Eastern Mennonite University

BLESS

Eastern Mennonite Seminary's New Program
for
BIBLICAL LANDS EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS AND SERVICE

The BLESS program is a unique and innovative graduate-level, missional education program combining experiential learning in the biblical lands with rigorous academic inquiry. This program is offered by Eastern Mennonite Seminary in cooperation with Mennonite mission agencies and is designed for enabling and equipping a new generation of emerging church leaders who have a passion for mission, cross-cultural skills, and a vision for the church in the future.

All of the programs are offered with maximum flexibility designed to be included in a mission or service assignment, or for those who are not in the position to study in traditional seminary programs making BLESS especially suited for:

Jesus Movement Course

Study Options

Study options include:

 Nazareth- There are three courses connected to Nazareth Village, the on-site "classroom." These courses are: Cross-Cultural Discipleship, The Jesus Movement in the First Century, and Tools for New Testament Understanding. The unique resources of Nazareth Village include the reconstructed first-century village; the growing archeological and research collection; the proximity to Galilee via the Jesus Trail; the hi-tech classroom space (under development), and the unparalleled wealth of local teaching resources, persons, and institutions. Inexpensive student/volunteer accommodation is available. In addition, as the largest Arab city in Israel, and with a sizable Jewish community, Nazareth is the ideal location to be immersed in the contemporary issues of the Middle East that are very similar to those in the first century.

All three of the following courses are also available for volunteers in other locations throughout the world. Using online technology, these students will be linked to the resources of Nazareth Village and the students who are there.

Mediterranean- There are two additional course options in the Mediterranean. They are: The Christian Movement in the Mediterranean, and Missional Leadership in Globalization. These will be offered online during the summer to anyone with an optional on-site 10-12 day seminar, or as an intensive three-week seminar. The on-site learning will be in key cities, harbors, land and sea routes, and islands of the Roman Empire of the New Testament beginning in Acts. Where possible, SailingActs will be used for accommodation and coastal sea-travel of the Acts routes. Ferries and charter vessels for sea travel will be also utilized as necessary.

An BLESS coordinator, living in the region, will help coordinate the service assignments and facilitate learning.

Courses

Cross-cultural Discipleship (3 SH over two semesters)

This course is designed to be taken in conjunction with a voluntary assignment such as VMM's tranSend. Students in this study-service assignment will serve up to 30 hours per week as a mission volunteer. An additional 10 hours per week will be designated for research and study. Instruction will be on-line with several seminars on location for those living in the area of Nazareth Village.

The Jesus Movement in the First Century (3 SH)

This course can also be taken by persons serving in a mission/service assignment in the biblical lands region as a semester-long hybrid course. Seminars will be scheduled in Nazareth Village and the Galilee. An intensive three-week version of this course will also be offered in Nazareth Village and Israel/Palestine during the summer.

Tools for New Testament Understandings (3 SH)

This course will be offered in the same ways as The Jesus Movement. Utilizing Nazareth as a base in the Galilee and beyond, this course will allow students to do individual extensive study in one or more areas of interest including Hebrew language, as well as the archeology, geography, history, religions and cultures of the New Testament.

The Christian Movement in the Mediterranean (3 SH)

From its peasant beginnings in Palestine in about A.D. 25, the fledgling Christian Movement exploded throughout the major port cities of the Roman Empire. By the end of the third century, approximately 10% of the inhabitants of the Empire were Christian, threatening the very fabric of Roman culture and political institutions. This a fascinating story, filled with implications for Christians seeking to be effective and faithful in mission in the global empire at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Using the latest scholarship and field research applied primarily to the stories of the dynamic spread of Christianity in Acts, this course will seek to understand this first-century phenomenon that changed the course of history, and relate these insights to the experience and insights from Christians living and witnessing in globalization today.

Missional Leadership in Globalization (3 SH)

The apostle Paul was "a man between two worlds," a model of cultural adaptation and creative faithfulness in a world of immense promise and immanent peril for the fledgling Christian Movement in the Roman Empire. He was a leader at once capable of continuous learning and uniquely equipped for helping others navigate life on the unchartered seas of pagan life and culture. Students will learn as Paul did with prolonged on-site learning projects in ancient/modern places key to the development of Paul's theology and leadership style.

More study options will be added as the BLESS program grows.

Costs

Participants in any of the BLESS programs will pay normal tuition fees per credit hour. Mission volunteers and other students living in the region will be responsible for their own extra expenses of living and travel associated with the study. Seminar participants will be offered a complete tuition and travel package arranged through John Coffman Center.

Additional funding sources may include:

Information

Further information about Eastern Mennonite Seminary, the BLESS program, and the Samuel Grant can be found on the EMS website.

Additional inquiries about the BLESS program and the Samuel Grant can be directed to Linford Stutzman at email or by telephone 540-432-1714

Information about one-year service/study assignments