A group of students from the Protestant Theological Faculty traveled to Switzerland to visit the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey from May 30th to June 3rd, 2023. This excursion was part of a course on the history and development of the modern ecumenical movement, led by Dr. Maria Munkholt.
The World Council of Churches arranged an engaging and informative two-day program, introducing the students to the WCC’s various programs, commissions, and action areas. Students actively participated in dialogue with WCC leadership on themes of Christian unity, theological study processes, missiology, racism, environmental and economic justice, ecumenism, and global communion.
Participants found themselves immersed in the reformation history of the city of Geneva, as they visited the Reformation Museum, the Cathedral of St. Peter, and the monumental Reformation Wall. Retracing the steps of such influential figures, places, and events of this historical movement invited students to think responsibly about the Reformation and its impact.
The trip concluded at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, where the Dean hosted a compelling lecture around moral discernment processes and the students’ respective contextual understandings of ecumenism. The excursion participants express gratitude to the Faculty for making this opportunity possible.
