[1]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–Thanks to a significant endowment given by Howard and Josephine Raney of Brevard County, Fla., the North American Mission Board’s KALEO Network will award four $1,000 Raney Memorial Scholarships in 2011 and up to 10 scholarships each year beginning in 2012 to students planning to attend a Southern Baptist college, university or seminary for the purpose of answering God’s call to the ministry or to the mission field.
Launched by NAMB in 2003, the 3,070-member KALEO Network — selected to administer the annual scholarships — serves as a database for Southern Baptists who are exploring or pursuing a call from God to ministry leadership. It focuses on networking, personal development and experience. KALEO is a Greek word meaning “to call” or “to be called.”
“Just like major league sports franchises, the KALEO Network serves as a farm system for the next generation of Southern Baptist leadership,” said Donald King, KALEO coordinator and events director for NAMB in Alpharetta, Ga. “Just like any sports team, the Southern Baptist Convention needs a strong and deep bench. KALEO is developing one.”
“These scholarships — and the trust Howard and Josephine Raney put in NAMB to administer them — represent the value NAMB places on the calling, character and competency of emerging ministerial leadership within the SBC. It’s one thing to provide resources, workshops and wonderful conferences, but now we have actual dollars to back that up and assist students as they pursue their educational goals while answering God’s call,” King said.
NAMB is receiving scholarship applications until April 30, King said, and recipients will be notified by June 1. The scholarships will be awarded in time for the 2011 fall semester.
Applicants must be active members of a Southern Baptist or Canadian National Baptist Church for at least two years prior to application; enroll as a fulltime student attending an SBC college, university or seminary; pursue academic training for the purpose of answering God’s call to ministry; and be a registered member of the KALEO Network.
[2]Preference will be given to applicants who have demonstrated a history of active involvement in ministry leadership or missions involvement; have served as a student missionary with NAMB or the International Mission Board; have a 2.5 GPA at the time of application; and are U.S. or Canadian citizens.
For more information or to obtain scholarship application and reference forms, visit the KALEO website, www.kaleonetwork.com/scholarship. The website also lists the qualifying 55 Southern Baptist colleges/universities and seven seminaries in the U.S. and Canada. For additional questions, students may call NAMB’s KALEO Network leadership team at 1-888-554-7729.
King said hundreds of students are expected to attend the next KALEO conference set for Feb. 18-19 at Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. Registration is still open at www.kaleoconference.com.
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Mickey Noah writes for the North American Mission Board.