Wintersemester in Tübingen

Here in Tübingen, the weather has changed: the warm, sunny days of early Fall have given way to a mix of sun, rain, wind, and fog. The “Winter Semester” is now well underway and we’re grateful for the signs of life around the Institute!  

Weekend markets, academic events, and the hum of student activity all contribute to the rich life of this university city. The 2026–27 academic year marks the 550th anniversary of the university where the theme is “Vom Wert der Wissenschaft” (“On the Value of Scientific Inquiry”). The EES Institute is privileged to share a place within this wide conversation among many thriving research centers and institutes here in Tübingen!

Among our early projects was sending a formal introduction from Ron & Kathy Herms to the many friends and donors of the Institute. This work would not be possible without that generous support! We have received student interest in both introductory language courses that the Institute offers – one course in “theological German” and the other in “theological English.” In these early weeks, we have established relationships with students from Germany, Romania, Greece, and South Africa. Further, the New Testament Colloquium – a partnership with the university’s Protestant Faculty – opened the new season with a wonderful presentation by Prof. Hermann Lichtenberger, a longtime friend of EES and the Institute. The academic year is now well underway!

We invite your thoughtful prayer for us as our director, Ron, travels to Denver, CO in November for the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Kathy will visit Haus Edelweiß in early November to connect with TCM International volunteers and staff. We continue to learn about the history of the Institute’s work and imagine what new opportunities might be ahead. Our hope is to embody the words of German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God” (Life Together, 1939).

Preparing for a new academic year in Tübingen

NEWS FROM TÜBINGEN
by Ron Herms

With thanks for God's kindness and faithfulness, here is the latest news from EES's Institute in Tübingen: Just over 3 weeks ago, Ron & Kathy Herms arrived here in Germany from Fresno, California. They have each taken on a new EES role - Ron as Director for the Institute and Kathy as a Donor Relations and Scholarship Officer. Despite the many logistics involved in registering with a variety of state and local authorities, these first weeks in Tübingen have been a time of delight and discovery. We are grateful for God's guidance and the expertise of the Institute's longtime Administrator, Birgit Hallmann! Just in the past few days the level of activity in this university city is picking up as students begin to move in (or move back) ahead of the new academic year which begins mid-October. We invite you to pray for (1) the work of the Institute as Ron collaborates with University partners and prepares for classes, as well as for (2) the conversations and opportunities Kathy will share with current and (hopefully) future ministry partners. Of course, there are also the ongoing details of an international move that we continue to prayerfully navigate. As an Institute staff, we look forward to a new season of flourishing as students are engaged, taught, and mentored.

Summer semester break and arrival of Ron and Kathy Herms

Update from Tübingen
 by Birgit Hallmann
INSTITUTE 
In August, everything is a bit quieter in Tübingen. The University is on semester break and students and Institute staff are recovering during their well-deserved summer vacation. In the Institute, the large outer door malfunctioned. A control board had burned out and the office and all the inventory "was unprotected for 24 hours." I thank the Lord that nothing was stolen or destroyed during this time. Resourceful craftsmen then solved the problem in a "typical German way" until the arrival of the spare part. Just in time for the arrival of our new Institute Director Ron Herms  on September 1st, everything is intact again . 

 As the summer days turn to Fall, preparations for the winter semester begin and we look forward to the new academic year and new opportunities for ministry through the work of the Institute. 

Ron and Kathy Herms arrived in Tübingen on September 1st to commence their new roles: Ron, as Director for the Institute; Kathy as Donor Relations Officer for TCM. While the first weeks here include the logistics of an international move and settling into their new surroundings, the early work will include preparation for teaching, learning the operational systems of the Institute, and making early connections with colleagues and partners at Eberhard Karls Universität here in Tübingen. They are grateful for the prayer and support of so many EES - TCM partners and excited about what lies ahead. Please pray for their family (5 adult children in the U.S. and the Netherlands) and for the details of establishing a home and base here in Germany.

Farewell Prof. Stuckenbruck

Update from Tübingen  
by Birgit Hallmann 
University

Farewell lecture by Prof. Loren Stuckenbruck 20.07.2026
on 20.07.2026, Loren Stuckenbruck was bid farewell by LMU for his well-deserved retirement. Many friends and companions gave him the honor. The event was musically framed by contributions from his family from the USA. Ron Herms had "secretly" traveled from the USA and announced a "commemorative publication" in honor of Loren.

With the start of August comes the end of the summer semester and our academic year in Tübingen. Over the next few weeks Institute staff will be taking some vacation time to rest up a bit and then begin to prepare for the next academic cycle which begins in October. Nevertheless, these days are still very busy. The last meeting of the EGC f. NT this semester on July 22 was very well attended. Dr. Anna-Maria Schüssel (Uni Tübingen) presented a very interesting topic about “The Long Night - A Historical Assessment of The Synoptic Judas-Traditions “

Institut
At the same time, Ron and Karen Herms are moving to Tübingen. In Tübingen, a number of bureaucratic tasks have to be completed (e.g. the change in the board of the “Verein” from Dennis Lindsay to Ron Herms and the corresponding change of the entries in the official register of associations). On the USA side, farewells are taking place and boxes are being packed for transport to Germany.We wish all of our students who are now traveling home for the semester break as well as our new Director a blessed trip.

Summer Semester is slowly coming to an end

Updates from Tübingen    

by Birgit Hallmann 

Visitors and Guests:
The summer semester is slowly coming to an end and we continue to keep very busy.
In the last few weeks, we were able to host three special speakers of the English-German Colloquium f. NT in our rooms. Everyone was very happy and grateful for this opportunity in the middle of Tübingen's old town and only 4 minutes away from the Theologicum.

Dr. M. Adam at the EGC f. NT, June 2026

1. Dr. M. Adam, Univ. Zürich: “Autorschaft und Autoritätskonstruktionen in antiker jüdischer und griechischer Literatur“ (Authorship and Constructions of Authority in Ancient Jewish and Greek Literature)

2. Dr. J. Müller, Univ. Dresden:“ Das Verhältnis von Johannes und den Synoptikern aus der Perspektive antiker Kompositionspraktiken. Ein Werkstattbericht“ (The relationship between John and the Synoptics from the perspective of ancient compositional practices. A workshop report)

Dr. Heiko Wojtkowiak at the Institute f. Christian Origins, in front of the Stuckenbruck library, June 2026

3. Dr. Heiko Wojtkowiak, Univ. Göttingen:“ Vielerlei Stimmen – Perspektiven auf Geld im Neuen Testament“ (Many Voices – Perspectives on Money in the New Testament). 

New Director for the Institute from September
In addition, we are intensively preparing for the start of Ron Herms and his wife Kathy as the new Director of the Institute in September. We hope that all bureaucratic hurdles will be overcome by the end of the summer holidays and are very much looking forward to the reinforcement.