Annual meetings
Once a year, the SiMO Advisory Board meets to discuss and decide on matters relating to the study program. This meeting is coupled with the meeting of the returning students, who look back on their year in Beirut, reflecting on it and evaluating it. Members of the alumni association are also present to discuss the association’s issues at their annual general assembly. Common interests are bundled and deepened during a joint themed evening lecture. The shared meals and discussions help to maintain and intensify contacts, the latest developments are debated and questions about the situation in Lebanon and beyond are the focus of the discussions.
Consultations
Joint consultations between the Near East School of Theology and the study program take place every three years at alternating locations (Beirut/Germany). The aim of these consultations is to go beyond the organization of a joint study program and work on topics that have been explored in advance in mutual discussions. Contributions from experts from both contexts will shed light on different horizons and raise questions that encourage reflection and fruitful discussions. In addition, the meeting of representatives from both institutions is at the center of the consultations, who become increasingly familiar with each other, especially through the exchange during the days of the consultations.
Alumni Association Freunde der NEST (Friends of NEST)
Freunde der NEST is a small association that was founded in 2005 by former SiMO graduates who want to stay connected to NEST and Lebanon through the association’s work.
The association is characterized by its work as a supra-regional network that, in addition to all forms of communication, enlivens conventional forms of meetings, such as our annual general assembly.
Further information about the association and its work can be found here.
Other programs offered by Evangelische Mission in Solidarität (EMS)
Interreligious Studies in Japan Program (ISJP)
At the NCC Center for the Study of Japanese Religions in Kyoto, Japan, students from various disciplines can participate in the English-language course “Interreligious Study Program in Japan” (ISJP). During the study stay, which lasts several months, the students engage intensively with the religions of Japan and the testimony of the Christian minority in the country. In addition to academic learning, participation in Japan’s cultural and social life is an integral part of the program. Further information can be found here.
Ecumenical Youth Volunteers Program (EYVP)
The EYVP offers young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 the opportunity to volunteer internationally for six to twelve months in social and church institutions. The EYVP sees itself as a learning service and aims at raising awareness of global relations and issues of justice among motivated and interested young people. Further information can be found here.
