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Students of GETI 2018 plant trees as part of a Service Learning day in their study programme in Arusha, Tanzania. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

Students of GETI 2018 plant trees as part of a Service Learning day in their study programme in Arusha, Tanzania. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

In a symbolic event dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), students of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2018 planted 12 trees at Tumaini University Makumira, Arusha, Tanzania on 7 March.

The ceremony was preceded by a common prayer and reflections on what it means for the GETI students to live together in the world today, and how a sustainable future can be ensured for generations to come.

”This event is part of a specific Service Learning day here at GETI, and is valuable as it captures exactly what we want to express through the theme of GETI 2018”, says Amélé Ekué, WCC programme executive for Ecumenical Theological Education and one of the organizers of GETI 2018.

”The theme of ’Translating the Word, Transforming the World’ expresses both a theological aspect to the theme, and a more practically oriented one. This has a particular significance for young people who seek to show how they are engaged and committed to this world, and in helping to make it a better place,” Ekué adds.

“While planting 12 trees may not be a big deal for the planet as a whole, this event helps make us aware that we are caretakers of the world that God has given us,” reflects GETI student Nafkot Mamuye Dessalegn from the Ecumenical Institute of Theology Al Mowfaqa, Morocco.

“This makes it a powerful experience to be part of, and it’s also powerful to see that we are marking the 70th anniversary of the WCC,” Dessalegn concludes.

The World Council of Churches (WCC), students of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) gathers more than 100 students of theology and religious studies, men and women alike, for an intense study course in Ecumenical Missiology. The students come from all 8 regions of the world, representing 40 countries and 15 church families.

Download free photos from GETI 2018 and the tree planting event (password: WCC)

GETI 2018 opens, gathering young theologians from around the world (WCC press release of 5 March 2018)

Global Ecumenical Theological Institute 2018 (GETI 2018)

Conference on World Mission and Evangelism