At Virginia Theological Seminary it is now possible for any black full or part-time Episcopalian student to receive a full tuition scholarship.
From the seminary’s website:
“‘I am very excited about this initiative,’ said the Very Rev. Ian Markham, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary. ’It will strengthen the community at VTS and the wider Church as a new generation of black Episcopal leadership emerges.’
The Bishop Payne Scholarship is named for the Bishop Payne Divinity School, established in 1878 in Petersburg, Virginia, to prepare black men for ministry in the Episcopal Church. The school was named for the Rt. Rev. John Payne (1815-1874) who graduated from VTS in 1836 and was the first missionary bishop to Liberia. In 1953, Virginia Theological Seminary and the Bishop Payne Divinity School merged. The assets of the Bishop Payne Divinity School became the principal for the Bishop Payne Scholarship Fund to be used for the benefit of black Episcopalians preparing for the ministry. It is from the seed of those funds that the Bishop Payne Scholarships have been funded. Each student receiving this award will be named a Bishop Payne Scholar.”
Read the rest here.