Gonzalo Alers T’18 and Rebecca Maiko T’23 answer the call to serve
May 2025 — Drew Theological School alums Gonzalo Alers T’18 and Rebecca Maiko T’23 were recently commissioned as United Methodist Church (UMC) Global Ministries missionaries. The commissioning ceremony took place in January in Jinja, Uganda.
Rebecca Maiko T’23
Alers, a Master of Sacred Theology graduate and current PhD candidate in Bible & Cultures at Drew, and Maiko, a Master of Divinity alum who completed her degree entirely online, join the ranks of UMC Global Ministries missionaries—individuals who are trained and sent to serve in mission work both in the U.S. and abroad. Missionaries serve terms ranging from three years to several decades, working in partnership with communities to expand and support the mission of God already active in those places.
Maiko is now serving as a Leadership Development Coordinator in the Tanganyika Annual Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She helps identify leadership gaps within churches and local ministries, designs training programs, and provides hands-on instruction.
“Going to the DRC was not an easy decision to make or accept,” said Maiko. “But because it is not our mission, but God’s mission, God granted me the grace to sail through.”
Maiko credits her Drew education for equipping her with the skills and perspective necessary for this challenging work. “My Drew knowledge, coupled with my background in leadership training, has helped me feel deeply rooted in the community I’m serving. I draw on my training in cultural humility, pastoral care, counseling, and leadership from Drew. The DRC is prone to war and conflict—I meet many traumatized people every day.”
Gonzalo Alers T’18
Alers is currently serving as Professor of New Testament and Greek at Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico (SEPR), where he contributes to leadership development through a partnership between UMC Global Ministries and SEPR.
Now in the final stages of his PhD at Drew, Alers reflects on how his theological training shaped him for this role. “Under the tutelage of the Drew Theological School faculty, I developed to meet the academic rigor that the position of professor demands,” he said. “It is evident that the Methodist tradition informs my scholarship—a heritage that I treasure and offer with humility in my classroom.”
“I am grateful to my Methodist Church of Puerto Rico for believing in me, to SEPR and Drew for my academic formation, and again to SEPR for the opportunity to return and fulfill my call: ‘Freely you have received; freely give.’”
