25.08.2020

First virtual lecture about mission

The General Secretary of UEM, Volker Martin Dally, kicked off the virtual lecture series "Mission Lectures" with his online lecture on August 20, 2020. The audience included scholarship holders and alumni of the UEM scholarship program. The zoom lecture was organized by the Training & Empowerment Department, which is responsible for the scholarship program. 48 students and alumni in Asia, Africa and Germany followed the lecture on their computers. Due to the great worldwide interest not all registrations could be considered.

Under the heading "The UEM today: global perspectives of UEM with regard to 25 years of internationalization" Volker Martin Dally explained the development of historical missionary work in the 18th and 19th centuries and the changes in the structure and fields of work of UEM since its internationalization in 1996. The General Secretary pointed out that the UEM is continuously evaluating its five main areas of activity in order to reform and transform itself according to the changing landscapes within its member churches. The theologian sees the new format of global learning in an ecumenical perspective, or "GLEP" for short, as a promising educational tool for improving perspectives within the fields of work convivence (living together) and pro-existence in the UEM communion. In addition, one is struggling within the UEM to abolish the donor and recipient mentality, especially in bilateral partnerships, in order not to fall back into old patterns of missionary work. Dr. Andar Parlindungan, Head of the Training & Empowerment Department, added: "The strengths of UEM lie in its internationalization and its spirit of equality, in which all member churches commit themselves to be united in the UEM family in mutual responsibility and ownership. According to the Indonesian theologian, this concept of mission allows for a creative approach to communication that constantly renews the international spirit of UEM".

After the presentation, the participants were assigned to six working groups, in which further questions were discussed about the relevance of God's mission in today's challenging times, the relevance of UEM's five main areas of work, the role of the GLEP approach and the challenges within the UEM family.

The virtual lecture series on the topic of mission will be continued with the involvement of various speakers from the UEM communion and partner universities. The international online lectures are an efficient way to present the communion of churches - despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 - in academic circles in a vivid and broad-based way and to explore various possibilities for further cooperation and support by the alumni of the scholarship program and the UEM member churches.

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