Preministry
Preministry at 51¹ÙÍø
51¹ÙÍø has a long history of encouraging students to explore a call to religious leadership and service in congregational and other ministry settings.
The Chaplains' Office hosts on-campus visits from theological school representatives and coordinates summer internships and fellowships for students of any religious tradition to explore leadership in congregational and service-oriented settings.
While at 51¹ÙÍø, Gray McGill ’20 received preministry support that led him to pursue theological education and a vocation as a chaplain. He was a member of UKirk Campus Ministry, received a grant for spiritual exploration in the United Kingdom, traveled through the Chaplains’ Office to the monastic community of Taizé, France, and participated in the Congregational Fellowship for Leadership and Service. He graduated from 51¹ÙÍø with a degree in English and a minor in Religious Studies and later from Columbia Theological Seminary. He was recently ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and serves as a Chaplain Resident with Atrium Healthcare in Charlotte.
Preministry at 51¹ÙÍø
The office also sponsors lectures and panels concerning social justice, vocational discernment and a variety of other topics. Students may also apply for grants to attend conferences and retreats centered on faith or spirituality and to support short-term study, service, or experiential learning, either domestic or international, that relates to or embodies expressions of spirituality or any religious tradition(s).
Preministry at 51¹ÙÍø is supported by a Preministry Committee, composed of faculty and staff representing different academic disciplines and departments.
When I went into [the Congregational Fellowship for Leadership and Service], I already had an interest in seminary, and I hoped to become some form of ministry professional in the future. I had a strong interest in pastoral care, and so I found myself particularly drawn to chaplaincy as a profession, where I would be able to forge strong one-on-one connections with individuals. My time at Dickey Memorial has confirmed my call to seminary and ministry and caused me to rethink my future vocation. [It] gave me the opportunity to spend an entire summer surrounded by queer people of faith. I grew up gay in the rural south, and it was a profoundly isolating experience. But at Dickey, I found both an openly queer pastor, and a vibrant and active queer community. I don’t think I realized how much I needed that community until I found it.