Hamline University invites the public to hear General Secretary of the Board of Church & Society of the United Methodist Church Jim Winkler speak at the annual Founders Day celebration.

His presentation, “Organized to Beat the Devil,” will focus on an approach to address inequality and suffering, whether it is caused by natural disaster of human choices, that is rooted in faith and theology.

Winkler is head of the agency that makes connections between United Methodist values and their work in the world. His address will present information on current challenges as well as inspire and energize toward an ethic of justice. He will reflect on the issues of justice and social action that face people of faith, the church and its institutions, and other concerned persons in the world today.

The Founders Day lunch and lecture celebration take place on Thursday, February 11 from 11:30am-1pm in the Kay Fredericks Room of the Klas Center, located at 1535 Taylor Avenue on Hamline University’s Saint Paul campus. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are asked RSVP to reserve a space in advance by contacting Linda Gesling at 651-523-2032 or lgesling@hamline.edu.

Winkler has served as general secretary of the international public policy and social justice agency of The United Methodist Church since November of 2000. The board carries out a wide-ranging ministry of peace and justice throughout the world with offices in Washington, DC and New York City. He has led delegations to the Middle East, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and Germany seeking peaceful solutions to global conflict and traveled throughout the world to support the justice work of the United Methodist in Africa, Asia and Europe. 

He is the son, brother, nephew and great grandson of United Methodist preachers and United Methodist Women. He studied history at the University of Illinois and George Mason University.  

Founders Day recognizes and celebrates the values and vision that went into Hamline University's founding by Methodists in 1854. To this day, Hamline remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church.