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HELMdisciples.org > About HELM > HELM and Campus News > Tomorrow's Leaders Today, November 2005

Leadership Fellows to get "behind the scenes" view
Ben Bohren, Charisse Gillett, Verity Jones, and Rick Morse HELM Leadership Fellows will get a better understanding - of the joys and the challenges - of how the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) works during the annual Leadership Fellows Conference, set for November 11-13 in Nashville.

Four speakers will address the issues that face the church from their own particular perspectives:

Ben Bohren, Northern California-Nevada regional minister;
Charisse Gillett, immediate past moderator
Verity Jones, editor and publisher of DisciplesWorld magazine, and
Rick Morse, lead minister, New Church Ministries

"We intentionally chose people who had served the church in a variety of ways, who have seen how the church functions, and the challenges we face," said HELM President Dennis Landon. "We've asked our guests to avoid 'sugarcoating' issues, because these students need to know what challenges they'll face as they move into leadership roles in the church.

A wrap-up of the conference will be available online in November and in the next "Tomorrow's Leaders Today."

College/University Grants awarded to Columbia, Lynchburg
Two Disciples colleges will host programs encouraging students to contemplate ethics and vocation, thanks in part to grants awarded by HELM.

The College/University Grant funds special projects at undergraduate institutions related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that will benefit the relationship between the institution and the church as a whole. Funds for the grants are provided by the colleges and universities themselves, who put a portion of the money they are allocated from general denominational funding into this special fund. New grants are made each year by the HELM Board of Directors following applications from the schools.

Columbia College and Lynchburg College Columbia College received $14,800 for its summer ethics academy. The college has emphasized ethics courses in recent years, and this program will offer additional three-week training to 10 high-school students. Columbia received a similar College/University Grant for a workshop on teaching ethics in 2003.

Lynchburg College received $5,000 to fund the next step of a vocational discernment program. The college plans to establish a series of retreats to help students address vocational issues. Lynchburg hopes to reach each student with this program. Establishing a campus-wide peer-mentoring group using freshmen student orientation leaders is another element of the program.

Grants are made only for projects that represent new initiatives beyond present programming. Including this year's proposals, the program has funded 85 projects. Each institution in covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has received at least one grant during the program's history.

Wanted: The church's newest leaders
The HELM Leadership Fellows Program may be the only fellowship that comes with a warning label attached:Warning:
May Change Your Life.
Applications are now available for the Higher Education and Leadership Ministries Leadership Fellows Program, which recognizes and supports undergraduate students preparing to take leadership roles as laypeople or clergy in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

If you know a student who will be entering a four-year college or transferring from a community college to a four-year college in 2006 - a student you believe has leadership potential for the church and the world - let us know. We will send information on the HELM Leadership Fellows Program. It provides mentoring on or near campus, annual educational workshops, summer internships, a grant to help pay for the student's education, and the opportunity to discover his or her role in the future of our church.

For guidelines and an application, visit Higher Education and Leadership Ministries online at www.helmdisciples.org

Applicants must send a completed application form, three sealed references, a short essay, and a release of information - all in one packet; their current school must send a transcript. All materials must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2006.

HELM in brief
Watch HELM's General Assembly Report

Did you miss HELM's presentation to the General Assembly? Or do you want to see it again?Our presentation, "What's Up At HELM," starred nine students and young adults in a skit that simulated a game show about HELM's activities. Our presentation is now available on our web site atwww.helmdisciples.org/ga05/GA05presentation.htmor you can look for the icon above on the front page of our web site. Links to video players that can be downloaded free are also on that web site.

* * *The HELM Board of Directors will meet by conference call on November 15. In an effort to cut costs, this is the third consecutive fall the board has chosen to meet by phone instead of in person. The board will gather again in April 2006 in St. Louis.Among the items the board will review is HELM's budget for 2006. Copies of the budget are available by request at helm@helmdisciples.org.* * *The Seminarians Conference, the biennial gathering of M.Div. students from institutions across the country, will be held at a new time of year beginning in 2007.Traditionally held in even-numbered years, the conference increasingly had schedule conflicts with a variety of activities, including regional assemblies. By moving it to spring 2007, there will likely be fewer assemblies since most assemblies take place in non-General Assembly years.Fortunately, no seminarians will be skipped by the move. Seminary students in their second year or later attend at the conference's expense, so the next conference will simply be later in the academic year.HELM organizes the Seminarians Conference in cooperation with the other general ministries of the church. The next conference will be April 12-15, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee.

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