When I pay attention, even just for a day, to the beautiful solutions, practices and relationships that my community is planting, I find a hope growing in me that empowers me to continue pursuing a more just and beautiful world.

Rev. Dr. Anthony Purcell is helping students at Dakota Wesleyan University build authentic spiritual communities and discern their callings through student-led ministries, ecumenical partnerships and a ministry of presence.

At a time when we, as human beings, seem so disconnected, these simple acts, one to another, help us to see one another and to reconnect. These acts remind us of what really matters and they reawaken our hearts.

The Rev. Meghan Benson, chaplain at Duke Divinity School, has spent nearly two decades walking alongside students as they discern their calls to ministry. Her work centers on leading worship and offering pastoral care to both residential and hybrid students.

I wonder where you see tangible signs of hope even when it feels everything we know is shifting? I wonder where are the places of hope you can touch or hold…or perhaps even mount on a Christmas tree? May God give us grace to see concrete hope, even in places of desolation and despair.

Love is truly the most powerful force we can encounter. If our communities put the energy it takes them to be angry into being loving, no challenge will stand against them. Love always wins.

When the Rev. Brian Anderson meets a new student at Alaska Pacific University, he sees more than just a name on a roster. “What inspires hope for me,” he says, “is beginning relationships. Meeting each new student and reconnecting with returning ones over the years. It’s a privilege to walk alongside them.” 

A pioneering partnership between Garrett Evangelical-Theological Seminary and Africa University is reshaping how theological education is delivered globally, thanks to a $400,000 grant from the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF) administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM).

We are layered people. We work with layered people. Our experiences and memories make of us a cohesive canvas of seemingly contradictory feelings. This is who we are. And that is ok.

In early September, leaders from United Methodist-related, University Senate-listed colleges and universities joined representatives from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Study USA partnership with the British Council in Northern Ireland.