BIODATA OF REV. ELIZABETH S. TAPIA, PH.D
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Present Position : An Executive Staff of the World Council of Churches¡¦
Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Geneva, Switzerland
Professor of Missiology (Mission and Evangelism)
(Jan. 2002- Dec. 30, 2005) United Methodist Chair in Mission
Present Address: Ecumenical Institute Bossey
Chateau de Bossey CH-1298 Celigny, Switzerland Tel. + 41 22 960 7300 (Reception) + 41 22 960 7342 (direct)
Fax +41 22 960 7310, Home tel. + 41 22 960 7393
Email: Elizabeth.Tapia@wcc-coe.org cc:eliztapia@yahoo.com
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. in Religion, Area : Philosophy of Religion and Theology) from Claremont Graduate University (cross enrolled at Claremont School of Theology for subjects on Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, Process Theology and Christian Education) graduated May 1989 (On Crusade Scholarships and Women's Division scholarship).
Dissertation: "The Contribution of Philippine Christian Women to Asian Women's Theology"
Main Advisor : Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore
Master of Arts in Religion - Claremont Graduate University, 1986
Master of Divinity (Theology and Education) Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, June 1976
(PEO Scholar, finished Master of Divinity in 2 and half years).
Bachelor of Arts - Harris Memorial College, Manila. 1973.
Bachelor of Religious Education - Harris Memorial College, 1970, graduated with honors.
Non formal education- from numerous seminars & conferences, exposures at home and abroad .
Membership and Ordination The United Methodist Church
Deacon - June 1976, Cal-Nevada Annual Conference., Fresno, CA. USA
Elder - May 1979, Middle Phil. Annual Conference
Present Ministerial Connection as Elder: Bulacan Philippines Annual Conf (BULPAC, Manila Area, Philippine Central Conference.)
Present Appointment: (beyond the Local Church) World Council of Churches'
Ecumenical Institute Bossey ( 2002- 2005).
Previous Appointment (beyond the local church) Union Theological Seminary, Philippines (June 1991-2001).
Birthdate: April 19, 1950
Place: Bulacan, Bulacan, Philippines
Citizenship Pilipina
Family: Married to Rev. Alan D. Cogswell, an American Pastor with Elder membership in the Bulacan Philippine Annual Conference, Manila Area, Philippines. We both taught Union Theological Seminary in Cavite (for Methodists and Presbyterians, Baptists, near Manila) for eleven years (1990-2001).
Parents : both deceased (Father -David Tapia , fisherman turned laborer. Mother: Lydia Santiago Tapia (fish vendor/ house manager). Elizabeth has 2 brothers and 7 sisters.
Jan. 2002- Dec. 2005- Professor of Missiology. United Methodist Chair of Mission
Ecumenical Institute of Bossey
(part of the World Council of Churches and related academically with the University of Geneva, Faculty of Theology). An international, interdenominational, ecumenical institute for training the present and future ecumenical leaders (lay and ordained) around the world.
Degrees offered : Master of Ecumenical Studies (9 months with thesis) and Ph.D. in Ecumenical Studies (5 years, with dissertation).
Certificate : Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies (5 months).
Main responsibilities :
1. Teaching/Lecturing fulltime in the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, and the Master of Ecumenical Studies (Missiology, Interdisciplinary seminars on Mission and Social Ethics, Mission and Ecumenical Theology, Mission and Gender /Ecofeminism Studies, Postcolonial mission. Mission as healing and Reconciliation). Supervising/advising theses writers.
2. Directed and supervised thesis writing of Masteral students. Served in Faculty Theses Defense Committee each semester.
3. Involved in Ecumenical Formation with the Students/Youth, providing spaces for ecumenical encounters/ exposure/ visits outside Bossey. Participating fully/Living/ Worshipping together in an international, intercultural, interdenominational context.
4. Organizing international and interdenominational seminars in summer at Bossey ( Women in Mission, Interreligious consultation for Peace Buildling, Youth and Mission in the Context of Globalization, Ecumenical Renewal in Worship and Music). Conducting talks for Visiting Groups on Ecumenism, Ecofeminism, Asian Theologies, Doing Mission in a Globalized World, On Spirituality.
5. Planning/advocating international conferences with Colleagues in Geneva Headquarters of WCC, (Interreligious Staff Group, 2006 WCC Assembly/Mutirao Planning Asia Task Force, some traveling/ attending conferences related to Bossey programmes.
6. Provided pastoral care and counseling with multi-racial, interdenominational student body when needed, was responsible for promoting equal partnership of women and men.
2001- 1991 - Professor of Christian Theology at Union Theological Seminary, Cavite , Philippines
Philippine Christian University (Dasmarinas Campus) UTS is the largest and oldest Protestant theological Seminary in the Philippines. (founded in 1907).
Taught Systematic Theology, Third World Liberation Theologies, including Feminist Theologies , Philosophy of Religion, Christian Education , Discipleship Formation. (introductory levels and advanced courses in undergraduate and graduate levels : Bachelor of Religious Education, Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry.
Supervised thesis and dissertation writing (Master in Theology/ Doctor of Ministry).
1998- 2001 - Professor and Academic Dean at Union Theological Seminary, Cavite
(E. Tapia - the first woman theologian to teach Sytematic Theology, the first woman to be appointed Academic Dean of the seminary, with 24 fulltime faculty and 250 seminarians in residence).
Oct. 2001 ¡V Resigned from the Position to accept job at the World Council of Churches, Bossey, and given appointment by Bishop Sol Toquero, Manila Area, teaching at Bossey Ecum. Institute, March 2002.
1995- 2000- UTS Coordinator of Master of Theology program, South East Asia Graduate School of Theology and UTS
1989- 1991 - Faculty Member and Campus Minister, Harris Memorial College
1983- 1989 - on leave for Doctoral Studies
1981- 1983 - Teacher and Campus Minister at Harris College, training college for Deaconesses in the Philippines and Asia.
1980- 1981 - Technical Consultant on Women's Concerns, Christian Conference of Asia, CCA
Organized women¡¦s consultations in Asia and helped in establishing the Women¡¦s Desk Programme in the CCA (then based in Singapore). Interdenominal work.
1979- 1980 - Rural Pastor, Inaon UMC, Inaon, Plaridel (lay empowerment, community based health program, christian nurture of children and youth, solidarity with and among the poor farmers)
1976- 1983 - Faculty member & Campus Minister, Harris College (courses taught : Introduction to Philosophy and Theology, Homiletics, Biblical Theology, Christian Education).
1973-1976 - On leave for masteral studies
1971-1973 - District Deaconess, Bulacan District (supervised 36 local churches-UMC , Bulacan District)
1970- 1971- Local Church Deaconess, Meycauyan UMC, Bulacan
LOCAL
1. Resource person in seminars and conferences for Pastors, Laity (mostly women and youth) Topics: Theology, Ecumenism, Bible studies, Servant Leadership, Integral Spirituality, Ecology.
2. Founding Member and Adviser: Association. Of Women in Theology, Member : Asian Women¡¦s Resource Center for Theology and Culture
3. Member, Board of Trustees of Kapatiran Kaunlaran Foundation (Social service arm of the UMC, Philippines- offers programs with street children, urban poor, therapeutic communities).
4. Leading workshops and spiritual retreats in seminaries and local churches (both UMC and UCCP)
5. Member of the Board of Ordained Ministry of East BULPAC
6. Joined ecumenical and regional groups for peace and justice issues through the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.
7. Trained local lay leaders, pastors and deaconesses.
NATIONAL
1. Chairperson, Philippine. Central Conf. Board of Women's Work 1996- 2000. This is the policy making body of the UMC women¡¦s organizations, setting the programme emphasis and monitoring women¡¦s concerns for the quadrenium (entire country).
2. Vice Chair, Peace Committee of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines
( 1980- 1985)
3. Founding Member and Coordinator, Asso. Of Women in Theology 1980-3, 91-94
4.Active member, Phil. Chapter of Ecumenical Asso. Of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) since 1992, Nairobi Assembly).
5. Clergy delegate to the Phil. Central Conferences UMC 1992, 1996, 2000.
6. Lecturer, Keynote Speaker, Bible study Leader in various ecumenical gatherings: National Council of Churches in the Philippines¡¦ 1999Convention, Silliman Divinity School Church Workers' Convocation, United Methodist Women, Ecumenical Women's Assemblies.
INTERNATIONAL
¡P 1992- 1996 Elected member of the Working Group on Women, World Council of Churches Unit 111,
Involved in the Mid Decade Visit Churches in Solidarity with Women. Visited different churches within the WCC constituencies, especially in Africa, Asia and Europe.
¡P Active member of the EATWOT (Ecumenical Association Of Third World Theologians) Elected delegate to the World assemblies of EATWOT: Nairobi 1992, Tagaytay 1996, Ecuador 2001).
¡P Member of the Executive Com : International Association. Of Practical Theologians, Member, and Global Priorities Campaign, International Association. Of Mission Studies, International Asso. Of Women Ministers, Editorial Board of Journal in Religion and Abuse of the FaithInstitute, Seattle, WA.
* Keynote Speaker: 1995 Mennonite Women's Conference in Canada,
1996 Methodist Women's assembly of New Zealand,
1997 Asian Women's Meeting in Malaysia,
2000 Korean Women Theologians' Assembly in Korea.
2004 United Methodist Gathering (Caucus) Manila, Philippines
¡P Bible Study Leader : United Methodist Women's Assembly, Orlando, FLA 1998
39th Church Workers Convocation, Silliman Divinity School, 2000
Kirchentag in Germany (2003, 2004)
Planning Retreat of the World YMCA and WSCF (Geneva (2004, 2005)
Filipino-American U Methodists Assembly in New Jersey 2003
¡P International Speaker: General Assembly of Church Women United, Wisconsin, July 2001.
PresbyterianWomen¡¦s Gathering, Louisville, 2003
International Mission Conference, Sweden (Feb. 2005)
International Mission Consultation of WARC-J Knox , Geneva (Feb. 2005)
¡P Lecturer: on Asian Women's theology, Feminist Theologies, Leadership, Peace and Human Rights issues in various ecumenical gatherings in Asian countries.
* Caldwell Lecturer- March, 2005, Louisville Seminary, LPTS, Kentucky, USA.
¡P Coopted Staff and Resource Person- World Council of Churches' Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe (Coopted Staff for the Indigenous Delegates)
And Decade Women¡¦s Festival Nov. 24-Dec. 14, 1998. (Member of the Planning Committee and Listeners¡¦ Group).
¡P International Speaker at German Protestant Church's Kirchentag in Stuttgart, 1999.(110,000 Christians gathered).Co-Bible Study Leader with Bishop Barbel Wartenberg-Potter in the Protestant and Roman Catholic Kirchentag, Berlin, Germany May 28, June 1, 2003. (150,000 participants)
¡P
.* As WCC-Bossey Staff attended and coordinated 7 workshops or synaxeis during the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, Athens, Greece May 9- 16, 2005. Involved in the CWME/ WCC Staff Planning Group).
Seminar Organizer: International Seminar on Women in Mission -June 4-10, 2003
Doing Mission in the Context of Globalization
Visser¡¦t Hooft Memorial Interfaith Consultation on Religion, Violence and Peace, 2004 all at Bossey Ecumenical Institute. Forthcoming seminar : Ecumenical renewal of Worship & Music (August, 2005).
¡P Member, Ongoing Bilateral Dialogues Between Roman Catholics and United Methodists 2000-2005 . US Catholic Bishops¡¦ Conference & UMC-USA
Washington, D.C. USA. (meeting twice a year) Final Document in Process
¡P Member, Geneva Advisory Committee, International Feminist Emphasis, Doctor of Ministry Program of San Francisco Theological Seminary.
¡P Consultant (volunteer) World YMCA, WSCF senior Friend, KKFI, Philippines.
¡P Member, WCC Staff Planning for CWME (2005), Interreligious Critical Moment Conference & WCC Staff for Mutirao (workshops) Gen. Assembly, Feb. 2006 Porto Alegre, Brazil.
¡P Member, Executive Committee of the Global Priorities Campaign (an interreligious campaign to reduce government military spending and prioritize program to end Poverty and ensure global Child Survival) to be launche Oct. 17, 2005 in New York (UNICEF Headquarters).
¡P Part of a high level WCC delegation that submitted 2000 petitions for Just Trade from church networks to the World Trade Organization office in Geneva (April 2005).
* Attended numerous seminars and consciousness raising on HIV AIDS & Church response.
"Women in Mission: Moving Towards the 21st Century », Mission Volume of Mission in the Third Millenium, GBGM. 2003.
Poems, articles and liturgies in Seeing Christ in Others. Geoffrey Duncan, editor. Canterbury press, 1998.
« Asian Women Doing Theology : The Challenge of Feminism for Theologizing » In God's Image. Journal of Asian Women's Resource Center for Culture and Theology in Asia. Hope Antone, editor. Malaysia
Women Magazine, Lutheran World Federation, March 2000
« Solidarity » in Dictionary of Third World Theologies, Fabella/Sugirtharajah, eds. Orbis, NY 2000.
« My Life and Passion » in Women on Fire. Lorna Tirol, ed. Manila : Anvil Press, 1997.
With Love and with Passion. E. Raiser and B. Robra, eds. WCC, 2001.
"Reflection of a Filipina Christian" Ecclesiology and Ethics. T. Best and M. Robra, eds. WCC, 1997.
« Earth Credo » in Gifts of Many Cultures. Worship resources for the Global Community. Ed. By Maren Tirabassi & Kathy W Eddy. Cleveland,OH United Church Press, 1995.
« Laity, Pluralism and Theology ». A Letter from Christ to the World. An exploration of the Role of the Laity in the Church Today. Ed. By Nicholas Apostola, Geneva, WCC, 1998.
« Our International Task Today. A response. » 50th Ann of the International Reformed Center, John Knox, geneva, John Knox series no. 15. Geneva. 2004.
On Power . in Echoes Magazine. World Council of Churches, Geneva, 2004.
« Reflectioner Av En Pastor Fran Filippinerna » in Drabbad, edited by Valborg Lindgarde and Ake Viberg, published by Stockholm School of Theology, Stockholm, 2002.
« Pista Lakbayan : Celebrating the Journey to Shalom in the year of Jubilee » in Dissident Daughters. Feminist Liturgies in Global Context. Teresa Berger, ed. Louisville : Westminster John Knox Press, 2001
« Cultivating Gardens of Ecumenism : Reflections from a Bossey Garden », published in Windows into Ecumenism. Introduced by Dr. Preman Niles. Essays to Honor Dr. Ahn Jae Woong, Gen. Secretary of Christian Conference of Asia, Hongkong, 2005.
Research Interests : Women in Mission, Mission in Context of Globalization. Theologies in Mission: North and South Perspectives.
Feminist and Ecumenical Liturgies, Ecumenical Formation, Feminist Theologies, Interreligious Dialogue/Relations for PeaceBuilding.
G. SPECIAL INTERESTS
* Ecumenical Formation and Mission Studies
¡P Participative Liturgies
¡P Cross-cultural hermeneutics and theologies
¡P Feminist Theology in the Philippines
¡P Women and Religion
¡P Empowerment of Women and Youth
¡P Promoting Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
¡P Ecumenism and Ecofeminism
¡P Poetry, Communing with Nature
¡P Listening to good music, reading and hiking.
¡P Teaching/ practicing Shibashi Qi Gong Taichi (Asian) Meditation .
/EST July, 2005.