We received the following email from the western  district office regarding scholarships available to United Methodists.

To Pastors and Youth Leaders:

Please bring the information in this email to the attention of those in your congregation who are college students and those anticipating attending college beginning this fall (and their parents).

Scholarships for higher education -- undergraduate, graduate, and seminary -- are available for members of The United Methodist Church through a variety of channels. 

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church offers both loans and scholarships.  Loans are available up to $5,000 at 5% interest and there are a variety of scholarships.  You can find more information at www.gbhem.org.  The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation also offers scholarships. Their website is www.umhef.org.  The same minimum criterion exists for both agencies: you must have been a member of a local UMC for at least one year, and be enrolled full-time in an accredited institution of higher education.  But beyond that there may be other criteria for specific scholarships.  The deadline to have all scholarship application materials in for both programs is March 1st each year. 

There are three general education scholarships available through the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference.  Applicants for any of the three scholarships must intend to be a full-time student and must have been a member of a United Methodist church within the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference for at least one year.  Applications and all supporting documentation must be received by the Conference Scholarship officer no later than Friday, April 6, 2012 for the academic year 2012-13.  More information and the application forms are available on the Conference website:  www.umoi.org.  Select “Resources” along the top menu bar, and then select “Scholarships” in the left hand column menu. 

That same webpage lists information on scholarships offered by the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry for persons attending seminary and by the Conference United Methodist Women for women planning church-related careers.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Applicants who have questions can also contact me: 503-581-3969 or office@westerndistrictumc.org

 Grace and peace in Christ,

Linda Grund-Clampit, Scholarship Coordinator