Many think of this Sunday as Super Bowl Sunday. For Episcopalians, this Sunday is also Theological Education Offering (TEO) Sunday. Beginning with SIM in 1857 church visionaries have wisely advocated support for theological education. Decades ago the Church established a day when seminarians were called upon to preach to congregations urging support of seminaries. The 1997 General Convention formalized the first Sunday in February as TEO Sunday to urge the commitment of a small portion of parish budgets to support theological education.
Tom Peters, author of the best seller, In Search of Excellence, would call the Church wise to focus on supporting future ordained leaders. He asks this question of organizations aspiring to meet standards of excellence: "Is your organization focused on finding, nurturing and making the most of the talent it needs?"
A good question for our Church and the future of theological education. A Sewanee senior seminarian said to me last week, "I think the Church is making a mistake by looking for new ways of delivering theological education when new ways of funding theological education would provide the changes the Church needs."
Parish-based response for support for theological education has been limited. Theological education support from the national church only recently occurred when the 2009 General Convention voted $200,000 to be administered over this triennium by SIM to help relieve seminarian debt. In these challenging times, SIM is grateful for the Church addressing this crisis but knows the problem is far larger than $200,000. SIM is the only organization raising funds on a national basis to support our seminarians. With such limited avenues of support it not surprising that our seminarians are carrying too much theological education debt for the low paying field they are entering and our independent seminaries are gravely financially challenged. It is a crisis for the future ordained leadership of The Episcopal Church.
SIM is not an organization to wring our hands without trying a new approach. Our SIM Boldly mind-set is to find a realistic way to eliminate the need for seminarian debt. The $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends (SIM's founding year is 1857) is a grassroots appeal to every Episcopalian to show understanding of the critical need to "find, nurture and make the most of the talent" needed to serve The Episcopal Church in the future.
Donors can sign up for monthly or one-time contributions of $18.57, or any amount of their choosing, to aid SIM's support of Episcopal seminarians. A response rate of just 3% of the Average Sunday Attendance of all Episcopalians at the base $18.57 level would increase annual seminarian support by over $4 million. Such an annual income for SIM scholarships would be a sea change for the future of theological education in The Episcopal Church.
Together we can achieve our goal:
- View the $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends
7 minute video http://www.youtube.com/SIMministry1
- Visit our web site http://www.simministry.org
- Sign up to be a Friend
- Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
- Share us with your friends and family
- Pray for our seminarians and our seminaries
Instead of wringing hands, join hands to put arms around the future of theological education, our future ordained leaders and invest in the future of OUR Church!
SIM and our seminarians thank you!
Faithfully,
Greetings! 
