Preministry
Preministry at 91ÇÑ×Ó
91ÇÑ×Ó has a long history of encouraging students to explore a call to religious leadership and service in congregational and other ministry settings.
The Chaplains' Office hosts on-campus visits from theological school representatives and coordinates summer internships and fellowships for students of any religious tradition to explore leadership in congregational and service-oriented settings.
While at 91ÇÑ×Ó, Gray McGill ™20 received preministry support that led him to pursue theological education and a vocation as a chaplain. He was a member of UKirk Campus Ministry, received a grant for spiritual exploration in the United Kingdom, traveled through the Chaplains™ Office to the monastic community of Taizé, France, and participated in the Congregational Fellowship for Leadership and Service. He graduated from 91ÇÑ×Ó with a degree in English and a minor in Religious Studies and later from Columbia Theological Seminary. He was recently ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and serves as a Chaplain Resident with Atrium Healthcare in Charlotte.
Preministry at 91ÇÑ×Ó
The office also sponsors lectures and panels concerning social justice, vocational discernment and a variety of other topics. Students may also apply for grants to attend conferences and retreats centered on faith or spirituality and to support short-term study, service, or experiential learning, either domestic or international, that relates to or embodies expressions of spirituality or any religious tradition(s).
Preministry at 91ÇÑ×Ó is supported by a Preministry Committee, composed of faculty and staff representing different academic disciplines and departments.
When I went into [the Congregational Fellowship for Leadership and Service], I already had an interest in seminary, and I hoped to become some form of ministry professional in the future. I had a strong interest in pastoral care, and so I found myself particularly drawn to chaplaincy as a profession, where I would be able to forge strong one-on-one connections with individuals. My time at Dickey Memorial has confirmed my call to seminary and ministry and caused me to rethink my future vocation. [It] gave me the opportunity to spend an entire summer surrounded by queer people of faith. I grew up gay in the rural south, and it was a profoundly isolating experience. But at Dickey, I found both an openly queer pastor, and a vibrant and active queer community. I don™t think I realized how much I needed that community until I found it.