“To find suitable persons for the Episcopal ministry and aid them in acquiring a thorough education” – SIM’s founding purpose on October 2, 1857 and our ministry ever since. Our personal visits with our seminarian grant recipients, whether from our home office or by one of our alumni, constantly provide us with a renewed sense of the purpose of our founding mission. We wish donors could come with us to meet “our” seminarians for the suitable persons they are. They inspire hope for the future of The Episcopal Church! Two such persons are a married couple – Sewanee seminarians Laurel and Colin Mathewson from the Diocese of San Diego.
The Mathewsons recently won awards for leadership and merit at the University of the South, School of Theology. Laurel is the 2011 winner of The School of Theology’s Freeman Prize for Merit that “honors and rewards a rising Middler student for demonstrated academic performance and promise.” Colin is the 2011 winner of the Woods Leadership Award, presented annually to a member of the junior class who has most successfully taken initiative in assuming a leadership role in the class. “The award recognizes and encourages students who make a significant contribution to the quality of life in the University of the South.”
Of the Mathewsons, the Very Reverend William S. Stafford, dean of The School of Theology, said, “Laurel and Colin Mathewson are each extraordinary scholars and servant leaders. They are part of a student body grappling with the depths of Christian tradition while exploring what the church is now meant to be. ”
The Mathewsons began early in their seminary days to “give back” to SIM in several ways. This past fall SIM received a meaningful contribution in honor of the Mathewsons from a San Diego community where they served last summer. They have written thank you notes to major donors on SIM’s behalf. In February they plan to “host” a SIM booth at their home diocesan convention in San Diego. This type of social entrepreneurship is indeed suitable for the future of The Episcopal Church.
Congratulations to “our” future ordained leaders, Laurel and Colin Mathewson!
Faithfully,
Tom Moore
Executive Director
SIM
Reprinted from The Society for Increase in Ministry Newsletter
