CULTIVATE І SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
2013 Scholarship
It is by the prayers of our friends in ministry and the financia are made available to deserving students. Read
Pamelia Harris Francis Schaeffer Scholarship Winner MA (Christian and Classical Studies)
Steve Langella Billy Graham Scholarship Winner MA (Biblical and Theological Studies)
Demetrius Walton John Piper Scholarship Winner Doctor of Ministry
Pamelia, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is the executive director at Mount Bethel Baptist Church. She’s involved with the New Visions Community Development Corporation, which, using HUD guidelines, has helped more than 2,500 low-tomoderate income homeowners save money and rebuild credit. She’s active in her church’s food pantry, she’s helped start a women’s ministry, and she’s helped write curricula for women’s Bible studies. Pamelia mentors girls and young women through the Delta Academy. She wants to be used by the Lord to “help single mothers become women of God and raise successful children.” Pamelia wasn’t sure if she could afford seminary, and now that’s not a problem. She says, “The MA (Christian and Classical Studies) program will help me in every area of my life and ministry and give me more confidence in the Word when counseling women.” In short: “I’m over the top!”
Steve Langella, of Brooklyn, NY, won the first Billy Graham Scholarship. Steve was born again in 1987; at the time he was 24 and a bartender. He “began to feel restless and empty,” and one day he wanted nothing more than to go to church. He prayed, “Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that I have disobeyed you my whole life. Please save me and change my life.” God did, and Steve joined a church in Brooklyn, where he came to realize that preaching and teaching were his spiritual gifts. In 2006, at 43, he decided to earn his BA in religion, where he became fascinated with Reformed theology. He says, “This scholarship will help me become better equipped to fulfill God’s calling in my life. It affords me the opportunity to continue my biblical education and not incur further debt...I believe that this scholarship will enable me to do what I could otherwise not do, which is sit at the feet of gospel-centered men...and learn from their experience.”
Demetrius is an army chaplain serving in the Middle East. His focuses are family ministry and marital counseling, and he trains other chaplains to be better counselors. Demetrius grew up in a New Age household, but thanks to New Life, he started to move toward God; in 2000, with the help of The Navigators’ ministry, he became a Christian. He went on to teach at a Bible college and serve as a missionary in Cambodia. Demetrius’ comprehensive John Piper Scholarship will give him the financial means to grow as a teacher and a preacher. In the month of June, he plans to resume his associate pastor duties at Steamtown Church in Scranton, PA. Ultimately, he plans to return to Asia—to China, to train and equip young pastors in the underground church.
14 KNOX NOW | SPRING 2013