Give Education:

by Rev. Cara Stultz Costello, UMHEF President & CEO

When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, she is carrying a promise whose full meaning neither woman yet knows. Elizabeth welcomes Mary with joy and recognizes the significance of what is unfolding. Before the world knows Mary’s child, Elizabeth helps Mary know she is not alone in the promise she carries.

There are moments in every life when someone sees a possibility in us and helps us see it, too. As we enter into this season, I invite you to pause and consider: Who has accompanied you on your journey, celebrated a gift in you, or helped you take a step toward a future you could not yet fully see?

Across our United Methodist colleges, universities, and seminaries, students are finding their way toward futures that are still taking shape. They bring their questions, abilities, hopes, and growing sense of how they might uniquely contribute to the beloved community. Education gives those gifts room to develop and prepares students to engage their learning in service of the flourishing of others. Along the way, encouragement and financial support can bring a hoped-for opportunity within reach.

This is the work of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation. Through scholarships, UMHEF helps students continue their education and prepare to serve their communities, congregations, professions, and the wider world. Alongside each student’s own commitment, the care of family and mentors, and the work of educational institutions, a UMHEF scholarship is one expression of our connectional community at work, accompanying students as they prepare to share their gifts with the world.

Byoung Jung is a fourth year seminary student at United Theological Seminary, pursuing a Doctor of Ministry and calling to welcome others into spiritual formation through community. “Your generosity not only eases the financial burden of my education but also strengthens my commitment to serving God and the church faithfully,” he says. 

Last year, UMHEF awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to nearly 650 students across our connection. Behind those numbers are individual lives being shaped by the gifts, encouragement, and commitments of many people.

As 2026 draws to a close, I invite you to make a gift to UMHEF. Your generosity helps students continue their education and take meaningful steps toward the futures they are preparing to offer. Through your donation, you celebrate developing callings and provide the kind of practical support that may have helped shape your life.

The Christmas story reminds us that what unfolds in one life can touch countless others, often because someone chooses to walk alongside another with trust and care. In Jesus, we see God entering our shared human life and revealing the sacred possibilities that emerge when we accompany one another with love. Thank you for helping make higher education possible and for believing in the promise of the students we serve.