This past July when the Western North Carolina Conference ordained its newest class of local pastors, they were giving the tools to create future pastors across the globe as well.
In 2016, Kim Ingram, the Director of Ministerial Services and staff support for the WNC Board of Ordained Ministry, approached the WNC board with the idea of donating to the E-Reader Project. Their contributions helped provide e-readers for the new Bishop Wenner School of Theology in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
“It was a new initiative at the time. Kim Ingram made a presentation to the board and they agreed to support one e-reader per ordinand,” Adri Bullard-Rogers, a Ministry Assistant for WNC, said. “Then, members and their churches gave donations to meet the challenge.”
Last year, Ingram once again approached the board, and again members were encouraging and supportive of the idea. The leaders and their churches valued the opportunity to support United Methodist theological students in Africa.
“We received very generous gifts,” Bullard-Rogers said. “One of the WNC districts supported the E-Reader Project at Christmas time through gifts from churches.”
“For the WNC Board of Ordained Ministry, it was exciting to be able to support theological education around the world as we also support seminary training for candidates and local pastors in Western North Carolina.”
In total, the Western North Carolina conference donated $7,980 – one e-reader on behalf of each of the 25 members of the ordination class.
Thank you, Western North Carolina Conference! You are truly a model of creative generosity.
The E-Readers for Theological Education initiative is a partnership with Higher Education and Ministry and Discipleship Ministries and is committed to providing e-libraries on e-readers with important theological texts to the libraries of United Methodist-related and sponsored theological schools in Africa and the Philippines. Learn more about the E-Reader project and donate today ª