handmade needlecraft items and renowned baked goods.

When she moved to The Cedars of Chapel Hill in North Carolina in 2006, she joined the local Altrusa Club and volunteered at the DuBose Healthcare Facility. Later, as a resident of DuBose, Fran continued to nurse and nurture leadership in others by giving daily greetings, thanks, and blessings to all. In 2023, she initiated two Named Funds at the University of North Carolina (UNC) to support leadership in the fields of nursing and geriatric medicine.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the following: World Methodist Council Endowment Fund for Youth Leadership https://worldmethodistcouncil. org/contact-us-2/ Read more here.

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Council of Nicaea 325AD - 1700th Anniversary Next year, 2025, marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a council of church leaders and others called by the Emperor Constantine to reflect on the being of Jesus Christ. Controversy about the exact nature of Christ - human or divine or both? - was threatening to divide the Empire, and Constantine and his imperial colleagues were concerned. Thus there were mixed motives for this event - concern for the faith, for the unity of the church, undoubtedly, but also issues of power, ambition, control…

However, out of this gathering, and a subsequent gathering at Constantinople in 381AD, emerged one of the great Creeds of the church – the Nicaean-Constantinopolitan Creed, the creed in the words of which we, together, as the people of God, affirm the Christian faith: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty…in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God... in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.

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the World Council of Churches’ emphasis on faith, unity and mission.

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what may be the role, if any, of creeds in the twenty-first century

Complexities remain, the church is not united, questions continue on how the spread of the Gospel has been implemented, but Jesus Christ calls us to be one that the world may believe (John 17.21).

Submitted by Gillian Kingston (chair of the working group)

Dates and times for the World Methodist Council’s webinars marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea 325AD.

Many Christian World Communions will be marking this event, with all its ambivalence, and among them, the World Methodist Council. A working group was set up at the Steering Committee of the World Methodist Council, meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, in August 2023, to reflect on how best ‘the people called Methodist’ might mark this anniversary. Following a number of online gatherings, the working group is planning to hold three webinars, based on world regions and time zones, these are open to all interested people.

March 3 Asia-Pacific

These webinars will take place during March 2025 – see dates and times below. The registration details will be made available in due course. It is hoped, also, that there study material, for use at congregational level and in several languages, will be available on the Council’s website. This proposal was agreed by the World Methodist Council meeting in Gothenburg in August 2024.

March 4 North and South America

Under the title, A Wesleyan Response to Nicaea: Reflections on Faith, Unity and Mission, the speakers will be invited to consider, among a number of issues •

the historical complexity of the 325AD gathering at Nicaea;

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the Nicene - Constantinopolitan Creed as an agreed statement of faith by Christians of many traditions and denominations;

World Methodist Council

Ireland 07:00 Germany 08:00 Sydney 18:00 Suva, Fiji 19:00 Manila, Philippines 15:00 Seoul, South Korea 17:00

Ireland 20:00 Germany 21:00 Atlanta 15:00 Rio de Janeiro 17:00 Mexico City 14:00

March 18 Europe and Africa Ireland Germany Accra Cape Town Atlanta

14:00 15:00 14:00 16:00 21:00

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Synodality as Social Holiness A Methodist Reflection-16th Ordinary General Assembly, Synod of Bishops In the First Session of the Synod (2023) I participated as the President of the World Methodist Council. I came back again to the Second Session in 2024 as the immediate past President of the WMC. My initial expectations of the Synod and my later expectations were significantly different. Last year in the aftermath of the division of the United Methodist Church, having gone through a long tunnel of debate on marriage and human sexuality, I had great empathy with most of Catholic delegates who thought their great challenge was to overcome the poisonous opposition between traditionalists and progressives. But this year I was one of many other participants who believed that there seemed to be more fundamental challenge than how we can heal the polarization stemming from culture war in the secular world, i.e., how can the Church critically embrace all of the diverse cultures of our world? My changed expectations were derived not only from my Methodist heritage but also from my cultural gift as a Korean living in East Asia.

The synodal Church as the Church on the move needs a conversion of theological imagination to develop her deep solidarity with the insurrection of the subjugated knowledge among the indigenous people, the migrants and refugees, and the people of other faiths. It is urgent for the synodal Church on the move to require the holy People of God “proper formation so that they can witness to the joy of the Gospel and grow in the practice of synodality, … in following Jesus Christ, contemplated in prayer and recognized in those who are poor.” (The Final Document of the Synod

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141) This phrase gave me spiritual energy when I was fatigued at the end of the Synod. It reminds me of Jesus’ evangelism of the Kingdom of God which started by being with his own people “living in darkness, living in the land of the shadow of death.” (Matt 4:16) Synodality (syn + hodos) as social holiness means walking with the People of God “not from the greatest to the least but from the least to the greatest” (Isa 31:34) in conformity to Christ. (Rom 8:29) In my final Intervention at the Synod I reaffirm “God in Christ Reconciling: On the Way to Full Communion in Faith, Sacraments, and Mission” which is the 2018 Report from the World Methodist Council-Roman Catholic Dialogue Commission.

Methodists welcome the ways in which the exercise of episkope (oversight) in service of the universal Church by recent Bishops of Rome has been more centered on the teaching of Christ and more attentive to the practice of collegiality and synodality in ways that honor the diverse needs of the denominational Churches. In a fully reconciled Church, where the ministry of the Pope as the guarantor of synodality is at the service of unity, Methodists would not be required to lose their characteristic traditions and polity. Through dialogue Methodists and Catholics together are coming to a deeper understanding of the ministry of universal primacy in the service of reconciliation and communion.

Rev. Dr. Jong Chun Park WMC Immediate Past President

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European Methodist Council: Strengthening Connections and Mission in Europe Founded in 1993, the European Methodist Council (EMC) brings together leaders from Methodist, Wesleyan, and Uniting Churches across Europe. It serves as a collaborative platform, enabling member churches to address Europe’s evolving challenges through prayer, cooperation, and mutual support. The EMC’s member churches are spread throughout Europe and beyond—from Ireland to Russia and from Sweden to North Africa—representing the rich heritage of Methodism and fostering strong ecumenical relationships.

Mission and Vision The EMC’s core aim is to expand the Methodist witness, coordinate efforts, and strengthen the presence of Methodism in ecumenical and social contexts across Europe. It achieves this by bringing leaders together twice annually to discuss shared challenges, exchange resources, and explore initiatives that support congregations’ involvement in social justice and outreach work. While consultative in nature, the EMC’s influence significantly informs local decisions and shapes the collective understanding among its member churches.

EMC Activities The Council advances initiatives on key issues affecting both church and society, such as environmental stewardship, migration, and youth engagement through the European Methodist Youth and Children Forum (EMYCF). In 2019, EMC member churches adopted climate commitments, pledging to take proactive steps within their communities.

The EMC also collaborates with related organisations, including the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome (MEOR), the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (WFMUCW), and others, while fostering connections with ecumenical partners such as the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE), the Conference of European Churches, and the Churches’ Commission for

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Migrants in Europe (CCME), ensuring that Methodist perspectives contribute to broader Christian initiatives.

Fund for Mission in Europe A key committee within the EMC is the Fund for Mission in Europe (FMIE), which supports projects addressing urgent needs in outreach and community service. Distributing over €200,000 annually across 25 countries, the Fund enables churches to develop initiatives in areas such as diaconal work, leadership training, and youth engagement, all made possible through donations from over 20 countries. Guided by the principle, “Help one another, learn from one another,” the Fund embodies the EMC’s dedication to mutual support. Andreas Stämpfli serves as the FmiE Office Manager.

Governance and Leadership The EMC is led by an Executive Committee, cochaired by Bishop Harald Rückert (UMC Germany Central Conference) and Doug Godfrey-Swanney (Methodist Church in Britain), who guide the Council’s work and strategic direction. Other members of the Executive Committee include Rev. Dr. Heather Morris (Methodist Church in Ireland), Bishop Christian Alsted (UMC Northern Europe Central Conference), Rev. Mirella Manocchio (Methodist Churches in Italy), and Rev. Uwe Onnen (UMC Germany Central Conference). The EMC’s Support Officer is Stefanie Gabuyo.

For more information on the EMC’s mission, member churches, and activities, please visit

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UMC Bishops issue statement on US elections A Pastoral Letter from the United Methodist Church Council of Bishops “Now faith, hope, and love remain…and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 CEB Greetings, May the grace of God and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits. Amid the change and uncertainty that have resulted from the recent U.S. elections, and the ways in which these matters will impact the whole world, we remember that we are held by the enduring power of God’s love and the call to be agents of that love in the world.

Bishop Tracy S. Malone President - Council of Bishops

We find ourselves at a critical historical juncture that future generations will scrutinize. It presses upon the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, a worldwide body, to speak and act with moral clarity, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ and our commitment to justice and compassion for all.

We affirm the inherent dignity of all God’s children. As our Social Principles remind us, “God calls all members of the human family to recognize and protect the dignity and worth of all people.” The lessons of history teach us the dangers of silence in the face of threats to human rights. Therefore, we cannot remain silent. We call upon all United Methodists to exercise their faith and to pray, speak, and act for justice and peace.

Our baptismal vows call us “to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” We therefore reject rhetoric, policies, and actions that demean or discriminate against any of God’s children and will be vigilant in defending the rights of the vulnerable and speaking out against oppression.

To people of all generations, especially our young, who yearn for a more just and inclusive world, your vision and passion give us hope. We commit to working alongside you to build the beloved community that reflects God’s kingdom on earth. In the days ahead, we will continue this vital work uninterrupted and with renewed vigor. And we commit ourselves to prayer for our political leaders around the globe.

Bishop Tracy S. Malone President - Council of Bishops The United Methodist Church Read more here.

Committee Vacancies and Roles Help the World Methodist Council move forward by serving as a Chair or Member of one of the Committees! Click here to access Nomination Forms and Vacant Committees!

World Methodist Council

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Seeking 2025 Peace Award Nominees If you have been planning to nominate someone who exemplifies Courage, Creativity, and Consistency for the World Methodist Peace Award, please act.

Applications must be submitted by 14 April. Note, all supporting documents must be included.

The nominee should show courage in regard to physical danger or putting personal interest at risk. Creativity should include opening new initiatives and attracting others in working for the cause of peace, Consistency is judged by effort over a period of time and intensity, despite setbacks. Here is the link to read the full criteria: http://worldmethodistcouncil.org/whatwedo/world-methodist-peace-award/ The recipient receives a medallion, citation and US $1000 which is symbolic of the larger recognition achieved in working for peace, justice and reconciliation. The recipient is included in the World Methodist Council Peace award booklet and the photo will be featured on the WMC webpage.

Click here to complete the online application. Please send all nomination forms to the General Secretary at info@worldmethodistcouncil.org.

Creation Responsibility: Dealing with the Climate Crisis Hello, my name is Simone Viljoen. I’m a lay delegate to the Austrian Annual Conference, a member of the World Methodist Council, and part of the Steering Team of the Austrian UMC. The Austrian UMC views itself as a network of individuals on a path of learning and journeying together, connected through our common faith and Methodist tradition. The Steering Team of this network includes representatives from children and youth work, laity, clergy, creation care, education, and internationalism and diversity. My central focus within my ministry is creation care. Leading up to the Austrian national elections and during the month of Creation (September), the “living” Creation Responsibility Guide was developed and published. As a community committed to learning and journeying together, we aim to continuously develop our approach to environmental stewardship.

I invite you to explore this evolving guide, engage with its reflections, and implement its suggestions in ways that make sense for you and your communities. Our hope is that it will inspire action—whether by reducing waste, fostering local initiatives, or advocating for policy changes. As a church, we are called to embody justice, love, and mercy, setting an example through our actions and commitment to caring for God’s creation.

Creation care is not merely a task but a joyful and hopeful expression of our faith. It is an ongoing journey, one that we undertake together, learning and growing as we respond to the needs of our world. Thank you for joining us in this mission.

Climate change is an urgent environmental and societal issue, and faith communities have a unique responsibility and opportunity to address it. Our church’s mission calls us to grow spiritually and take action, grounded in the conviction that caring for God’s creation is central to our faith. This guide is not about assigning blame but about recognizing our collective and individual capacity to make a positive impact. These guidelines are a key part of our mission, offering a hopeful, proactive, and practical approach that empowers individuals and congregations to engage meaningfully with environmental stewardship. They are designed to be a helpful tool, encouraging small yet impactful changes that contribute to a more environmentally and socially conscious lifestyle. They remind us that each of us can—and should—contribute to taking care of God’s creation.

Submitted through: WMC Youth and Young Adult Committee

World Methodist Council

Link to the guide: https://emk.at/en/ueber-uns/ schoepfungsverantwortung. If you would like to connect, contact me at: klima@emk.at

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Register for the European Methodist Lecture Program With the goal to reflect theologically on important Methodist topics, deepen knowledge, perceive the different contexts of our church (social, confessional, political) with their influences on our “being church”, and strengthen trans-regional connexional ties we started a European Methodist Lecture Program in 2021. Together with Dr Meeli Tankler (Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary, Estonia) in this winter semester followed by Prof Dr Stephan von Twardowski (Reutlingen School of Theology, Germany) and in collaboration with Wesley House, Cambridge (Great Britain), we turn to students and teachers at Methodist theological training centers in Europe. The program is also open to ministers and interested lay people of Methodist churches.

We have been able to secure European expert speakers for the EMLP on the following topics: • 2021 “Social Forms of Methodist Theology” • 2022 “Wesleyan/Methodist inspiration and insights to the understanding of the Church” • 2023 “Leadership and Ministry in Wesleyan Contexts” This year, autumn 2024, our again challenging topic is: “Love, Grace and Transformation: Worship as Ethics and Ethics as Worship in Methodist Theology”.

Have a look at the program and the short content descriptions of each lecture: Check out the Program by clicking here.

About 100 people have registered this year, but of course not everyone is always online on Tuesday evenings. We record the lectures and make them available to those who have registered, so that they can still listen to the topics they missed.

However, they will miss the discussions in small groups that follow the 45 minutes lectures and the concluding plenary discussion, which allows the diversity of contextual perspectives from the 24 countries of the participants to be heard.

Methodist theological education is offered in a wide variety of ways in Europe: from full-time residential programs, hybrid offerings, a combination of block seminars and online classes to agreements with public university faculties with additional Methodist offerings and teaching contracts. It is an inspiring opportunity to bring Methodists from our rather small institutions in Europe into contact with each other and to experience the innovative power of connectionalism as a church model.

Historical background: After the fall of the Berlin World Methodist Council

wall in 1989, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church encouraged official closer cooperation among theological training institutions in the four UMC Central Conferences in Europe that existed at that time. This cooperation was subsequently extended to united and autonomous Methodist churches too.

Today 16 training institutions work together in the network of Methodist-related Theological Schools in Europe (for the history of MTSE, please have a look at https://www.gbhem.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/th-mtse-broschure-final.pdf).

In 2012, GBHEM also began decentralizing its world-wide Methodist educational responsibility and at the same time expanding it to include partnerships with churches in the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition. Today there are nine continental networks with central coordinating offices, so-called LEAD Hubs (Hubs for Leadership, Education, and Development), in North America, Brazil, Argentina, South-Africa, Mozambique, Philippines, Korea, Great Britain and (Continental) Europe. The Reutlingen School of Theology is the “LEAD Hub Europe”.

It should be emphasized at this point that the work of the LEAD Hubs goes far beyond the UMC and like the beginnings of the WMC - is “inner-ecumenically” based in the Wesleyan- Methodist tradition.

Like the World Methodist Council and its European counterpart, the European Methodist Council, the LEAD Hub Europe is working together with churches in the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition, develop programs and projects, offer student exchanges, support theological education and works together with other Methodist networks like the World Methodist Historical Society – European Section, the European E-Academy, the Institute for Multicultural Ministry and the Women’s network. At the same time, there is also an intensive exchange with the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities, the worldwide general education Methodist network and an affiliate of the WMC. In October, Stephan von Twardowski succeeded me as Executive Director of the LEAD Hub Europe and is continuing the networking as well as preparing the EMLP for next year.

All these named networks are interwoven and seek to work together worldwide to support the mission of the church and fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission in its effort to bring people into relationship with God, themselves and each other, through holistic education, to liberate them to think and act independently in a way that is in keeping with all creation.

Prof em Dr Ulrike Schuler, Germany ED LEAD Hub Europe, 2017-2024 First Friday Letter page 9

Photo credits: Perkins School of Theology/ R. Hipps

Please send press releases, articles and resources! Submissions should be a page or less (450-500 words), edited and ready to publish. Contact us by Wednesday, 18 December at communications@worldmethodistcouncil.org if you would like your story to be included in the January edition of the First Friday Letter.

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About the First Friday Letter

This and past First Friday Letters can be found online at FirstFridayLetter.worldmethodistcouncil.org.

The First Friday Newsletter is a monthly publication of the World Methodist Council.

The World Methodist Council’s website may be found at worldmethodistcouncil.org.

The World Methodist Council’s Conference website is at worldmethodistconference.org.

To subscribe to this newsletter, please email communications@worldmethodistcouncil.org.

Publisher: Rev. Dr. Reynaldo F. Leão Neto, General Secretary

Communications: Michaela Bryson All stories and photos, unless otherwise stated, are protected by their respective copyrights. Please do not copy without expressed written permission from the Council.

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