Hope College | The CrossRoads Project

CrossRoads Project Names First Round of Lilly Scholars

A new CrossRoads-sponsored program launched this fall at Hope College is offering significant scholarships for students considering seminary. It also provides opportunities for these students to meet with one another for regular roundtable discussions about theology and ministry. The Lilly Scholars Program was developed to support students who are planning to go to seminary or who are at least considering that possibility.

The program was first laid out in Hope College’s original proposal to the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for the $2 million grant that now funds the CrossRoads Project initiatives. College leaders saw that Hope needed a coordinated effort to keep track of students interested in seminary—ensuring that they receive regular mentoring, support, and encouragement to explore their gifts in ministry. Another key goal was to bring these students together for regular meetings that include discussions, readings, dinners, site visits, retreats, and mission trips. The idea became a reality this fall, as the Lilly Scholars Program officially began with ten students and their advisor, Associate Professor of Religion Dr. Lynn Japinga.

“There are ten serious students here and they are interested in theological issues. They’re wrestling with what it means to be Church, and what their role in that might be,” Japinga said.

The Lilly Scholars have already met several times this semester—to share their thoughts on attending seminary, to talk about broader theological issues, and to read books by authors who encourage discussion. In late September, they met Peter Gomes, keynote speaker at this year’s Critical Issues Symposium and author of The Good Book, which the students have been studying together.

Matthew Waterstone, a senior who is completing a Religion major and an English minor, applied to be a Lilly Scholar because he liked the idea of joining a cluster of fellow students who share similar interests and vocational aspirations.

“It’s been very helpful to hear where other students are in their search for God’s will in their lives,” Waterstone said.

For Sophie Williams, a student who plans to attend seminary and hopes eventually to focus on youth and family ministry, the Lilly Scholars Program provides a “more casual and intimate setting” for discussion than does the classroom.

“This program is helping me discern my vocation by letting me sort through my own thoughts and discussing them with others,” she said

In order to become a Lilly Scholar, a student had to be nominated by a faculty member last spring. The nominated students had to complete a written application, meet specific academic criteria, and show potential for ministry before they were accepted into the program, which was limited to ten students. The Lilly Scholars Committee made final selections during the summer.
“We were very pleased by the large number of applications received during this first year of the program,” said Dr. David Cunningham, Director of the CrossRoads Project. “Fortunately, we will continue to fund the Lilly Scholars Program over the next three years, so this wonderful opportunity will be available for even more students in the future.”

---by Heather VanderPlaat, SIGNAL newsletter, Fall 2004