OCMS alumna, Dr Rula Khoury Mansour, Founder and Director of Nazareth Center for Peace Studies in Israel, introduces us to Women’s Peer Leader Forum in theological education (WPLF). The forum was initiated by ScholarLeaders International in response to the need for women leaders’ voices to be heard.
“The forum includes 12 pioneering female scholar-leaders from 10 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, USA and the Middle East. They are deans, provosts, department heads, and presidents of their respective theological seminaries or institutions. We meet every year to share our experiences, counsel, and encourage one another.
In November, 2022, as part of WPLF, I was delighted to host them in Nazareth. We toured the land and visited historic places which gave us new lens to read our bibles ‘colorfully’. We met amazing people, heard thought-provoking lectures, ate delicious food, and discussed various topics related to WPLF. My highlight and delight was having these precious sisters join and celebrate with us the inauguration of our Nazareth Center for Peace Studies, which started eight years ago.
The center hosted the WPLF together with local women to discuss the topic of mentorship amongst women through a four-hour workshop. Over the course of that evening, 50 distinguished women and leaders in diverse fields participated in a workshop on mentorship. Women from around the world joined local participants in amplifying the importance of and greater need for mentoring amongst women.
We also had table discussions on a variety of useful topics relating to mentoring, such as the challenges and opportunities in mentoring, topics to be discussed in mentoring, the mentor’s characteristics, and the relationship between the mentor and mentee.”