The Student Day Offering, set for Nov. 27th, will return to Michigan as awards, loans and scholarships.
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Office of Loans and Scholarships will be awarding over 2,300 students a total of $5 million in financial assistance for 2016.
Everyone in the Michigan Area can celebrate along with 31 congregations–19 in the Detroit Conference and 12 in the West Michigan Conference–whose young people are recipients of scholarships and awards.
Twenty-two students in the Detroit Conference received a total of $36,225 of support in 2016. The largest sum, $6,000, went to Jacob Adams of Livonia: Newburg UMC, attending Adrian College. He received both a UM Allocation Award and a Rev. Dr. Karen Layman Gift of Hope Scholarship.
West Michigan Conference scholarship recipients numbered 12, with support totaling $19,900. Linda Stephen, active at Traverse Bay UMC, received $5,900 composed of a Georgia Harkness Scholarship and a West Michigan Conference Merit Award. Linda is a student at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Funding for these important gifts come from three Special Sunday Offerings: United Methodist Student Day, World Communion Sunday, and Native American Sunday. Annuities and endowments invested by GBHEM also contributes to the amount the Office of Loans and Scholarships is able to distribute.
This is the good news. The bad news shared by GBHEM is that many applicants did not receive scholarships due to limited funds. Local churches can make a difference for students by taking these important offerings each year.
Student Sunday is just ahead. Resources for promotion are available online here.
Students who are members of The United Methodist Church may apply for a Fall 2017 GBHEM scholarship online between January 3, 2017 – March 1, 2017 at www.gbhem.org/scholarshipapplication. Student loans are also available at interest rates as low as 3.75% (lower than federal educational loan rates) with a credit worthy cosigner.
Last Updated on November 15, 2016