Roger Lyman, President of the Home Mission Foundation, announced the Mary Ona Wolf and Home Mission Foundation Seminarian Scholarships awarded for 2022. In December, a total of $95,630.50 was mailed to the recipients for their training and education as new pastors.
Jonathan Webster, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, describes the program, “The Scholarship Fund receives large amounts annually with individual amounts being distributed to many seminarians each year. In addition, scholarships are supported by two Home Mission Foundation Funds: the Mary Ona Wolf Scholarship Fund and the Home Mission Fund.”
Ms. Mary Ona Wolf created the Mary Ona Wolf Scholarship Fund to educate and train pastors for the NC and SC Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her estate provided over a half million dollars to form the Fund’s corpus, whose income supports seminarians from North and South Carolina seeking a Master of Divinity Degree.
The Fund provides financial support for each North and South Carolina Seminary Student. Also, the Fund recognizes achievement and merit through a First Year Merit Award, an Internship Award and an award for all Newly-Ordained Pastors in the Synod.
“The Home Mission Fund of the Home Mission Foundation provides additional support to seminarians from the North Carolina Synod, ELCA and the NALC (North) Carolinas Mission District seeking a seminary degree. The Fund gives an equal amount to each of these students. Unfortunately, the cost of a seminary education continues to rise each year. Men and women who receive the Call to Ministry should not be discouraged by the necessary cost of such education to achieve God’s goal before them. Seminarians are very thankful for this support, expressed in the many thank-you notes received each year. The Home Mission Foundation remains passionately committed to Scholarship as one of its major programs.”