Watch our Faculty Assembly 2024 Opening Service, including the graduation of one of our students and a message from Rev. Antonie Holleman.

Toward and Effective and Strong Board of Trustees

The Annual Members Meeting of the Board of Trustees of EuNC comprehensively addressed vital aspects of the institution's governance and strategic planning. The Executive Committee by Peter Ullinger, Chairman of the Board, provided a comprehensive report, covering elections of officers, including the recommendation of Harry de Bruijn for the position of Vice-Chairman of the Board and Andrew Salameh for Secretary of the Board.

Congratulations on the election of the new officers! Congratulations Mr. de Bruijn and Rev. Salameh!

The board exhibited engagement, open discussions, transparency, and a sense of ownership during vital and intensive deliberations. Showing the progress toward the ‘Growing Together' strategy plan in the Rector's annual report, the discussions ranged from exploring possibilities for microcredential use to a historical tour of EuNC, emphasising the institution's journey and strategic steps for a secure financial future. The work of the overall financial and personnel review continues in the committee. Finance and Audit Reports for 2023 were recommended for adoption, along with discussions on district education funds. Updates from Dr. Klaus Arnold, Director, Global Education and Clergy Development of the Church of the Nazarene and from Rev. Antonie Holleman, Regional Education Co-Coordinator were received. The meeting concluded with an adjournment and the board members’ subsequent participation in the Faculty Assembly's Opening Service, reception, and fellowship. The decisions made reflect a proactive approach to governance, financial responsibility, and strategic planning within EuNC.

Board of Trustees members present at FA 2024

Board members came with a passion for and commitment to the mission of theological education through EuNC, and left inspired by the work accomplished and the meeting with the college community. Despite the achievements, the overarching task that lies ahead is one of continual growth – a collective commitment to "Growing Together" in the pursuit of advancing theological education through EuNC.

Mr. Peter Ullinger
(Board of Trustees Chairman)

Meet Mr. Harry de Bruijn, Vice-Chairman

"I have been a member of our church since 1991 after attending it for a year. I have had the privilege to serve our congregation in different roles, also in the Dutch district. Since I have been working in education since 1977, it was great to join the EuNC the Netherlands Learning Centre. The work within EuNC is very important because I believe that education is a pillar for spiritual growth and also very important for Nazarene identity.

Working with our brothers and sisters in our district gives me energy and hope as we get to work on the same task together. We have the opportunity of bringing the message of our Lord through education, not only to pastors but also to lay people from our children's ministry volunteers, to our worship team members and more. As Vice-Chairman I will do my best to guide EuNC in order to achieve its goals and to serve the Lord."

Meet Rev. Andrew Salameh, Board Secretary

"I am the pastor of the Beirut Nazarene Church as well as the District Superintendent of the Nazarene Church in Lebanon. I am also a board member of the Executive Committee for the Supreme Evangelical Council in Syria and Lebanon and a judge of the court of appeal for the Evangelical Council in Lebanon. 

I was approved as a faculty member at EuNC with the ALC in Beirut. I am excited to be on the Board of Trustees for EuNC to be able to understand the greater vision and mission of the college. I hope that I will be able to bring the different views and voices of people from the Middle East. May the Lord lead us in this wonderful journey."

Dr. Mark Maddix, Faculty Development Speaker

Theological higher education has come through a major shift as most of its students are now adults, many of them with a well established professional career, and family. This has caused many schools to consider different ways of delivering their programmes in order to make them more accessible to the new population. 

EuNC pioneered in addressing this change as we began to decentralise our programmes and offer the programmes at our 17 locations.

In order to better serve this need and help our teachers to be more effective, our 2024 Faculty Assembly focused on Andragogy (educational strategies for adult learners), and especially adapting these to the context of online Education. Dr. Mark Maddix was our keynote speaker and helped us to effectively think through how we teach adult students in an online environment. Our faculty is indebted to him for all the insights gained during our time together.

Dr. Fernando Almeida
(Director of Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance)

LC Coordinators & Administrators present at FA 2024

The Learning Centres’ (LCs) Coordinators and Administrators, taking the opportunity of being together for the Faculty Assembly 2024 gathered in Lisbon, met on Monday, the 29^th of January. They shared inspirational and encouraging moments, fostering a sense of community, and got useful and updated information for the fulfilment of their roles at EuNC. One of the highlights of these sessions was the Learning Centre Conferencing, whose purpose is to gather insights, feedback, and ideas from the group that benefit the institution as “one College”. During this time the LCs were encouraged to give input and discuss several topics and presented others for future debate, adding to the existing structure an intentional element to the movement towards ONE-ness.

Rev. Raquel Pereira
(Registrar) 

Faculty Assembly 2024 was a huge blessing! I missed the previous one due to visa issues and our move to Serbia. Therefore, it was very important for me to meet in person with many of my colleagues and friends whom I have not seen for years.

Graduation of Zinaida Hymon from the EuNC Ukraine-Moldova Learning Centre during the FA 2024 Opening Service

I was really impressed with the Opening Service and the Graduation ceremony. There was a special atmosphere of unity despite the diversity, and the feeling of joy in spite of circumstances. Participants spoke different languages. They came from different countries and cultures. However, we were in One Spirit and we worshipped One Lord.

We learned a lot during our sessions with Dr. Mark Maddix. In addition, our discussions and our personal conversations with colleagues were very valuable as well. These annual assemblies help us develop as the Faculty of one college. We can better understand our mission and discuss our plans for the future of the church in our region.

Dr. Olga Druzhinina
(EuNC Cluster Chair for Theology, Tradition, and Identity; EuNC Bulgaria Learning Centre Coordinators & Administrator)

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It was a joy to meet everyone in person at the Faculty Assembly in Lisbon. I feel privileged and blessed to be a member of the EuNC family and to serve with them in our ministry for transformative Wesleyan education in Eurasia. It was great talking, worshipping, praying, eating (lots of great food!), and laughing with the other participants! 

Fellowship during well deserved coffee breaks

The training of Mark Maddix was very inspiring, but I also learned so much by listening to everybody's vision and experiences in the Learning Centres. I am already looking forward to meeting everyone again! 

Sylvia Oosterwijk
(EuNC The Netherlands Learning Centre Coordinator)

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Time goes by fast. It seems like yesterday that our EuNC faculty met in Florence, Italy. Now, one year later, we met to celebrate our Faculty Assembly 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Opening Service with its opening song in Portuguese was a special taste of our hosting Learning Centre and its country. The sermon by Rev. Antonie Holleman was profound and moving. Our Devotional Times were uplifting. The sessions on adult learning by Dr. Mark Maddix were an excellent opportunity to learn more about online teaching. On Wednesday afternoon, we got to enjoy an awesome boat trip along the Lisbon riverside. The closing service came way too soon, as we were all enjoying the time with each other.

We deeply appreciate those who worked hard to organise the event. Now, we are back to work, to our ministries, happy with all that we learned and shared, looking forward to the next Faculty Assembly.

Juan Carlos Fernández
(EuNC Faculty Member)