Truett Seminary Give Light Campaign Update
Dear Friends of Truett,
It is with great gratitude that I write to you on the progress of the Give Light campaign of Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
As you may recall, Give Light is Baylor University’s $1.1 billion comprehensive campaign, which undergirds Illuminate, the University’s Strategic Plan, and toward which Baylor has raised $933.1 million, over 93% of the campaign goal. As one of Baylor’s 12 schools and colleges, Truett Seminary was tasked with raising $50 million, and I am delighted to report that we have raised nearly 85% of our ambitious goal.
Since May 2014, generous supporters of Truett Seminary have given $42.15 million to the equipping of God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
These funds support a number of initiatives aligned with our stated mission, including faculty and program funding, growth opportunities like the Seminary’s extension sites and Online Certificate Program, and most importantly, student scholarships.
I invite you to read this article from the latest edition of Truett Seminary’s annual magazine, The Cord, which describes the impact made by the scholarship gift of an anonymous donor. To share but one quote from a Truett student:
"The scholarship [I received] played a very significant role in my coming to Truett. The calling was obviously the most significant—God saying, 'This is what you’re supposed to do' - but having the financial piece of it through the scholarship played a huge role in being able to answer that calling."
At Truett Seminary, we recognize how vital scholarships are in allowing students to pursue theological education. In 2019, we announced a goal—complementary to our Give Light campaign goal—to establish 50 new endowed scholarships in five years. Again, it brings me great joy to report that as of January 2021 we have already established 28 of the 50. The enthusiasm with which this goal has been embraced now leads us to increase our goal from 50 to 75 endowed scholarships by 2024.
In addition, the Truett Church Network is in the midst of launching the Truett Ministry Residence Program, which will connect seminary students with partner churches for compensated ministry opportunities. This program will provide practical experience and financial support for our students and ministerial service for churches from qualified, gifted seminarians.
As we celebrate these—and more—of the Seminary's fundraising initiatives and accomplishments in recent years, we humbly and sincerely ask for your continued partnership and support. As we draw near to the conclusion of the Give Light campaign, would you please consider (again) how you might help Truett Seminary to reach its goal?
Meanwhile, as we continue to navigate the conditions and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask for your prayers and encouragement—for our students, our faculty and staff, and our University leadership.
As I noted in my Spring 2021 Convocation address, "If hope is activated in our lives through joy and cultivated in our lives through prayer, it can be demonstrated in our lives through thanksgiving. Gratitude frees us from the prison of complaint and from the shackles of entitlement. It liberates us to give thanks to God with our lips and our lives."
I am grateful to you and for your partnership as we seek to advance God’s Kingdom through the good work of George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and I look forward to hearing from and to speaking with you soon.
Gratefully and hopefully yours,
Todd
Todd D. Still, Ph.D.
Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean &
George W. Truett Theological Seminary
Baylor University