GBHEM Scholarships

The Office of Loans and Scholarships with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry will be awarding over 2,100 students a total of $5.6 million in financial assistance for 2020! Thank you for your support in recognizing United Methodist Student Day, World Communion Sunday, and Native American Sunday which help fund a portion of our scholarships. The remaining funds for these awards come from gifts, annuities and endowments GBHEM has invested and administered for decades.
 
The Mountain Sky Conference is proud to announce that 19 of those 2,100 students awarded scholarships are from Mountain Sky, and we want to celebrate them! You can read about several of our recipients below. 
 
 
Brian Lee
In closing Psalm 27, the Psalmist sings of their trust in God and exhorts us to let our hearts “be firm and bold, and hope for the Lord.” In the last year, I find myself going back to Psalm 27 and remembering how it is I am now a 2^nd year MDiv student at the Iliff School of Theology and pursuing ordination as an Elder in our conference. This Easter will be 18^th anniversary of my baptism and becoming a part of the United Methodist Church. I did not grow up in the church. In the months following the September 11^th attacks, I felt lost until I met students at the Wesley Foundation at the University of Virginia. In this campus ministry, I learned that when my heart said “Seek My Face,” it was God’s prevenient grace. Because of the love and support given to the Foundation by local churches, I experienced what Psalmist sings as the ways God will gather us all in. During this formative time, I experienced faith that was not about recalling distant memories, but a dynamic living in this moment that in the mystery of God that links me to the those who have come before and will come after. 
Because of this experience, I joined the Peace Corps following graduation and later worked as an environmental engineer. Living in the DC area and now in Denver, I became a part of the life of historic downtown churches, Foundry UMC and Trinity UMC. In both congregations, I taught Sunday School for youth and children and became involved in church leadership. Because of the people of Foundry and Trinity, I’ve learned how communities can uniquely be firm and bold in their hope for the Lord. After finishing my studies at Iliff, it is my hope that I may be able to serve the local church and be like a mockingbird singing the same song that is transforming my life.

Changyeon Lee
My name is Changyeon Lee.
This is the second year of the M.Div. program at iliff.
I live in Colorado Springs and I am from South Korea.
And I live here with my wife and 21-month son.
I immigrated to the United States in 2013. My first immigration life as a gentile was a very difficult and hard life, but that experience helped me to understand other immigrants and have a vision for them.
I am working as an assistant pastor of the Korean Methodist Church in Colorado Springs.
I grew up in a Korean Methodist background since I was a child,
So, I graduated from the Methodist Theological College and Seminary in Korea.
I living in America is a challenge and an adventure to me. Among them, I was afraid to do the M.Div. program in the second language of English, but, in order to help immigrant churches and immigrants people and give to gospel and comfort to them, I thought had to overcome this fear.

Molly Booker
 
I grew up in Evergreen, Colorado and am a proud local as well as a die hard Bronco fan.  Colorado has been my home aside from four years at Bowdoin College, (Brunswick, ME) where I received my undergrad in biology and environmental studies.  Other degrees include an MBA from Regis University in Denver, Master’s in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica, and am in my third and final year at Iliff School of Theology, working on my Master of Divinity degree.
 
My career has traversed from medical office management to life coaching, to speaking and writing, work in mental health (peer specialist), to suicide prevention advocacy.  I’ve worked for the suicide prevention coalition of the Vail Valley for 10 years teaching and training suicide prevention and intervention skills.  This work has brought me to ministry, where I have been serving as the Senior Pastor of the United Methodist Church of Eagle Valley since July, 2020.  My passion continues to be bringing the mental health conversation to our faith communities. 
 
I currently live in Eagle, CO with my 3-year-old boxer, Otis.  We love running and snuggling up with a hot cup of tea.