Scholarship History
The Wesley United Methodist Church of Bloomsburg Scholarship Fund was established in 1988 to assist students in defraying some of the costs of a post-secondary education. Monetary gifts provided by Mrs. Grace Keller, Mrs. Alice Magee, Dr. C. Stuart Edwards, and other contributors made it possible to finance this program. Wesley Church remains indebted to their generosity in establishing this scholarship program for the congregation.
The Wesley Church Board of Trustees created the Scholarship Committee in 1988 in order to establish guidelines and administer the selection process for qualified recipients to receive a scholarship. The committee shall not take into consideration, and must disregard, the age, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, and national origin of the applicants.
Scholarship Committee
Appointed by church steering committee and minister, and made up of 3-5 active members of Wesley United Methodist Church, Bloomsburg, PA, to serve a 1-3 year term. If scholarship committee members themselves plan to apply for a scholarship, or have a family member applying for a scholarship they may participate in deliberations but may not vote.
The minister of Wesley United Methodist Church or a staff member may participate in the Scholarship Committee deliberations. However, they cannot vote in selecting candidates for scholarship awards. Only members of the Scholarship Committee may vote.
The Scholarship Committee responsibilities include determining the application process for that year, soliciting and reviewing completed scholarship applications, awarding scholarships, notifying applicants of award status, and communicating results to the congregation.
Scholarship Award Process
Applications for a scholarship award will be available April 18th, 2023, at the church office, located on the second floor, through email, and through the Wesley website.
Applications are to be submitted to Dr. Janet Bodenman, facilitator of 2023-24 Scholarship Committee and non-voting member, through email at jbodenma@commonwealthu.edu no later than Thursday, June 1st, 2023, by 5:00pm. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed or considered.
The scholarship is no longer a one-time award. Previous recipients are encouraged to apply. The number of scholarships and the amount of the award will fluctuate from year to year depending on the number of applications and the income generated from the scholarship endowment fund (which is subject to yearly market fluctuations).
The scholarship committee will notify each student applicant regarding the status of their application. The committee holds the sole responsibility in determining the number of awards and their monetary value. If a candidate, for some reason, was not awarded a scholarship, the candidate may re-apply the next year to receive a possible scholarship from the Wesley United Methodist Church Scholarship Fund.
Eligibility for Scholarship
To be eligible for a scholarship award, an applicant must be:
- A current active member of Wesley United Methodist Church, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
- Accepted to attend or currently attending an accredited college, university, or vocational/technical post-secondary school to earn a degree.
- Able to provide a current transcript to verify good academic standing.
- Able to provide two letters of recommendation from recent instructors/professors.
- Using (if awarded) the scholarship money to supplement the cost for admission to an accredited college, university, or vocational/technical school post-secondary education. In addition, money awarded to student can be used for purchasing textbooks, a computer, and/or housing rental fees.
- Able to submit all parts/requirements of the application by the deadline.
- Willing (if awarded) to send the scholarship committee a letter in which they describe how they used the money to reduce some of the costs for going to school.
- Willing (if receiving award) to be present in person or virtually at a Graduate Recognition Sunday to share a few words describing your goals.