Company of 1000 fund seeks to equip pastors through forgivable loans and tuition grants
Mennonite Church Canada is renewing its call for applicants to the Company of 1000 Study Reserve fund and also for people to become regular donors to the fund.
Investor Student
Applications are due May 15 for the Fall (September) semester and October 15 for the Winter (January) semester. These are the official deadlines but applications are accepted up until a month before each semester begins.
Participating schools and programs include:
In special circumstances non-Mennonite schools will be considered. This may include cases such as:
Receive a forgiveable loan to pursuing studies through a sabbatical leave or persons open to a call for pastoral ministry who want to prepare for pastoral training.
Pastors who take classes while ministering to congregations can submit their tuition receipts and receive a grant covering 50 per cent of their tuition fees.
"The Company of 1000 has been a helpful financial resource for the last four years to sustain my life as an international student and a self-supporting minister.
This forgivable loan means the accountability of the Mennonite community for my ministry and study. As a Korean migrant Mennonite, I have been doing a relatively new kind of ministry and theology from a traditional Mennonite perspective. The direct financial support for me encourages me to do such innovative and courageous forms of Mennonite theology and ministry. I appreciate the support of the Mennonite community through the Company of 1000."
"I don’t know that I would be able to prioritize graduate-level seminary education if it weren’t for Company of 1000. Through this fund, in partnership with the generous support of my own church, I am able to see a path to completing my graduate degree where I wasn’t able to see that without this kind of bursary.
Ministry education is never simply about individual educational advancement. The Company of 1000 fund gives credence to the truth that it takes a village to raise a pastor. Thank you to each donor for their generosity and support!"
An annual contribution of $150.00 is suggested.