The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST) officially started its first semester of the 2025/26 academic year on September 15, 2025, with a joyful and spiritually uplifting opening program held at the EGST main auditorium. The event was organized by the Student Affairs Office.
The academic year Opening Programme is an institutional custom once in a year featured a time of prayer, worship, and communion. It has been a time to dedicate the academic year to God, seek His guidance, and foster spiritual unity among the EGST community. The gathering set a reflective and purposeful tone for the semester, emphasizing that theological education at EGST is not only academic but also it is a journey of faith, transformation, and calling. EGST is the place for holistic development.
The program began at 5:30 PM with a warm welcome address by EGST’s President, Dr. Worku H/Mariam, who introduced the newly appointed Head of Academic Affairs, Dr Tekalegn Nega, and other new staff members joining EGST. The event was moderated by Ato Mesfin Tesfaye, with an opening prayer led by Dr. Tekalign Nega. The EGST Choir led in songs, creating an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving. Dr. Yohannes Tesfaye, EGST faculty member, preached the word of God. He encouraged the community to remain attentive to God’s voice and to embrace their shared mission of faith and learning. The service concluded with the partaking of Holy Communion, followed by a closing prayer.
The Student Council extended heartfelt greetings to the EGST community, expressing gratitude for the previous academic year and entrusting the new semester into God’s hands. The Council also announced the upcoming launch of a special Welcome Program for New Students and the resumption of weekly fellowship meetings.
We seek to subject our thoughts and actions to God’s Word and affirm the power of Scripture to effect change in individual lives, churches and society.
We come together as a community of learners not for our sake only but also for the sake of others. We seek to grow in our understanding of God and his ways, so that we may help others to acknowledge his governance over the world with its rich possibilities for both individual transformation and for social and cultural renewal.
We believe that theological education speaks to and out of its local context as a dynamic interaction between the local context, the global context and Scripture.
We strongly believe that unity among the churches of Ethiopia is important and can be fostered through cooperative, inter-denominational graduate-level theological education. We also seek to partner with individuals, institutions, churches and organizations within and outside Ethiopia.
We value learning alongside people from different traditions and churches. Exposure to varying traditions challenges thinking about God and the diversity of his work in the world. While EGST promotes unity, it also appreciates and respects diversity.
We value the importance of worshipping God with our minds and strive for excellence both in our rigorous study of Scripture and in our critical analysis of context.
We seek to be people who model Christ’s values such as love, humility, compassion, justice, integrity, self-control, and holiness.
We seek to promote ecumenical relationships among churches in Ethiopia in order to enhance mutual understanding.
