Ecumenical: UMEIT Trainings

United Methodist Ecumenical and Interreligious Trainings (UMEIT)

2016-2020

The Council of Bishops takes the lead in ecumenical and interreligious relationship-building on behalf of The United Methodist Church.  In order to help develop leaders with them in this ministry, you offer a series of United Methodist Ecumenical and Interreligious Trainings.  UMEIT comes in 6 different forms:

1. UMEIT: Young Adult Network – This is a 2-year training for young adults from across the Connection.  Young adults apply and are chosen to be a cohort together.  They meet once a month via video conference with staff from the COB and are training in leadership, the history of the Ecumenical Movement, the Interreligious Movement, and current issues facing religious traditions.  Once a year they meet face-to-face somewhere in the world to build fellowship and help teach each other.  Each participant is also responsible for developing a training network or ministry in his or her context.  (A new cohort began meeting together in October of 2018.)

2. UMEIT: Ecumenical and Interreligious Plunge – This is a 2-year training commitment for young adults from across the Connection.  Participants are selected and financed by their bishops.  The first year consists of some reading and a 2-week pilgrimage to some of the important venues of the Ecumenical Movement in Europe.  The second year the participants are required to fund their own interreligious pilgrimage to a location of their choice. (The next cohort is scheduled to begin in early 2020, and a minimum of 6 young adults is required.  Please make your choices no later than December 31, 2019.)

3. UMEIT: USA – This is a week-long training event that runs parallel to the National Workshop on Christian Unity.  Annually, this gathering moves around the US and has a different theme every year.  Using a three-year curriculum participants are trained in the basics of ecumenism, the basics of dialogue and the basics of interreligious engagement.  (This is the training event to which all annual conference Christian Unity representatives in the USA should be sent annually.)

4. UMEIT: Global – This training is initiated by a bishop anywhere in the world and is tailored to the needs of the participants in that bishops’ episcopal area.  Its goal is to help United Methodists around the world be more informed and passionate about ecumenism and interreligious engagement. (To date it has been held in: the Philippines, Norway, Russia and Angola.  In 2019 it was to be held in Germany, with the support of Bishop Rückert.)

5. UMEIT: Zoom – This is a an interactive, online training designed to support Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationship (CUIR) Chairs in Annual Conferences across the UM Connection. The training consists of every-other-month, hour-long Zoom gatherings. Subjects chosen by the CUIR Chairs are explored during some gatherings, and other gatherings are times of relationships-building and idea-sharing among the participants. Participants must pre-register for the live engagements, but teaching times are recorded and uploaded to bishops' website.

6. UMEIT: Online: This is a multi-session training for individuals to engage at their own pace and as is convenient. The training is located on the bishops' website and includes videos, handouts, and access to resources. The goal is for participants to learn about the ecumenical-building from a United Methodist point-of-view and then to engage in it on a local level for the sake of the witness of Christ. 

 

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UMEIT: Young Adult Network participants meet in Atlanta
10/5/2022 - Ecumenical Ecumenical: Training

The participants of UMEIT: Young Adult Network met in person in Atlanta last week as part of their two-year training program of the Council of Bishops. The UMEIT: Young Adult Network is a COB program that invites young adults from across the ...

Council of Bishops file photo
December 31 is deadline to apply to be part of next UMEIT: YAN cohort
12/2/2021 - Ecumenical Ecumenical: Grants/Scholarships Ecumenical: Training

The December 31, 2021, deadline for applying to be part of United Methodist Ecumenical and Interreligious Training: Young Adult Network (UMEIT: YAN) is approaching and interested young adults are urged to apply as soon as possible.

Training in Interreligious Relations offered for Young Adults - updated
2/11/2020 - Ecumenical Ecumenical: Interreligious Relationships Ecumenical: Partnerships Ecumenical: Training

The World Methodist Council is partnering with other organizations in offering training for Young Adults on Interreligious Relations that started in Asia and is now expanding globally. This year’s Young Adult Training for Religions Amity (YATRA) will...

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Kabacan Central UMC Celebrates Ecumenical Sunday
1/21/2020 - Ecumenical Ecumenical: Training

The Kabacan Central United Methodist Church, a vital congregation considered as one of the flagship churches of the Mindanao Philippines Annual Conference celebrated Ecumenical Sunday last January 19, 2020.

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