15/06/2020

Working online, being together

Last weekend EWST conducted students’ exams online – for the first time in our history. During the week, there were also very interesting events – the series of interviews carried out by Dr. Wojciech Szczerba, the president of EST, under the common title “Christianity in the Age of Anxiety”. On June 5-7, final exams took place at EWST – an important event for the students. All the exams were taken via ZOOM platform, which was a huge novelty. Nevertheless, everything went very smoothly

Also, there were elections to the Student Government and the EWST Senate by means of electronic communication. The Student Government is a very important student organization at EWST. The members of EWST Student Government decide on the organization of student conferences and events like trips, meetings, common prayer and Sunday services during extension weekends. The representatives of students in the Student Government and the EWST Senate use their rights to decide about their time in between the classes and the shape of the studies to the fullest. Another academic year is coming to an end and we are preparing for the next one, while EWST students may enjoy a long-awaited and well-deserved break from classes at EWST.

During the week, there was also another very interesting event – an interview carried out by Dr. Wojciech Szczerba, the president of Evangelical School of Theology with Dr. Rev. Christopher Edmonston, the senior pastor of White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the dialogue, they shared their views on the dramatic situations regarding the events occurring in the United States but also on the problems the world is struggling with during the present time. 

It seems that there are various pandemics in our contemporary world. COVID-19 is one of them, but there is also nationalism, racial segregation, or extreme global inequality. The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis makes us stop and ask fundamental questions about human dignity, freedom, and respect for each other. What does it mean to be a person of faith in this context? What does it mean to be a Christian in the age of anxiety? How to love and stay together in the time of social distancing? Those are some of the questions asked and answered by the participants of the online meeting.

Interview with Dr. Rev. Christopher Edmonston.  https://youtu.be/7IJqc8L7vwk

There were also two other interviews carried out by Dr. Wojciech Szczerba: one with Dr. Miroslav Volf, the Founder and Director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and the other with Dr. Brian Blount, the president and professor of New Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA, and Charlotte, NC.

Interview with Dr. Brian Blount. https://youtu.be/4FbxixFBSjQ

Interview with Dr. Miroslav Volf. https://youtu.be/DPLrzlgpNYc 

Please pray for:

  1. The tragic situation in the streets of Minneapolis and other states in the US. Let the situation in American society quickly come back to normal functioning and let the tragic consequences be minimized to the greatest possible extent.  
  2. Let true Christian values help overcome any animosities and hostilities and become predominant in the society in the US and in the whole world.
  3. The former and present Student Governors at EWST. We are thankful for their activities and enthusiasm so far and we are praying for new wise decisions and initiatives aiming at using the time of studies for good purposes to the fullest.