Dear MTS Family,
It was once said of Eleanor Roosevelt that she was an inspiration to many because she would rather light a candle than curse the darkness. In this time of sickness and separation, it can certainly feel as though there is a cloud of darkness hanging over us all. But I have been inspired by the faith leaders who have responded to the Coronavirus pandemic with the light of Christ’s love. For one example, read the story of one of those light-bearers, recent graduate Kim Moore, who has completed her coursework at MTS while working as the Nurse Manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit during the pandemic.
In dark times, it becomes clear how essential our work is. Memphis Theological Seminary prepares faith leaders to shepherd their congregations, and our graduates have been quick to respond to the needs of their church communities by shifting worship, Bible Study classes, and youth group meetings online. Meanwhile, the churches our graduates serve continue to fill the gaps by caring for the vulnerable, distributing food and supplies, and providing spiritual shelter from the storm of this pandemic.
Because of the generous support of donors like you, we’ve been able to move our classes entirely online, allowing our students to continue their studies, complete their coursework, and stay connected to their classroom communities. Thank you for partnering with us in our mission of equipping and sustaining leaders for Christian ministry.
At the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus, we anticipated that there would be an economic impact and took aggressive cost-saving measures. As a result, we forecast that our operational expenses will be approximately $165,000 under budget for our fiscal year-end date of July 31st, 2020. One Cumberland Presbyterian couple was especially inspired by our efforts to operate during these trying times and offered a matching pledge up to $80,000 for all funds recorded before July 31st.
We are excited to share that, as of July 30th, we have received $71,556 toward our $80,000 goal!
We are grateful to God for this blessing, and we hope you might prayerfully consider a gift toward our matching pledge of $80,000 before July 31st. It is easy to give online–just click this link! Your gift will be doubled, and if we reach our goal, you will be part of a $160,000 total contribution that will allow us to end the year with a balanced budget!
This would be an amazing accomplishment we can all find joy in during this health and economic crisis. Our combined efforts in giving will say to the world: while sanctuary doors have been closed, the Church has remained open, alive, and well.
We don’t know when the next crisis will hit our families, our businesses, our communities, or our world. So we remain committed to training and supporting faith leaders who will be equipped to respond with the light of God’s love.
Rev. Jody Hill
MTS President
Here’s what some of our students are saying:
