What God's been doing in my life...and how you can be a part of it.

Dear Friends and Family:

Hi! How are you? I hope that God is doing many wonderful things in your life as He is in mine. There are many exciting things going on in my life that I hope you will allow me to share with you.

First I will share a little background for those of you who might not be aware of what I have been up to. In the summer of 2008, I participated in my first unit of a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. These programs are interfaith, professional education for ministry. This program provided classroom training with a supervisor and peers, as well as practicing skills through working in a pastoral setting and then being involved in personal reflection on my experience. That summer I had no idea what I was getting into going into the program, but it helped me to realize my own personal past needs for a chaplain as a child and helped me to continue discerning a call toward youth ministry that I have always felt, specifically chaplaincy in a children’s hospital or hospice.

During the classroom training part of my experience, I heard about Hartford Seminary from a number of past students and felt the push to apply there for the upcoming semester. About a year and a half before, I went to another school for a degree in pastoral counseling. I left that program and pursued my first CPE unit. In the midst of doing CPE, I applied to another school for a different degree, but I withdrew from there when I felt the call towards chaplaincy and applied to Hartford Seminary. I got in for the upcoming semester and started my journey toward a Master in Divinity degree.

As students cannot receive the whole Master in Divinity degree through Hartford Seminary, I started looking into schools to transfer to. I visited Gordon Conwell this year for their “Discover Gordon Conwell” experience, and know current students there whom I have spoken with about the program and my decision to apply. I previously visited one other school that I liked, but for many reasons, Gordon Conwell feels like the right place for me. After I visited, I applied and got accepted. I will start during the upcoming spring semester.

One of the opportunities I have at Gordon Conwell is The Partnership Program. This is a scholarship program that will enable me to have a community of prayer and/or financial support during my time in seminary. This scholarship provides me with continued opportunities to strengthen my relationships with my church, family and friends, even as I am away at school.

As a recipient of this scholarship, I will gain an education and experience in ministry and fund raising, as well as practical skills and experience in applying Biblical Stewardship values while participating in educational opportunities emphasizing the Biblical principles of calling, stewardship and discipleship.

The amount for this scholarship is $9,000. My goal is to raise $5540 of that amount per year. All financial support for this scholarship is given to a scholarship fund for the Partnership Program. Scholars do not receive financial support directly, enabling donors to give on a tax-deductible basis and allowing participants of the program to receive assistance in the form of an academic scholarship.

This scholarship also allows for the opportunity for people to pray with and for me about what's going on while I'm at school. The school will send out a newsletter to my prayer partners throughout the year written by me to let you know what I have been up to and how you can best be praying for me.

I would love for you to be a part of my seminary experience in this capacity. Would you consider partnering with me through prayer and/or financial support, supporting my vision for ministry, the scholarship fund and ultimately assisting me to pursue that vision? I would be honored and humbled to have your support and partnership.

Pledge form: http://www.gordonconwell.edu/sites/default/files/Part%20Pledge%20form%20for%20web.pdf

Electronic Fund Transfer form:
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/sites/default/files/Partnership%20EFT.pdf

Completed scanned forms can be emailed to: partnership@GCTS.edu

Or mailed to: Partnership Program, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 130 Essex Street, South Hamilton, MA 01982

Checks can be written to “Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary”. I can be reached here or by email or on my cell phone at any time: EEP54@comcast.net or 860-416-6773 if you have questions.

If anyone wants hard a hard copy of this letter and/or the forms, I will be glad to send those to you.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration in partnering with me on this journey.

Love in Him always,

Emily