collageThis guide explores the details of Church Scholarship Requirements, disciples of christ grants, scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
A scholarship is a form of financial aid that does not need to be repaid. Scholarships are awarded based on merit, which means that you must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the award. Read on to know more about Church Scholarship Requirements, disciples of christ grants, scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
The Church Scholarship Requirements are designed to provide financial aid for college students who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These scholarships are awarded on a need-based basis and often include other requirements such as academic achievement or community service. Read on to know more about Church Scholarship Requirements, disciples of christ grants, scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
The Church Scholarships provide financial assistance to students pursuing an undergraduate degree at accredited colleges and universities throughout the United States, Canada and New Zealand. The Church Scholarship Requirements were established in 1955 by the General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Church”) who administered the program until 1972 when it was transferred to the Church Educational System (CES). In 2010, CES became known as Learning Services within The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and continues today as an independent entity offering many different types of scholarships including those available through LDS Family Services.
Church Scholarship Requirements
We begin with Church Scholarship Requirements, disciples of christ grants, scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
Eligibility
To be eligible for any of the scholarships listed below the applicant must:
- be a member of a congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada;
- be preparing for ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada;
- know that GPA may be a determining factor in consideration of scholarships awarded;
- provide evidence of financial need;
- be enrolled as a student in an ATS accredited seminary or school, (9+ hours for full disbursement, 6-8 hours for 2/3rd disbursement, 3-5 hours for 1/3rd disbursement, below 3 hours ineligible) audited classes for no credit do not apply toward required hours;
- be enrolled in an M.Div., or equivalent degree program;
- provide official, sealed transcript(s) of academic work to be received by our office directly from the registrar’s office. If you have completed less than one year of graduate seminary, please submit transcripts for all under-graduate attendance and degree fulfillment. If you have completed at least one year of graduate seminary, you only need to submit the transcripts for your cumulative seminary experience. Second career seminary students should consult with DHM scholarship office regarding how to proceed;
- provide three references; one from each of the following persons: a regional minister from one of the 33 regions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada from the region with which you are under care, the pastor of your home CC (DOC) congregation or from the CC (DOC) congregation wherein you are a member, and a professor (seminary or undergraduate). First year students entering may substitute the regional minister with a reference from a recognized executive minister of racial ethnic ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. No referent can be a relative. Call if you have questions;
- be under care of a regional Commission on the Ministry, or in the process of coming under care (if regional reference is coming from ethnic constituency executive, you will be required to contact your regional minister and request that they verify your under care status. It will be your responsibility to ensure a regional minister fulfills this request.);
(Exceptions to some of the above qualifications may be made within the Michael Scholarship, Star-Supporter and African American Scholarship fund programs. Contact our office for details.)
For your information: Applicants must apply or reapply each year to receive scholarships. There are no automatic renewals.
disciples of christ grants
Now we consider disciples of christ grants, scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
Disciples of Christ Scholarships
| Scholarship Title keyboard_arrow_down | Amount keyboard_arrow_down |
|---|---|
| Disciples Home Missions Scholarships | Varies |
| Disciples Leadership Program | $6,000 |
| Dr. James Earl Massey Intercultural Leadership Scholarship | $16,000 |
| Gonzaga University Undergraduate Scholarships | $88,000 |
scholarship committee guidelines
More details coming up on scholarship committee guidelines, church scholarship application and church scholarship policy sample.
Guidelines for Evaluating:
Transcripts
Transcripts
Intellectual excellence can be demonstrated in numerous ways, and many research, scholarship and fellowship opportunities are not GPA driven. They can be more concerned with the quality of a candidate’s research project, the strength of the candidate’s commitment to public service or science research, or the depth of the candidate’s leadership activities. In some cases, grades can be overshadowed by extraordinary achievements represented in other parts of the overall application.
However, a student’s academic transcript is usually one of the materials requested as part of the scholarship/fellowship application and will play a role, to the greater or lesser degree, in the selection decision. That degree is determined by the purpose of the award and/or the mission of the funding organization.
Transcripts can provide a way of understanding the student’s academic potential and can demonstrate the consistency of course work over a period of time. It can give the selection committee a way to look at the level of their education, the type of preparation, and the quality of their achievements to date in their program and/or department.
In evaluating a student’s transcript, consider the following:
- Trajectory of the GPA. What is the pattern: is it increasing, consistent;
- Challenging course content;
- Number of credits taken within the graded period in addition to grades earned;
- Grades in the major discipline(s);
- Note if there were challenging periods – freshman year, quarter(s) where grades are inconsistent with the overall history of the transcript.
The instruction to those selecting Rhodes Scholars says it best: “Intellectual excellence is obviously required, but not in isolation from other qualities. Mr. Rhodes sought Scholars who were more than ‘mere bookworms;’ he wanted their intellectual talents to be combined with concern for others. Thus, the Selection Committees assign the highest importance to this blend of character with intellect. They are charged to seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead.”CV or Resume
CV or Resume
The CV (or resume) is an important part of many scholarship applications. Also, the development of a professional CV is an unintended positive outcome for many scholarship applicants, whether or not they ultimately receive the scholarship.
Individual scholarships differ in focus from research experience, leadership activities, or a particular academic or career path. However, the CV is useful beyond providing information about particular activities related to the scholarship. The CV can offer additional details about applicants’ experience and accomplishments, flesh out timelines, and provide contextual information.
Typically, the student’s application and personal essays are congruent with the activities listed in the CV. In that case, significant activities or experiences listed in the CV will also be discussed in the application and/or personal essays. Conversely, activities discussed in the application and essays should typically be listed on the CV.
Students need not have experience in every one of the categories listed below to be considered a strong applicant. That said, an “ideal” CV includes activities from more than one category, perhaps with a particular focus on one category or activity. The following are activities which frequently appear on the CVs of scholarship applicants:
- Education
- Volunteer experience or community activities
- Leadership activities
- Research experience
- Work or internship experience
- Honors, awards, and special recognition
For each of the activities and accomplishments listed on the CV, consider the following:
- Has the student provided details about each activity such as:
- Project description
- Duties and responsibilities
- Length of participation and hours contributed
- How does the activity relate to the student’s stated academic/career goals?
- How does the activity relate to the scholarship’s requirements or goals?
Scholarship Application Essays
Scholarship Application Essays
Each scholarship program will have its own essay prompts crafted to elicit different information from students based on the scholarship’s selection criteria. However, there are some general characteristics and approaches to reviewing application essays that can be applied broadly, as a starting point, along with the specific desires and values of the particular scholarship you may be reading for.
Typically a personal statement essay should:
- Answer the question posed in the prompt, if applicable;
- Make a connection between the mission of the scholarship (the activity or interest the scholarship seeks to support) and the applicant’s academic, career, personal interests and/or goals;
- Successfully articulate how the applicant plans to achieve those interests/goals and how the scholarship/activity will fit into that plan;
- Demonstrate how the applicant thinks and why they’ve made the decisions they’ve made, clarifying and reflecting on relevant past experiences.
- The essay should be easy to read, reveal interesting things about the applicant, and help the reader gain an overall understanding of where the applicant is coming from.
General qualities to look for, though these may be defined differently or others may be included by the specific scholarship:
- Engagement – Does the applicant discuss extracurricular, research, volunteer, internship, work or other experiences that add to his or her academic pursuits?
- Leadership – Does the applicant discuss his or her role in or contribution to any experiences discussed?
- Sense of Purpose – Does the applicant provide evidence of having a sense of direction and an understanding of how that has developed through past experiences?
Issues to give special consideration:
- English language learners – Many scholarship applicants are not native English speakers or writers. Because an essay-based application naturally puts these applicants at a disadvantage, selection committees should look beyond the spelling and grammar errors when there is evidence that the applicant is a non-native speaker, and focus more on the content of the information provided.
- Eloquent vagueness – Some applicants are fantastic writers who have great things to say on the surface, but no experience to back up their statements. Exceptional applicants will show, rather than tell, about themselves and their ideas.
- Resume recap – Does the applicant simply restate, or even copy wholesale, information from his or her resume/CV? Exceptional applicants will use the essays to provide context for the most pivotal experiences listed on the resume/CV, reflecting on them and going beyond, but not just recreate the list in narrative form.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation could be coming from any source: faculty, community members, supervisors, etc. The writers may or may not be native English speakers, or may or may not be strong writers in general. They also may or may not have had adequate time to write or proofread. Please do not hold writers’ errors against the applicant.
Common errors that should not negatively impact the applicant:
- wrong applicant name
- wrong scholarship name
- grammatical mistakes, type-os, etc.
Stellar recommendation letters always stand out. It tends to be those in the middle of the pack that can be hard to know what to do with. Look for positive, deep, meaningful comments and connections.
- Do the letters confirm what the student has said in his/her application?
- Do the letters provide context, giving specific examples or information about the student’s characteristics and qualities?
- Do the letters distinguish the student, or do they seem like they could have been written for anyone?
- Do the letters answer questions raised by the application?
- For letters that are clearly outdated and old, do they still provide the relevant information listed above?
- For letters that are clearly not written specifically for this scholarship, do they still provide relevant information listed above?
What to do with recommendations from the same author for multiple applicants that appear very similar, or actually are the very same letter?
This is no fault of the applicant and is likely more reflective of the harried writer. Attempt to read each letter on its own, and consider the merits of each separately.
What to do with patently negative letters?
Unfortunately, from time to time, applicants do make poor choices in selecting their letter writers and this is born out in recommendation letters that are not “recommendations” at all and provide mostly negative comments. Should this kill an otherwise strong application? The same questions provided above should be considered in this case. Is what the writer has to say relevant? Does the letter provide evidence to back up the negative statements? Does the letter say more about the author than the applicant?
church scholarship application
Christian Fellowship Congregational United Church of Christ Scholarship Fund was established in May 2020 by members, families, and friends of Christian Fellowship Congregational United Church of Christ. The Fund shall be held, managed, administered, and paid out by an appointed committee made up of church members. The Fund is a perpetual charitable fund created for the purposed of granting scholarships to graduating seniors who have attended and fulfilled the requirements of the Christian Fellowship Church.
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH / JR. COLLEGE / TRADE SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS
These scholarships will be awarded to deserving graduating high school seniors who are members or active in the church during their high school years. The scholarship provides awards annually in the amount of $1,000 each to graduating high school seniors.
CRITERIA:
To receive consideration, applicants must:
- be a graduating high school youth, active in the church (the contact at CFCC will verify the status of applicants as active)
- be accepted to a post-secondary educational program
DONALD E. GRAY SCHOLARSHIP
The Donald E. Gray Scholarship Fund was created to honor the legacy of a gentle giant who, for more than 25 – years, was a faithful, active member of Christian Fellowship Congregational Church.
A native of Paris, Texas, Donald Gray opted not to attend college after graduating from high school. Instead, he joined the U.S. Navy which allowed him the opportunity to earn an income to support his mother and family. The U.S. Navy eventually brought him to San Diego, CA where
he later enrolled at San Diego City College and earned an associate degree with high honors.
In his honor, family and friends have established a scholarship that will provide one $500.00 scholarship per year to a high school senior who is a regularly active member of the Christian Fellowship Congregational Church family. To be eligible, the student must:
CRITERIA:
- Have a minimum 3.3 GPA,
- Provide proof of enrollment into a four-year college or institution
• Submit a 250-word essay on the importance of service above self
CONTINUING COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded to deserving undergraduate college students who are active members of CFCC, San Diego, CA. The scholarship provides awards annually in the amount of $1,000 each to current undergraduate students.
CRITERIA:
To receive consideration, applicants must:
- be an undergraduate college/university student and active in the church (the contact at CFCC will verify the status of applicants as active)
- be participatory in the church whenever home (i.e.: sing in the choir, usher, volunteer at church)
- be enrolled full-time during the academic year in a program leading to an associate or bachelor’s degree.APPLICATION PROCESS:The online application is available on the Christian Fellowship Congregational Church of San Diego, United Church of Christ Website at www.christianfellowshipucc.orgThe following items must be submitted to the Scholarship Committee:
- Online application completed in full
- Official High School/College/University transcript through the first semester of 12th
- grade for high school seniors, or most recent grade transcript for college students
- One letter of recommendation from a member or clergyperson at CFCC.
- One letter of recommendation from a school or community member.
- Personal essay, typewritten, no more than 300 words explaining 1) How you have
- benefited from participation in Christian Fellowship Congregational Church; 2) How you
- have overcome adversity; and 3) Your personal goals
- The application and all supplemental materials must be received by the deadline indicated
- on the application.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
SELECTION PROCESS:
The church Scholarship Committee will select recipients. The committee reserves the right to rescind an award should a recipient’s circumstances change, such as failure to graduate from high school or failure to enroll at an accredited institution. The Scholarship Committee reserves the right to withhold the award if no applicants are deemed to meet the qualifications.
PAYMENT PROCESS:
Funds will be distributed to the recipient upon receipt of official verification of enrollment in the institution of higher learning.
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