I hope you take the time to read Anna Whittle’s reflection on her Leadership Fellows retreat to the Arizona-Mexico border. It is a poignant testimony of what she and the other 35 Leadership Fellows saw and experienced.
I was honored and grateful to join them. It was heart-wrenching to see firsthand the inhumanity. Yet it also was eye-opening and encouraging to see these college students wrestle with the issues before them, asking poignant questions, showing both empathy and compassion and seeking ways to make a difference.
Oh, if only I had this opportunity as a young person! Our Disciples congregations strive to nurture our children, youth and young adults, but exposure to something of this magnitude is outside the reach of most.
Fortunately, the Disciples of Christ has the Leadership Fellows program – providing nearly 40 college students with an annual scholarship and the opportunity to have life-changing experiences during their 4 years in the program. Perhaps 20 percent may pursue a vocation in ministry or theological education, yet all will carry what they see, what they felt, who they met and how they were changed forever as they become leaders in their congregations, communities and businesses.
It costs HELM about $16,000 for each Leadership Fellow for the 4-year program. This covers their scholarship for 4 years, as well as expenses related to their 4 fall retreats, the books they are required to read and the technology that allows each co-hort to virtually meet with a volunteer mentor. Another big chunk covers their global immersion trip in the spring of their 3rd year in the program. In partnership with Disciples Overseas Missions, a group this year went to Japan. In 2023, a group went to the Israel-Palestine border. These trip open their eyes to different cultures and a wide range of social justice and ecological issues – all framed within a theological context.
I’m grateful the Disciples offers this type of scholarship and program. I’m thankful for past leaders of HELM who saw a need, and the donors who stepped up to start and undergird this program.
And now it is our turn. In this season of Thanksgiving, please consider a gift to HELM at https://helmdisciples.org/donate/ to allow HELM to sustain and enhance this transformative program and show these students they are part of a Church that cares about them and their future. The Leadership Fellows stands alongside the Youth Leadership Symposium and the handful of scholarships we provide to seminarians and PhD students as HELM strives to support and resource students to become diverse leaders able to navigate an ever-evolving society with grace, wisdom and compassion. Every gift does make a difference!
Jim Cullumber
Director of Major Gifts & Gift Planning
P.S. We appreciate the support many congregations and their members provide to higher education through the Thanksgiving Special Day Offering collected this. These funds get shared by the 22 colleges, universities, seminaries and divinity houses that have a historical connection with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). While HELM supports this offering, none of the contributions are held and used by HELM.