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Video

Honorary Treasurer:

Ebere Ubesie

AFRICA

Profile

Ebere Ubesie

• Africa (based in Nigeria), female, forty-six years old
• Member of the Anglican Church
• Chartered Accountant by profession and education
• Started membership in the SCM of Nigeria while in secondary school
• Held different functions in the SCM, including that of National Treasurer and National President
• WSCF delegate to the UN Commission of the Status of Women

Ebere Ubesie, Quote from her application:

As I apply for election as the Honorary Treasurer of WSCF Global, my contribution will be, firstly, to protect the integrity of the Federation’s accounts, ensure the sustainability of its finances, and be an effective link between the last team and the future one.

Ebere Ubesie, Quote from her interview:

My experience in supervisory roles in the corporate setting and in auditing will be a strength to aid in collaborating with staff persons in drawing up financial reports and draft budgets.

Rationale

RATIONALE for the Search Committee’s decision to present
Ebere Ubesie’s candidature for Honorary Treasurer

Ebere joined the Student Christian Movement in Nigeria during secondary school where her leadership skills were recognised. She rose through the ranks and served in several leadership positions, among them, National Finance Secretary, Coordinator of the National Women’s and Children’s Affairs and National Treasurer. Among her achievements as National Treasurer was to “modernise” the financial system of the SCM of Nigeria.

In order to face global challenges, Ebere believes that the WSCF should “evolve with the times” and “keep up with the changes” especially with regards to developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning which (currently writing a PHD thesis on this topic at University of Johannesburg), pushes her to “trust God that in the Federation we can use Machine learning to build sustainable, effective and efficient systems.”

Ebere affirms the role of Senior Friends in ensuring financial sustainability. Her vision for the Federation will include their “full inclusion” in the life of the WSCF as well as “increasing their sense of duty” towards the Federation.

The Search Committee, in its choice of presenting Ebere’s candidature, underscores her professional skills as a chartered accountant under the Nigerian and UK professional accounting bodies, which will strongly contribute to the way in which financial reports are presented and analysed, ensuring that they are both effective and efficient. She will be a good support to the Executive Committee as they grapple with the financial challenges facing the Federation, building capacity and ensuring the knowledge that is essential in understanding how the Federation’s financial system works.

Video

Chairperson:

Geevarghese Mor Coorilos (Bishop George)

ASIA-PACIFIC

Profile

Geevarghese Coorilos (Bishop George)

• Asia-Pacific, male, Senior Friend, fifty-six years old
• Metropolitan of Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, India
• Moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
• Member of the WCC Reference Group on Human Sexuality
• Working Group Member of the Global Christian Forum
• Former Chairperson, Student Christian Movement of India
• Doctor of Theology and Ethics

Bishop George, A Personal Vision for the Federation in the Twenty-First Century,
Quote from his application:

The ecumenical movement today is facing a deep crisis, a crisis brought about by certain bankruptcies; a bankruptcy of prophetic vision has taken the ‘movement’ away from the global ecclesial fellowship; a bankruptcy of fresh intellectual vision and ideas; and a bankruptcy of moral leadership which suffers from patriarchal, business-oriented ethos that lacks a sense of prophetic commitment, dynamism and integrity. The language of the ecumenical movement has become stale and repetitive and is not in harmony with the anguish and aspirations of people in their struggles for justice. WSCF, in this context, I believe, is faced with a new challenge: to be an “ecumenical movement ahead of the ecumenical movement.” Differently put, the fresh challenge for the Federation is to offer an alternative vision and praxis for the global ecumenical movement.

Quote from the interview with Bishop George, conducted on 14 June 2021:

In the context of the pandemic and other challenges, we need to reorient ourselves. … We cannot go back to the normal ways of doing things. New utopias need to be created which include new ways of forging solidarity. We need less structure, less institution, and more movement.

Rationale

RATIONALE for the Search Committee’s decision to present
Bishop George’s candidature for Chairperson of the WSCF

Bishop George has very strong roots in the SCM in India since his student days. This experience is deeply theological and profoundly political at the same time. It is based on that classic SCM tradition of reading the signs of the times with “the newspaper on one hand and the Bible on the other.” Though an authority in his church, Bishop George is not afraid to challenge and provoke if it means bringing the Church closer to the poor. His belief in the power of young people and students to effect change is genuine.

Bishop George holds various positions of authority in the World Council of Churches and is respected by church and ecumenical leaders in ecumenical circles and international church bodies. His position as Chairperson of the WSCF will help bring a certain prestige to the WSCF as well as the attention and respect of the ecumenical movement, churches and others within the global ecumenical network.

Bishop George’s understanding of the SCM’s role in ecumenical formation is unequivocal. He states, “It would be important for the Federation to invest on youth leadership that is prophetically progressive and socially committed. To this end, the Federation needs to concentrate on ‘formation’ of ecumenically minded and socially sensitive leaders. “Schools of ecumenical formation” where students and young people would be trained with a vision and an organic curriculum of transformative ecumenism would be a priority, in my vision for the Federation.”

Bishop George believes that dialogue within the Federation, between regions and within the Executive Committee and with Senior Friends is crucial. His position of authority combined with a pastoral approach in dealing with conflict and differences of opinion could address the rigidity and intransigence that often blocks the Federation from moving forward. When asked about his achievement as a leader, he said that his “inclination to work as a team combined with a pastoral touch” have helped him negotiate conflicts and made him an effective leader in the many organisations he has been involved with.

In the preceding paragraphs, the Search Committee highlighted some of the most important facets of Bishop George’s beliefs, character and experience. Taken together, the Search Committee believes that Bishop George is the best candidate to take up the position of Chairperson of the Federation.

Video

Vice-Chairperson:

Pavlina Manavska

EUROPE

Profile

Vice-Chairperson: Pavlina Manavska

• Europe (Based in the US until May 2022), female, thirty-one years old
• Member of the United Methodist Church
• Currently a German teacher and MA student in Translation
• Member of the Methodist Youth in Macedonia (organisation relating to the WSCF-Europe)
• Co-opted Member of the European Regional Committee from 2015 to 2019
• International Project Manager (volunteer) for WSCF Europe, 2015 to 2017
• Campaigns Coordinator for WSCF Europe (volunteer), 2017 to 2019

Pavlina Manavska, Quote from Application:

The last 4 years, I was on the Regional Committee of WSCF-Europe and there were few things that were in my heart. Reaching out to young people and building relationships that can move mountains no matter the distance. It was a personal challenge for me to be an advocate and spread the work of WSCF with as many young people as possible. I wanted people to experience at least half of what I have found in WSCF, and not to be afraid to join no matter their religious background.

Pavlina Manavska, Quote from the Interview:

…I believe that God is interacting with us and we don’t understand at first. I believe that if we want to change something, we first have to understand who we are. The newly elected team should have a good sense and knowledge of themselves and we discover a lot about ourselves by listening to others. My idea of the team that will work together for the Federation will be a group who will learn about each other by listening, to be comfortable with each other and together come up with solutions that work … My job as campaigns coordinator in WSCF Europe was to be connect and establish relationships with SCMs. Being in constant dialogue with them, I realized that dialogue can already accomplish a lot.

Rationale

RATIONALE for the Search Committee’s decision to present
Pavlina Manavska’s candidature for the position of Vice-Chairperson

What stood out clearly during the Search Committee’s interview with Pavlina was the way in which she thinks holistically. Faith and one’s membership in a church is not something that is divorced from everyday life. Christianity is a way of life and it is to be lived out on a daily basis in relationship to oneself and in relationship to the community of which one is a part. To be a member of the SCM or the WSCF is to understand oneself much more deeply by listening to others, by working together and being in constant dialogue. Pavlina approached issues, such as the value of interfaith dialogue, using as a starting point her life and her experience of the issue and sifts out from her experience the lessons she learned about them.

Pavlina, although coming from a minority church in Macedonia, is well-immersed in her knowledge of the SCMs in Europe through her work as a volunteer project manager and campaigns coordinator. Her first experience of a WSCF Europe meeting in Finland was her first encounter with ecumenism and it was life-changing. For her, the Federation stands for “living out the faith together for justice” and “building relationships of mutual respect and accountability with people in need and being in solidarity with them are at the heart of the Federation’s ethos.”

The Search Committee believes that Pavlina’s personal qualities as well as her experience in WSCF-Europe will be a positive influence in the Executive Committee. Her ability to communicate in several languages means that her capacity for understanding is broad. Being part of a minority church in Macedonia, she knows what it means to be in that situation. Pavlina’s faith runs deep and it is her faith that is the starting point for her involvement in ecumenism through the WSCF.