The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Foundation provides gifting opportunities to those individuals, families and foundations that wish to provide long-term support to the Church’s facilities, programs, ministries, and missions. The monies donated are often given in memory or in honor of members of our congregation. The Foundation invests these donations and uses the proceeds earned to provide support to the Church.

Student scholarships are offered each year for students within FUMC who are seeking a higher education.  These scholarships are given on an annual basis to help members of our congregation earn a technical degree, a college degree, or go on to advanced theological training. In 2019 the Foundation held almost $500,000 in funds for various scholarships and has, to date, presented more than $140,000 in scholarships and support for Youth Choir Tour and Youth Missions.

These scholarships are possible because of generous donations to the Foundation.  Scholarships are endowed when donors specifically designate their gift for that sole purpose. These donations are invested and managed by the FUMC Foundation to increase their value over time and extend the number of students they can assist.  The Foundation will continue to grow these funds so our FUMC students can look forward to scholarship assistance in the future.

Scholarships are often made in the name of an individual.  Scholarships may be open to all students, may be designated to be distributed over a certain period, or designated to be used for a specific type of education. There are many scholarships available through FUMC for students with goals of higher education.  The following are a few example scholarships.

• The Miriam Barrett Seminary Student Scholarship helps students acquire the theological training needed to pursue a career in an approved religious affiliated institution.
• The Debra L. Hadley Youth Student Scholarshipassists high school graduates that are now or have been associated with the Youth Ministries or Youth Music Program of First United Methodist Church in acquiring a College, Community College or Trade School education.
• The Kris Lohrmeyer Youth Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance for young people wanting to attend either a Youth Singers Tour or a Youth Mission Trip.

Each year, the Scholarship Committee solicits applications from students of all ages. The committee then undertakes the task of carefully considering the merits of the applicants. Applications and scholarship booklets are available in December each year and can be found in the racks around the church and online.  Applications are submitted after December 15^th and due no later than February 28th. The Scholarship Committee decides who should be awarded each scholarship.  The amount of each scholarship is determined yearly based on the balance of the fund, the designation of the donor, and a rolling average percentage of the various scholarship funds.

RESTRICTED OR UNRESTRICTED

The members of the Foundation Board and Scholarship Committee are committed to following the wishes of the donors about how monies earned are used.  Donors can specify eligibility requirements for their scholarship or list a yearly award limitation.  Others make no restrictions which allows the committee more flexibility to select the recipients, whether or not to provide multiple scholarships from a fund and allows the committee to consider the various educational opportunities of the applicants.

STARTING A SCHOLARSHIP OR MAKING A DONATION

Do you want to help members of First United Methodist Church pursue higher education? The Foundation is always looking for additional money to increase the value of the present scholarships or for anyone who desires to establish a new scholarship in memory of a loved one or valued friend. Amounts of $10,000 or greater are needed to establish a new scholarship. Any amount can be donated to the Foundation to enhance one of the present scholarships.  

Donations to the Foundation — whether restricted or unrestricted — are tax deductible for income tax purposes.  If you are interested in making a donation to the Foundation for use in establishing a new scholarship, adding to one of the present scholarships, or more generally providing long-term support to the Church, please feel free to contact the current President of the Foundation,  Michael Reeder at 719-598-0523 or Michael.Reeder@allegion.com.