Ministry Scholarships

Criteria: * Full-time students in accredited Protestant seminaries in the United States who are preparing to serve Japanese American congregations * Must be at least one quarter Japanese $500 to $1500 scholarships.

Criteria: * UMC students preparing for local church ministry in the California-Pacific Annual Conference (or other). Each year the Scholarship Fund of the Laguna Country United Methodist Church provides financial assistance to help worthy students to obtain the education they need to prepare for the service they propose to give their fellows. The guidelines for awarding scholarships are as follows: returning applicants are to be favored over new applicants.

Students enrolled full-time in a Masters of Divinity degree program leading to ordination as a Unitarian Universalist minister. Candidate status is required. Application: Contact Christine May at [email protected]. For further information: http://www.uua.org/awards/ Master of Divinity

$2,500 per year to an African American woman in or preparing for seminary dedicated to creating an anti-racist, multi-cultural religious organization and country.

$2,250 per year to a promising ministerial candidate.

Awards of $2,500 each are made to ministerial students - one woman and one man - who, in addition to meeting the requirements for general financial aid, choose to submit as part of their general financial application a paper, sermon, or other special project on some aspect of Universalism.

$2,500 per year to a person who has shown outstanding commitment to UUism as a lay leader and has not yet entered seminary.

Two awards at $2,500 each (will increase as value increases). First priority: Meadville-Lombard Students. Student must be in the second or third year of seminary. Up to 25% of award can be directed to assisting African American, Hispanic, Native Americans and foreign students to allow them to spread the faith in their native countries.

Amount varies depending on fund performance to a junior or senior student with academic excellence and good character, studying for ordained ministry.

In 2000, the predecessor body to Local Church Ministries, The Board for Homeland Ministries, created a scholarship for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender United Church of Christ seminarians in honor of William R. Johnson, the first openly gay man ordained in the United Church of Christ. The scholarship was established as a concrete way of affirming the long-standing conviction of the United Church of Christ that sexual orientation should not be a barrier to ordination. To qualify for this scholarship, students must be open about their sexual orientation, enrolled in an ATS accredited seminary, and have proof of both local memberships in a United Church of Christ church and of In Care status. First-time applicants must exhibit exceptional academic ability typically demonstrated by a 3.0 GPA or better while in seminary. Specific written recommendations are also required. The scholarship is available to second and third year students. Scholarship awards typically will be in the $2500 range. Those interested in applying for a Johnson scholarship should contact: The William R. Johnson Scholarship Parish Life and Leadership Ministry Team 700 Prospect Ave E Cleveland OH 44115-1100 866.822.8224, ext. 3848 [email protected] http://www.ucc.org/education/scholarships/

Candidates must be female, have an M. Div degree and be enrolled as a full time student or accepted into a full time program. Must be an active member of the United Methodist Church for at least 3 years. For more information, contact: General Board of Higher Education and Ministry - Office of Loans and Scholarships (615) 340-7344 http://www.epaumc.org/BfScholarGrantsPartOne.asp

The scholarship was named in memory of Mrs. Atherton to ensure the continued association of her name and her special interest in Christianity with the foundation. The scholarship benefits three categories of individuals: 1) active, ordained Protestant ministers residing in Hawaii wishing to continue their education; 2) dependent sons or daughters of ordained, active Protestant ministers in Hawaii pursuing undergraduate studies; and 3) individuals from Hawaii pursuing graduate theological studies at a Protestant seminary with the goal of ordination. Scholarship recipients are selected based on their financial need and academic promise. For sons and daughters of Protestant ministers and seminary students, applications will be available beginning Nov. Application materials, including the application form, transcript of grades, and personal letter must be postmarked on or before Mar. 1. Ordained Protestant ministers wishing to continue their education should contact scholarship staff for application information. Sons or daughters of ministers and ministers applying for continuing education grants must provide the place and date of ordination, and name of the seminary attended to confirm eligibility.