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John & Maxine McCaw Seminary Scholarships

for Prophetic Living, Preaching and Teaching

Thanks to the generosity of John and Maxine McCaw, a special scholarship fund has been created to encourage a new generation of Disciples of Christ leaders equipped to proclaim the prophetic Gospel.

The scholarships will be provided to highly qualified candidates committed to a preaching ministry who attend Disciples seminaries or Union Theological Seminary in New York.  Scholarships are to be awarded to men and women, regardless of background, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Candidates must show promise for prophetic ministry unleashed by heavy debt.  The candidates should maintain a healthy lifestyle and not smoke or drink.  Awards will be based on the criteria in the application. 

Statement from John and Maxine McCaw:

Credit should be given to our parents, Clayton C. and Mildred McCaw, Dale C. and Viola Gambs, whose frugal ways carried us through the Great Depression and enabled us to save and accumulate these funds.The term "prophetic" is used to indicate a lifestyle which is in constant tension with contemporary society and seeks to eliminate evil and enhance goodness in human relations and in international relations.Unfortunately the ways of the prophet so vividly portrayed in the Old Testament and in the teachings, life and sacrifice of Jesus are not evident in the contemporary pulpit. “Who is our neighbor” is now a global concern. Fighting wars do not make for good neighbors. Stalemated Congress does not allow democracy to prevail. The pulpits of the land must become unmuzzled and fearlessly must those who occupy the pulpit shed light on the darkness that prevails in the land.It is the wish of the donors that the earnings from the fund be granted to those preparing for the ministry of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and who pledge to abstain from the use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and eat to live rather than live to eat. That they present their bodies, lean and clean, as a living sacrifice in the tradition of the prophets of old and Jesus himself.It is our hope that they will lead their society to draw revenues not from addictions such as gambling, drinking, smoking, etc. but rather from proportional taxes on economic transactions. In the hope that from the pulpit will come strong admonitions about "maxing out" credit cards, about living within one's means, and saving and investing for the future that these funds are being made available.Cash and carry, do-it-yourself, and keeping good books are virtues which, with practice, will bear much fruit. It is better to garden than to golf and keep bees than to bowl. Crony capitalism practiced by elitist financiers must be brought to justice because the consciences of citizens who have been informed by preachers who are paying attention to what is happening in our society.The pulpit must not be shut down by secularists who hold that religion should not be involved in politics. However the pulpit must be informed, alert, emboldened and fearless in maintaining this freedom. Today with the social media, Facebook, Twitter and Google, the “pulpit” speaks to the world as the ultimate congregation. 

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