Seminary Scholarships

I recieved this email from our synod and invite members to consider supporting this effort. I like the idea of "never being without a seminarian". If you are interested in this kind of support, contact me or the Stewardship Team.

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

Your immediate help is needed. Due to a shortage of funds, our synod was only able to give scholarship monies to six of the Gulf Coast Synod's Master of Divinity students. For the 2007 Spring Scholarships we had $7000 to distribute between nine seminarians and this does not include our TEEM or AIM candidates. We had to choose between those with the greatest need. It was a difficult and heart wrenching decision.

Our synod is committed to providing pastoral leadership for every congregation and training leaders for service in the Church. Some seminarians are graduating with staggering debt loads that take years to repay. Some must decline specific calls for financial reasons. Your help is needed so that those graduating from seminary will have a sound financial foundation, allowing them to serve any congregation in our synod.

Here are some ways that you and your congregation can help:
Receive a special offering, possibly a "noisy offering" for seminary scholarships.
Designate your 2007 Lenten Offerings for Seminary Scholarships.
If your congregation has a Seminarian Fund and you don't currently have a seminarian in your congregation, adopt a seminarian until that time in which you do. Never be without a seminarian.
In the future put this in your budget along with your seminary support.

You can mail your check to the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
12707 North Freeway, #580
Houston, TX 77060-1239

It's not too late to make this semester a little easier for these students. No amount is too small.

We continue to have the goal of paying the entire cost of a seminarian's theological education without assistance from other scholarship sources. There is no finer investment in the future of Christ's Church than a gift to support the training of our future pastors!

Thank you for your consideration and generous help!
Liz Stein,
Director for Leadership