Students

Good morning Trinity Tribe,

I have been up early again, though it was by choice and not by nightmare! I have worked some more on my assessment as well as doing sermon research.

I got an unexpected letter in the mail yesterday. I was notified by Duke Divinity School that my Perkins loan had been paid off! Hip, hip hooray! I still carry debt from my seminary education. However, at least one of those loans is paid in full! I was excited to read those words yesterday. If it hadn't been for loans and scholarships, I would not have been able to answer God's call to ministry.

SInce the days of John Wesley, Methodists have valued education. United Methodists around the globe invest in higher education. However, the economy has hit the scholarship fund as hard as anything else in church. In fact, nearly 1,000 United Methodists who qualified for a scholarship this year walked away empty handed, and even more students are expected to be disappointed in 2011 unless giving to scholarship funds increases dramatically.The last Sunday of November is designated on the United Methodist calendar as United Methodist Student Day. United Methodist Student Day is one of the six churchwide Special Sundays of The United Methodist Church. United Methodist Student Day furnishes scholarships and loans for students attending United Methodist-related and other accredited colleges and universities.

United Methodist Student Day offerings have declined from $602,309 in 2007 to $484,188 last year. In 2010, 2,411 students received scholarships totaling $3.3 million. Ninety percent of Student Day collections go to the United Methodist scholarship programs, while 10 percent is for student loans. Each United Methodist-related college gets money from the offering for scholarships, and each participating annual conference gets 10 percent of Student Day receipts to award to their own merit scholars.

Prov. 4:7 - "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."
Prov. 2:3-5 - "Call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

I invite you to prayerfully consider participating in United Methodist Student Day with extra giving above your tithe to the Church. The money you give will go directly to help an undergraduate or graduate school student better themselves and enable them to live into whatever God has called them to do. I also invite you to tell other people how the United Methodists invest in higher education. Don't forget to tell your children and grandchildren that they can apply for scholarships through the UMC when they head off to college as well.