A Michigan woman, with the help of a Student Sunday scholarship, now lives her ministry goals.
KAY DEMOSS
Senior Editor-Writer, Michigan Area
There she is in an old Student Sunday video entitled, “Examples of Faith.” At the time, Cora Glass was a student at High Point University in North Carolina.
“The United Methodist Church has always been very influential in my upbringing,” said the video Cora. “I feel right now that I probably will be going to seminary and I’d like to use my degree either in a church or in a non-profit organization.”
With the help of a scholarship and a low-interest loan from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Cora would graduate from High Point in 2012. “The Student Day funds made a world of difference,” Cora says. “I was able to finish a semester early and have the resources to graduate. The support from GBHEM was definitely a blessing.”
She went home to Bloomfield Hills, MI and resumed involvement at Birmingham First United Methodist Church.
Cora then sent in her application to Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) and began her theological studies there in the fall of 2013. Throughout the grad school years at G-ETS, Cora was supported by Student Sunday dollars.
Cora’s plan when first walking through the doors at G-ETS, was to serve in local churches as an ordained Elder. Then she heard more about the Deacon track. An internship with University Christian Ministry at Northwestern and a previous experience working at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit changed her ministry course.
After her commissioning as a Provisional Deacon in 2016 at the Michigan Annual Conference in East Lansing, Cora went to work at Wesley Campus Ministry at Western Michigan University. She served the next year in Kalamazoo as the Residential Director for the Wesley Intentional Living Center. Cora also led Bible studies, organized service opportunities and retreats for students. “Together, we learned what it meant to live in Christian community, living into our faith in the world.” Cora explains.
Cora Glass looks forward to 2019 when she hopes to be a member of the first class of ordinands in the newly formed Michigan Conference.
In the meantime, she has returned to Evanston where she serves as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Alum Relations for Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Cora had worked in the Development Office while a seminary student and she notes, “It was a real honor to get that phone call that brought me back to work for the seminary.” Since middle school days of promoting CROP Walk back at Birmingham 1st, “fund raising has been a part of my call,” Cora adds. “Now I am back motivating people to support causes that are highly important in our world, including theological education.”
Further, when she engages with those interested in G-ETS, Cora encourages them to explore all resources offered by their Annual Conferences and The United Methodist Church.
“As the quality of higher education rises, so do the costs. Every student appreciates the kind of financial blessing that I received,” she concludes.
Cora looks ahead to new opportunities in retreat ministries. “I want to help people understand Sabbath and the importance of rest and renewal,” she says. This young woman’s dreams—past and future—have been nurtured thanks to gifts to the United Methodist Student Day Offering.
This year’s appeal will be made on Sunday, November 26. The United Methodist Church has awarded thousands of loans and scholarships to deserving students like Cora Glass. Gifts to the United Methodist Student Day Offering provide real opportunities for young people who feel called to serve God through the church and to help change the world through their chosen vocations.
Click here for a wide variety of print and electronic tools to promote the 2017 United Methodist Student Day.
Last Updated on October 30, 2023