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In May 2015, five years into her doctoral program, Felicia George got a surprise knock on her door from an unwelcome guest. It was a very rare form of Dysautonomia that took four and half years of her researching to be diagnosed. Along with other debilitating symptoms, encephalopathy returned after...

No one ever had to guess what Keshira Watson wanted to do for a living. From the time she was in 2nd grade, she just knew. “I’ve always known that I was called to ministry,” said Keshira, 22, a student at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Ark., a historically...

The African Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education (AAMIHE) and the African Association of United Methodist Theological Institutions (AAUMTI) made history in late October 2023 by electing Methodist educational leaders to serve on the newly established African Senate for Methodist Education (ASME). The nominations took place during the “Methodist...

UMC Partnerships Help to Strengthen Theological Education What could a newlywed from Alabama and a grandfather of two living in Washington, D.C., possibly have in common? Well as seminary students striving towards their ministerial calling, they may have more in common than meets the eye. Both John Bruce and Leslie...

Roland Fernandes Named as Successor to Lead Both Agencies Rev. Greg Bergquist, general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), has requested a retired relationship from the California-Nevada Annual Conference, effective June 30, 2024, after serving as GBHEM’s chief executive for more than five years. Roland...

The Methodist Ecumenical Office of Rome hosted senior leaders from the World Methodist Historical Society and the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU) in early September. Dr. Amos Nascimento and General Secretary, Rev. Greg Bergquist attended the conference on behalf of The General Board of Higher Education...

Growing up a pastor’s kid in the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Kevin Kosh Jr. rebuffed the idea of becoming a pastor himself when he grew up. Despite what people observed about him and what he knew deep down, he wanted to blaze his own trail....

If YOUTH 2023 illustrated anything to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) staff taking part, it was that the future looks brighter than a lot of people may realize. With teenagers from all over the world converging on the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Ocean Center from July 25-28,...

Julia Tippen’s college career may have been temporarily interrupted by a pandemic. That wasn’t going to stop the recent university graduate from making the most of her opportunity, though—not even close. Heading into the second half of her freshman year at New Orleans’ Dillard University, one of the 11 United...

While many people have just begun to think about alternative power sources for their homes and businesses, the Higher Institute of Theology of Abadjin-Doumé (ISTHA) has depended on it since 2019, thanks to funding through the Central Conference Theological Education Fund (CCTEF). Located in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, ISTHA opened in...