The Robert J. Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund is established to enable young members of churches in Baltimore Presbytery to participate in foreign or domestic mission projects sponsored by the Presbytery. Projects should be designed to encourage and expand understanding of the diverse nature of Christ’s church. Project activities should include “hands-on” work as well as cultural education experiences.
Scholarships will be awarded annually, the number of them and amount of each to be calculated according to the amount of projected income to be accrued from the Scholarship Fund for that year and according to the cost per participant for each mission project. (Ordinary income will be used to fund the Scholarship while capital gains will be reinvested.) The Presbytery’s Accountant, Associate for Missional & Community Engagement and the Commission on Reconciliation* will make these determinations and will announce Scholarship availability as early each calendar year as possible.
It will be assumed that Scholarship applicants first meet all requirements of the mission project in question (age, parental permission, etc.); if they do not, their applications for this Scholarship will be disqualified. To apply for a Robert J. Turner Scholarship, young people should compose a 500-word, typewritten, double-spaced essay titled, “Who I Am and Why I Want To Go To (location of mission project).” The writing should be personal and original and may include the following kinds of thoughts and information:
- what is important to me
- my involvement in school, community, church
- my family, my friends
- why I need the Scholarship
- what I think the mission trip might do to me or for me (For new applicants)
- What did you learn from your previous experience and why do you want to go back? (For returning applicants.)
Applicants should not feel confined to these suggestions not restricted by them.
The final statement of the essay must be the applicant’s commitment to share his or her experience with the Presbytery either by making an oral presentation at a Presbytery Gathering or by writing an article. Deadlines for submitting Scholarship applications will be announced in sufficient time to prepare.
The Scholarship Committee (composed of the Associate for Missional & Community Engagement and the Commission on Reconciliation,* will read the essays and select Scholarship recipients.
Bob Turner was a member of Faith Presbyterian Church and later Light Street Presbyterian Church. For 10 years he was also the Treasurer of the Presbytery of Baltimore. He and his wife Penny developed a special interest in helping young people benefit from witnessing the church at work in other cultures. Bob Turner died of cancer in April of 1992. His wife established this Scholarship Fund as a memorial to his love for the church.
* Subject to March 13 Presbytery vote of approval