Scholarships

Grosse Pointe Memorial Scholarship

(Open to ETS students enrolled in the masters-level programs.)

Grosse Pointe Memorial Church

Grosse Pointe Memorial Church is a 1200 member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Started in 1865 as the Grosse Pointe Evangelical Protestant Association, our long history is a rich one. The greatest treasures we have are our members. As a Presbyterian church, we are a congregation where every member is a minister.

While Grosse Pointe Memorial Church is served by an outstanding staff of ministers and lay people, we are all called to do God’s work in the world, not just our pastors. In light of that commitment, the following mission & vision statement was adopted in March 2012.

Sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever, Grosse Pointe Memorial Church is created by God to worship the Lord and serve his people. Sharing God's love and caring for God's people, we call disciples of all ages to put faith into action by worshiping God joyfully, welcoming others graciously, supporting one another lovingly and serving all faithfully.

Since the adoption of that mission and vision statement, the leadership boards have undertaken a long-range visioning process called “Memorial 2020.” It was undertaken in response to the question, “What will we look like in 2020 if we are faithful in our ministries.” A summary of those conversations is here. You can read our 2019 annual report here.

On our website, www.gpmchurch.org, you will find the story of a 21st Century community of faith that has active members of all ages, loving and living as faithfully as we can. From running groups to senior yoga and children’s gardening, we continue to add new programs to our vibrant congregational life. Thanks to the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we expect that we will see even more growth in outreach for all ages, new and creative worship, and a focus on equipping disciples of all ages to share in God’s ministry in the world.

Criteria

For an application to be considered complete, you must meet all of the requirements below by the deadline:

Be currently enrolled in either a masters-level program
Must reside in the greater metropolitan Detroit area
Must demonstrate financial need.
Must be fully engaged in ministry/community work for the past three (3) years
Have a 3.25 or higher GPA
Submit the names and contact information for three (3) references.
Submit a one-page essay regarding "What I will do to benefit my community when I complete my master's degree from the Ecumenical Theological Seminary."
Recipients will be required to meet with the GPMC Mission Committee periodically to discuss their progress.

Deadline

Applications are due July 7th for the fall term.

Availability

$5,000 scholarship offered at the beginning of the academic year.

Contact

For additional questions and to receive an application, please go to the ETS website, or contact Dr. Denise Henderson at , (313) 831-5200, ext. 209.

Application

Rev. Marilyn DeGraw Scholarship

(Open to female masters' and doctoral students.)

Rev. Marilyn DeGraw loved God, her family, nature, music, learning about and experiencing other cultures and serving others. She was compassionate, adventurous, funny and had an innate ability to relate to and engage people of various ages and backgrounds which served her well in her careers as teacher and pastor.

Rev. Marilyn DeGraw was born in Yale Michigan in 1940 and began her career working at a bank. She then decided she wanted to explore beyond Michigan and applied for a church secretary position in Evanston Illinois. Not knowing anyone in that area in a time when it was discouraged for single women to move beyond where their families lived, Marilyn packed up and moved to Chicago. While there, she met and married Rev. Alan DeGraw who was in seminary and later served as a Methodist Minister in Michigan.

Balancing the life of a student while also being a mother to two daughters and a pastor’s wife, Marilyn graduated with her B.A. from Saginaw Valley University in music education. Rev. DeGraw had a love of music that she shared through serving as a music and piano teacher and church choir director. She also loved working with the youth and exploring the world and other cultures which she combined by bringing a youth choir and adult choirs on tour in Europe and bringing her family to share in the adventures.

Rev. DeGraw would say that she felt called to the ministry early in her life, but “she did not know women could be ministers.” Marilyn said “I began to see women in ministry and the call came back.” After her daughters were out of the house and she was in her late 40s, Marilyn decided to pursue her calling through seminary education. She said “I was not sure I had the capability” so she took one class, a survey of ministry, at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Detroit. She then took a full load and loved the diversity and varied faith perspectives present at ETS. She later graduated from Garrett Evangelical Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree by commuting to Chicago and was ordained in the Detroit Annual Conference.

Rev DeGraw served at Waterman-Preston United Methodist church in Detroit where she was active in racial reconciliation and interfaith dialogue with the African-American, Hispanic and Muslim neighboring communities. She then pastored Byron UMC where her career was cut short at age 59 due to death by pancreatic cancer.

Rev. DeGraw asked before her death that an option for memorial donations be to a Seminary Scholarship fund. Her family added to those funds and created a scholarship at ETS in her name. We hope this will honor her love of ETS as well as her hard work and dedication to pursue her education and ordination. We also hope it will provide encouragement to students coming after her as they work toward their goals and calling.

Criteria

For an application to be considered complete, you must meet all of the requirements below by the deadline:

Be currently enrolled in either a masters’ or doctoral program
Have a 3.0 or higher GPA
Demonstrate a financial need
Submit a pastoral or professional letter of recommendation
Submit a short essay describing the current ministry work in which you are currently engaged. Please share specifics. You should ensure that your letter is well written and properly dated. (Remember that others may be reading this essay, including members of the DeGraw family).

Availability

$1,000 scholarship offered at the beginning of the academic year.

Application

Patricia (Pat) Ann McCallum was born on August 19, 1941 to the union of Mary Jane McCallum and Garland McCallum in Baltimore, MD. She was the youngest of three children. She accepted Christ at the age of twelve and was baptized at Faith Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD. Pat always excelled academically. She graduated from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in 1959 with a variety of interests, awards and a multitude of friends. She filled her youthful days with Girl Scout and Sunday School activities. A lover of music, she received advanced piano training at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Pat attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1963. She taught elementary school in the Baltimore Public School System for two years before continuing her education at Kent State University in Ohio where she earned a Master of Education in 1966.

After graduation, she worked in Ohio for a short time before moving to Detroit where she worked for the State of Michigan as a vocational rehab counselor. In Detroit, Pat joined New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church. Many of her most valued activities took focus there. She taught Sunday School at New Prospect for over thirty years and was an active member of the Trustee Ministry for over twenty years. In 1968, Pat met Alex Pickens, Jr. at a friend’s party. That initial meeting led to a wonderful relationship that would blossom into their marriage on September 12, 1970. In 1974, they began a family with the birth of their first son Alex III (Trei). In 1978, they welcomed another son, Seth Watson. Above all, Pat was a devoted mother, giving her children firm foundations of faith, love, and family values. Both of her sons are now pastors.

You should ensure that your letter is well written and properly dated. (Remember that others may be reading this essay, including members of the Pickens family).

Alex and Pat were also business partners. They purchased Brightmoor General Medical Center in 1983, where she served as Chief Operating Officer until her death. Her contribution to medical care in the community did not go unnoticed. She was named Phenomenal Partner of Medicine in 2005 by the Southfield Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Pat served on the Board of the Haiti Outreach Mission. She was former commissioner to the Detroit Historical Commission, a NAACP lifetime member and was active in Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Pat was a recipient of countless awards and citations for her dedicated service, philanthropy, and desire to “leave things better than she found them.” Consider that she helped children on five continents while teaching Sunday School in a church basement.

Pat and Alex were inveterate travelers. They journeyed together to all corners of the world; from Vienna to Vietnam; from Acapulco to Abidjan; from Machu Picchu to Macau and from Kathmandu to Timbuktu. They both valued these traveling experiences and often shared their adventures through stories, pictures and gifts to family and friends.

Patricia M. Pickens was a wife, mother, nana, sister, daughter, friend, manager, teacher, scholar, soror and amazing citizen of the world. Above all, she was truly the example of a Christian. She loved deeply and was deeply loved. Her counsel to all was to “walk with kings while never losing the common touch” and to “get something [education] that no one can take away”. Her students were reminded:

Happiness keeps you sweet;

Trials keep you strong;

Sorrows keep you human;

Failures keep you humble;

Success keeps you glowing;

But only God keeps you going.

Criteria

For an application to be considered complete, you must meet all of the requirements below by the deadline:

Be currently enrolled in either a masters’ or doctoral program
Have a 3.0 or higher GPA
Demonstrate a financial need
Submit a pastoral or professional letter of recommendation
Submit a short essay describing the current ministry work in which you are currently engaged. Please share specifics. You should ensure that your letter is well written and properly dated. (Remember that others may be reading this essay, including members of the Pickens family).

Availability

$1,000 scholarship offered at the beginning of the academic year.

Application

Contact Person

Jacquelyn Hines

Business Office Manager

313-831-5200, ext. 211

18836721_687344011463727_172487941127617

Patricia Ann McCallum

Pickens Scholarship

(Open to all masters' and doctoral students.)