Entrusted with Connection One School Shares the Power of Connection

Each day of Lent this year, we invited the UMHEF community to pray for different United Methodist-schools, their students, and staff. The reponse we received was overwhelming, including expressions of gratitude and commitment to join in prayer. We believe the responses, such as the one below, proves the power of connection through our shared work and through the Holy Spirit.

“We at Methodist University are proud of our connection to The United Methodist Church and The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation,” says Rev. Kelli Taylor, MU’s Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life and University Chaplain.

“The connection we share carries a unique and vital calling in this moment in history,” she continues, “to keep the human question alongside technological advancement, and to faithfully speak to the intersection of innovation and meaning. In a world racing toward what is next, we are grateful to be part of a tradition that still pauses to ask why, to ask for whom, and to ask to what end. Creating space for students, faculty, and staff to consider their purpose thoughtfully, tend to their spiritual lives, and seek wisdom alongside knowledge is truly a gift. This gift is made possible through the faithful support and work of UMHEF.”

This feature appears in the UMHEF 2025 Annual Review.