Continuing Ed Page

EPC Financial Support for

Candidates for the Ordained Ministry

Financial Support is available for college and seminary students that have been approved by an Eastern Pennsylvania congregation or District Committee of Ordained Ministry or Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Students must be attending an accredited college or seminary. The grants are contingent upon a candidate being ordained by and serving within the bounds of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. If an individual received a grant and fails to be ordained or serve within the conference bounds, the grant (s) shall revert to a loan and be paid back over a five-year period of time unless other arrangements have been made. To be eligible, an application must be completed and sent to the treasurer of the Board of Ordained Ministry, Beverly Connor, 12 White Oak Drive, Fleetwood, PA 19522; bsconnor@aol.com; 610-944-9924 (office), 610-944-3638 (fax). Att: Beverly Connor. Grants shall be given based upon need and the following guidelines:

College Student per semester:

Quarter time up to $750

Half time up to $1000

Three Quarter time up to $1,125

Full time up to $1250

Applicants must maintain a 2.5 grade point average to receive continued funding

Seminary Student per semester:

Quarter time up to $750

Half time up to $1500

Three Quarter time up to $1750

Full time up to $2000

Applicants must maintain a 2.8 grade point average to receive continued funding. To download this information as a pdf file for printing, click here.

Other Financial Support for

Candidates for the Ordained Ministry

There are funding scholarship possibilities through a number of other sources.

Several of these sources are:

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, http://www.gbhem.org

The Fund for Theological Education, http://www.thefund.org.

[You can also look at the Eastern PA Conference site for more information: http://www.epaumc.org/BfScholarGrants.asp]

Continuing Education Policy

Continuing education is to further develop the knowledge and skills of clergy for ministry. All active clergy (elders, deacons, local pastors, commissioned, etc.), who are members of and/or serving within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, are expected to acquire four Continuing Education Units (CEU's) within each quadrennium. No one event may count for more than two CEU’s toward the required four within a quadrennium.

1 CEU is accrued for 10 contact hours of continuing education (a contact hour is actual time spent in a workshop, lecture or group session). It does not include lunches, breaks or recreational activities. For activities less than 10 hours, .1 CEU is awarded per contact hour.

Individuals who attend events that do not offer CEU’s and would like CEU credits may write Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com, call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618. If granted, the Board of Ordained Ministry will issue a certificate. The following information about the event is to be included with the request (one page is sufficient, two pages maximum):

Active clergy, who are members of and/or serving within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, including retired clergy under appointment, may receive up to $400 a year for continuing education. (Commissioned clergy may receive an additional $400 which may be used in part or in total during their probationary period) Clergy participating in a post master’s degree program may receive up to $600 per year for up to four years. Support for sabbaticals of $1,000 to $5,000 is also available for continuing education. [For information on financial support for "educational leaves," click on the following link to download the pdf file Formational & Spiritual Growth Leave, Renewal/Study Leave, or Sabbatical Leave Funding For Clergy, or see the current Board of Ordained Ministry policy below.]

To be eligible for financial support, it must first be determined whether or not the continuing education event is consistent with the Board of Ordained Ministry’s Policy for granting CEU’s whether or not CEU’s are being requested.

To be considered for financial support, an individual must send the following information to Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com, call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618:

Once eligibility has been determined, the request for financial support will be forwarded to the treasurer of the Board for consideration.

Work camps, mission trips without formal instruction, independent studies that are not overseen through a formal institution or instructor, spiritual retreats, counseling sessions, vacations abroad, ministry/pulpit exchanges and book studies.

[To download this policy as a pdf file for printing, click here.]

Formational & Spiritual Growth Leave,

Renewal /Study Leave or Sabbatical Leave

Funding for Clergy

Approved 3/15/06

DESCRIPTION / DEFINITION

The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Board of Ordained Ministry administers a fund for clergy for the following “organized educational and spiritual growth activities”:

A formational and spiritual growth program, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 351.3 may be up to six months while continuing to hold an appointment, and available to clergy who have held full time appointments for at least six years and who have received the approval of the Committee on Staff-Parish, the Church Council, and the District Superintendent.
A renewal and study leave, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 425 may be up to three months and available to district superintendents once during his or her term as superintendent.
A sabbatical leave, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 352 may be up to one full year, and available to clergy who have been serving a full-time appointment for at least six consecutive years. This leave differs from the others in that the appointment to sabbatical leave is an appointment made by the bishop. (See 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 352 for details on requesting a sabbatical leave.) This leave is also different in that it effects one’s pension contributions.

PURPOSE

Clergy may do in-depth study in a particular ministry area in order to sharpen and strengthen their skills for congregational transformation. We are particularly interested in supporting clergy development in one or more of the following transformational areas:

Leadership development
Worship
Christian education
Effective congregational witness and action in the community
- Action in the community may include community development, community organizing, economic development, community planning, or other ministries by the church to address issues within the community
Discipleship
Organizational development
Personal and congregational spirituality
Stewardship

Churches in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference may benefit from the strengthened skills of clergy

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA

In addition to the criteria mentioned in the definitions above, individuals requesting funds from BOOM must have:

Completed Healing the Wounds of Racism training
A commitment to serve at least eighteen months in the same appointment after the leave. It is recognized that clergy serve in an appointment from year to year, but to be considered, the clergy person must communicate to his/her district superintendent the desire to serve in the same appointment at least for the next eighteen months to share and carry out the new learnings.
A portion of the expense for the leave is to be provided by the clergyperson and the ministry that he/she serves
Time on the leave should be allocated so that at least 15% of the time is spent in Sabbath rest.
The necessary approvals as stated in the 2004 Book of Discipline or by other supervisory bodies

FINANCING

Funding for the “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” is from the Board of Ordained Ministry’s Ministerial Education Funds. These funds are received through Eastern Pennsylvania local churches’ connectional ministry giving.

Grants up to $5,000 will be made to individual clergy for expenses related to reasonable costs related to the leave. These expenses may include travel, lodging, registration fees and pulpit/pastoral care supply.

FOLLOW-UP

Each recipient who receives funding must complete the following within ninety days of the leave:

· A plan for how the learnings will be shared and used in the local church (a copy of the plan is to be given to the church council or appropriate body and Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson)

· An article submitted to the NewSpirit that describes the new learnings for congregational transformation

· A workshop opened to Eastern Pennsylvania Conference clergy and laity

· A report to the Board of Ordained Ministry outlining the activities of the leave, learnings and use of funds (accounting for the use of funds is to be shared in relation to the budget as originally proposed

· A letter from the Instructor/Advisor to the Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson describing the relationship of accountability during your leave.

Ten percent of the grant will be held until the above items are completed. If the items are not completed within the ninety days, the remaining ten percent will be forfeited.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be received by May 20^th for summer and fall “organized educational and spiritual growth activities”and October 20^th for winter and spring “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” Applications are to include the following items (Please use the outline below restating the outline and the information requested.):

1. Personal information -

a. Name, address, phone, and email address

b. Present appointment and number of years in this appointment

c. Previous appointments and years served

2. Summary of the proposed “organized educational and spiritual growth activities”

3. Proposed dates for the leave

4. Why the leave is critical at this time of the applicant’s ministry and the church’s ministry and indicate a willingness to serve eighteen months after the leave in the present appointment

5. How the “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” will enhance congregational transformation (result in growth in one or more of the following – new disciples, new leaders, new people engaged in church and community ministry, worship attendance, giving, and confession of faith)

6. Three to five objectives to be accomplished through the leave

7. The activities and actions to reach the objectives

8. Proposed follow-up plans to implement the learnings

9. A detailed budget that outlines both income and expenses; including whether or not you have applied for other sources of funding (e.g. foundations)

10. A letter of support from the church council or other appropriate body, signed by the chair person of the council and Staff/Parish Committee chairperson or other personnel committee chairperson

11. A letter of support from the district superintendent

12. A letter from Instructor(s)/Advisor(s) to whom you will be accountable describing their role in your renewal/study leave.

Applications are to be sent to the Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson: Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com , call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618.

Applications will be reviewed and the funding determined by the Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry.

[To download this policy as a pdf file, click here.]

Sabbatical funding possibilities are also available through others sources. While many of these sources are competitive funding programs, most clergy in the conference meet the criteria to at least apply. Two such places are

While we endeavor to keep this website as up to date as possible, things are always changing in the online world. If you notice that a link is no longer pointing to the page it should, please let us know by contacting the webmaster at Russ Wenner. Please indicate which page of our website the link is on, the name of the link, and what day you encountered the problem. We will attempt to correct the difficulty as soon as possible.

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Board of Ordained Ministry
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Website ________________ BOM Home Page ________________ Board Officers Candidacy Information Candidacy and Clergy Forms Clergy Education & Training Committees Conference Relations Deacons District Committees District Superintendents Elders Ethnic Recruitment Extension Ministries Links Local Pastors Local Church Resources Marital Separation & Divorce Pastoral Care Provisional Program Retired Clergy Seminary Visitation Vocational Intern Program	Clergy Education & Training
	EPC Financial Support for Candidates for the Ordained Ministry Financial Support is available for college and seminary students that have been approved by an Eastern Pennsylvania congregation or District Committee of Ordained Ministry or Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Students must be attending an accredited college or seminary. The grants are contingent upon a candidate being ordained by and serving within the bounds of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. If an individual received a grant and fails to be ordained or serve within the conference bounds, the grant (s) shall revert to a loan and be paid back over a five-year period of time unless other arrangements have been made. To be eligible, an application must be completed and sent to the treasurer of the Board of Ordained Ministry, Beverly Connor, 12 White Oak Drive, Fleetwood, PA 19522; bsconnor@aol.com; 610-944-9924 (office), 610-944-3638 (fax). Att: Beverly Connor. Grants shall be given based upon need and the following guidelines: College Student per semester: Quarter time up to $750 Half time up to $1000 Three Quarter time up to $1,125 Full time up to $1250 Applicants must maintain a 2.5 grade point average to receive continued funding Seminary Student per semester: Quarter time up to $750 Half time up to $1500 Three Quarter time up to $1750 Full time up to $2000 Applicants must maintain a 2.8 grade point average to receive continued funding. To download this information as a pdf file for printing, click here. Other Financial Support for Candidates for the Ordained Ministry There are funding scholarship possibilities through a number of other sources. Several of these sources are: The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, http://www.gbhem.org The Fund for Theological Education, http://www.thefund.org. [You can also look at the Eastern PA Conference site for more information: http://www.epaumc.org/BfScholarGrants.asp] Continuing Education Policy Continuing education is to further develop the knowledge and skills of clergy for ministry. All active clergy (elders, deacons, local pastors, commissioned, etc.), who are members of and/or serving within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, are expected to acquire four Continuing Education Units (CEU's) within each quadrennium. No one event may count for more than two CEU’s toward the required four within a quadrennium. 1 CEU is accrued for 10 contact hours of continuing education (a contact hour is actual time spent in a workshop, lecture or group session). It does not include lunches, breaks or recreational activities. For activities less than 10 hours, .1 CEU is awarded per contact hour. Individuals Requesting Continuing Education Units Individuals who attend events that do not offer CEU’s and would like CEU credits may write Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com, call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618. If granted, the Board of Ordained Ministry will issue a certificate. The following information about the event is to be included with the request (one page is sufficient, two pages maximum): Name, address, phone number and email address of the person making the request Relationship to the Annual Conference (elder, deacon, local pastor, commissioned, etc.) Date Location Sponsor Leadership and instructors Purpose Content Number of contact hours (number of hours for lectures and workshops) How the information will be used in the practice of ministry in the present appointment or in preparation for a future appointment. Financial Support for Clergy Active clergy, who are members of and/or serving within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, including retired clergy under appointment, may receive up to $400 a year for continuing education. (Commissioned clergy may receive an additional $400 which may be used in part or in total during their probationary period) Clergy participating in a post master’s degree program may receive up to $600 per year for up to four years. Support for sabbaticals of $1,000 to $5,000 is also available for continuing education. [For information on financial support for "educational leaves," click on the following link to download the pdf file Formational & Spiritual Growth Leave, Renewal/Study Leave, or Sabbatical Leave Funding For Clergy, or see the current Board of Ordained Ministry policy below.] To be eligible for financial support, it must first be determined whether or not the continuing education event is consistent with the Board of Ordained Ministry’s Policy for granting CEU’s whether or not CEU’s are being requested. There must also be some support from the clergyperson and the congregation. To be considered for financial support, an individual must send the following information to Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com, call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618: Name, address, phone number Email address Social Security number Relationship to the annual conference (elder, deacon, local pastor, commissioned, etc.) Amount requested. *(If commissioned, designate whether or not the amount requested is from the additional $400 mentioned above)* Amount provided by the congregation Amount provided by the pastor The name of event, date How the event will relate to present and/or future ministry Address where funds should be sent if different from above Once eligibility has been determined, the request for financial support will be forwarded to the treasurer of the Board for consideration. Continuing Education Units and financial support will not be offered for the following experiences: Work camps, mission trips without formal instruction, independent studies that are not overseen through a formal institution or instructor, spiritual retreats, counseling sessions, vacations abroad, ministry/pulpit exchanges and book studies. [To download this policy as a pdf file for printing, click here.] Formational & Spiritual Growth Leave, Renewal /Study Leave or Sabbatical Leave Funding for Clergy Approved 3/15/06 DESCRIPTION / DEFINITION The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Board of Ordained Ministry administers a fund for clergy for the following “organized educational and spiritual growth activities”: A formational and spiritual growth program, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 351.3 may be up to six months while continuing to hold an appointment, and available to clergy who have held full time appointments for at least six years and who have received the approval of the Committee on Staff-Parish, the Church Council, and the District Superintendent. A renewal and study leave, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 425 may be up to three months and available to district superintendents once during his or her term as superintendent. A sabbatical leave, which according to the 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 352 may be up to one full year, and available to clergy who have been serving a full-time appointment for at least six consecutive years. This leave differs from the others in that the appointment to sabbatical leave is an appointment made by the bishop. (See 2004 Book of Discipline Paragraph 352 for details on requesting a sabbatical leave.) This leave is also different in that it effects one’s pension contributions. PURPOSE Clergy may do in-depth study in a particular ministry area in order to sharpen and strengthen their skills for congregational transformation. We are particularly interested in supporting clergy development in one or more of the following transformational areas: Leadership development Worship Christian education Effective congregational witness and action in the community Action in the community may include community development, community organizing, economic development, community planning, or other ministries by the church to address issues within the community Discipleship Organizational development Personal and congregational spirituality Stewardship Churches in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference may benefit from the strengthened skills of clergy ADDITIONAL CRITERIA In addition to the criteria mentioned in the definitions above, individuals requesting funds from BOOM must have: Completed Healing the Wounds of Racism training A commitment to serve at least eighteen months in the same appointment after the leave. It is recognized that clergy serve in an appointment from year to year, but to be considered, the clergy person must communicate to his/her district superintendent the desire to serve in the same appointment at least for the next eighteen months to share and carry out the new learnings. A portion of the expense for the leave is to be provided by the clergyperson and the ministry that he/she serves Time on the leave should be allocated so that at least 15% of the time is spent in Sabbath rest. The necessary approvals as stated in the 2004 Book of Discipline or by other supervisory bodies FINANCING Funding for the “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” is from the Board of Ordained Ministry’s Ministerial Education Funds. These funds are received through Eastern Pennsylvania local churches’ connectional ministry giving. Grants up to $5,000 will be made to individual clergy for expenses related to reasonable costs related to the leave. These expenses may include travel, lodging, registration fees and pulpit/pastoral care supply. FOLLOW-UP Each recipient who receives funding must complete the following within ninety days of the leave: · A plan for how the learnings will be shared and used in the local church (a copy of the plan is to be given to the church council or appropriate body and Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson) · An article submitted to the NewSpirit that describes the new learnings for congregational transformation · A workshop opened to Eastern Pennsylvania Conference clergy and laity · A report to the Board of Ordained Ministry outlining the activities of the leave, learnings and use of funds (accounting for the use of funds is to be shared in relation to the budget as originally proposed · A letter from the Instructor/Advisor to the Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson describing the relationship of accountability during your leave. Ten percent of the grant will be held until the above items are completed. If the items are not completed within the ninety days, the remaining ten percent will be forfeited. APPLICATION PROCESS Applications must be received by May 20^th for summer and fall “organized educational and spiritual growth activities”and October 20^th for winter and spring “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” Applications are to include the following items (Please use the outline below restating the outline and the information requested.): 1. Personal information - a. Name, address, phone, and email address b. Present appointment and number of years in this appointment c. Previous appointments and years served 2. Summary of the proposed “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” 3. Proposed dates for the leave 4. Why the leave is critical at this time of the applicant’s ministry and the church’s ministry and indicate a willingness to serve eighteen months after the leave in the present appointment 5. How the “organized educational and spiritual growth activities” will enhance congregational transformation (result in growth in one or more of the following – new disciples, new leaders, new people engaged in church and community ministry, worship attendance, giving, and confession of faith) 6. Three to five objectives to be accomplished through the leave 7. The activities and actions to reach the objectives 8. Proposed follow-up plans to implement the learnings 9. A detailed budget that outlines both income and expenses; including whether or not you have applied for other sources of funding (e.g. foundations) 10. A letter of support from the church council or other appropriate body, signed by the chair person of the council and Staff/Parish Committee chairperson or other personnel committee chairperson 11. A letter of support from the district superintendent 12. A letter from Instructor(s)/Advisor(s) to whom you will be accountable describing their role in your renewal/study leave. Applications are to be sent to the Board of Ordained Ministry continuing education chairperson: Dr. Mary White, 804 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, email MWhite9891@aol.com , call 215-236-0304 / 215-429-1680(cell) or fax 215-236-8618. Applications will be reviewed and the funding determined by the Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry. *[To download this policy as a pdf file, click here.]* Additional Sabbatical Funding Sabbatical funding possibilities are also available through others sources. While many of these sources are competitive funding programs, most clergy in the conference meet the criteria to at least apply. Two such places are The Louisville Institute http://www.louisville-institute.org Lilly Endowment http://www.lillyendowment.org While we endeavor to keep this website as up to date as possible, things are always changing in the online world. If you notice that a link is no longer pointing to the page it should, please let us know by contacting the webmaster at Russ Wenner. Please indicate which page of our website the link is on, the name of the link, and what day you encountered the problem. We will attempt to correct the difficulty as soon as possible.