Your gift to the Annual Fund supports the daily, ongoing operations of Garrett-Evangelical. The Annual Fund goes toward scholarship aid, field education stipends, faculty salaries, library acquisitions, and much more. Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund allow the seminary to adapt to emerging opportunities and challenges as they arise.
Regardless of size, your annual gift matters. Your generosity helps to ensure that the mission of Garrett-Evangelical continues.
Monthly giving and tribute gifts are easy and meaningful ways to meet your giving goals. Contact Nancy Ramos, Email or 847.866.3889 to learn more.
We are very grateful to those who are able to make large gifts, but we recognize that many of our alums and friends have limited resources. Many small gifts can make a big difference. About 75% of gifts to the Annual Fund are less than $250, and our most common Annual Fund gift is $100.
Your alumni gift to the Annual Fund each fiscal year shows your pride in the place that helped shape who you are today, and it gives the next generation of religious leaders the same opportunity. As a friend or church supporter of the seminary, your Annual Fund gift helps prepare effective, passionate pastors, deacons, and lay people for your local church.
Many foundations want to know what percentage of alums support the seminary. Garrett-Evangelical has one of the highest alum giving rates among seminaries, which makes a significant difference in securing support from foundations and others.
Giving to the Annual Fund early in the fiscal year enables the seminary to put your gift to work right away and helps ensure that we will be able to fulfill our mission. It also saves the seminary money by reducing the number of appeal letters we send out and the number of phone calls we make to encourage gifts. Our fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.
Making an unrestricted gift to the Annual Fund means that the seminary will send your support to the areas that need it most–scholarship aid, faculty development, library acquisitions, and more. If you would like your Annual Fund gift to go to a specific area or program at the seminary, please let us know when making your gift.
A leadership gift is any gift of $1,000 or more within the fiscal year. You can become a leadership donor by making a one-time gift of $1,000 or more, a semi-annual gift of $500 or more, a quarterly gift of $250 or more, or a monthly gift of $84 or more. You can easily set up a recurring gift at Garrett.edu/Giving or by calling the Development Office at 847.866.3889.
Soon after I was appointed at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hurricane Harvey devastated the coast of Texas. I am reminded that when it comes to Flood Bucket relief for local churches around the United Methodist connection it is almost like riding a bike, you never forget how! They continue to give back to many other communities with the mindset of “They were here for us, let us give back now.” Our congregation’s hope is to take a team to connect with a church in Houston soon!
I am the first woman of color/Latina clergy person to be appointed to St. John’s. I am embracing this as an opportunity to strengthen the local church. I was asked to serve on a committee with four other clergy and our D.S; one of those clergy is another recent Garrett-Evangelical graduate! Together we are envisioning what Hispanic-Latinx ministries can look like for the Louisiana conference. Currently, having the connection with my field placement at Humboldt Park UMC is proving to be my greatest asset in helping spearhead this work.
Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale serves as the E. Stanley Jones associate professor of evangelism and director of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program. His forthcoming book, Evangelism for Non-Evangelists: Sharing the Gospel Authentically, is a condensation of the core lessons he’s learned in practice and teaching that empowers congregations to articulate their faith in new and compelling ways. Working closely with his former advisee, Rev. Dr. Heather Lear – director of evangelism ministries for Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church, they have developed a webinar being offered as a pilot this fall (with an upcoming spring offering) that assists individuals and congregations in evangelism that changes lives, not just numbers.
When I started the DMin program, I wanted to understand how to turnaround a church. Churches often express the need for help with growing, but their concerns are primarily financial in nature. More often than not, we find that their mission and outreach is based on member interests and not community needs. Teasdale’s book and the webinar go beyond the surface and seek to make a lasting impact on individuals, the church, and our communities.
– Rev. Dr. Heather Lear (G-ETS 2015)
Garrett-Evangelical equips local churches with critical resources for their transformative ministry in the world. Your gift to the Annual Fund supports such efforts.
