Where Opportunity Meets Calling

A $10 million grant awarded to FPU from the Lilly Endowment Inc. will allow the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary to train up church leaders to serve both locally and worldwide.

It's easy to read about such a sizable grant and miss the direct connection those dollars have to individual students. Many students in the seminary have benefited from grants smaller than the one given by the Lilly Endowment Inc.—students like Saul Perez.

Saul's Story

As a husband and father of four ranging in age from 2 to 16, Perez says the financial support he received from FPU was instrumental in his success. His scholarships were funded by a past grant from the Kern Family Foundation, to which he attributes his ability to complete his studies without worrying about financing. "Without the monetary assistance I received, it would have been a big burden on my household and taken away from my enjoyment of my education and my ability to complete it in a timely manner," he says.

Perez says he's been told that his life and story are proof that Jesus is alive. In spite of what he refers to as humble beginnings that included being raised by a single mom with six kids and dropping out of high school, Perez is just months away from earning his M.A. in Christian Ministry through FPU's Bridge to Ministry program.

The 37-year-old felt God calling him to a life different than the one he was born into. He accepted Christ at the age of 20 and has spent every day since in awe of God's faithfulness. "My prayer for the past 10 years has been, 'God, use me for your glory,'" he says.

At the age of 29, after selling cars and working odd jobs to support his family, Perez spent a year in adult school completing his high school equivalency. From there, he earned a substance abuse counseling degree from Fresno City College with the goal of netting enough credits to apply for FPU's Bridge to Ministry program. The Bridge to Ministry pathway allows students pursuing a career in ministry to receive a bachelor's in a ministry-related field and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministries in five years or less. Perez is on track to graduate with his master's degree this May.

While working part-time as a church engagement coordinator at Loma Vista Community Church in Clovis, Perez is also the chaplain supervisor for a hospice company. In that role, Perez says he spends his days mourning, rejoicing and everything in between as he supports the dying and their loved ones. "I get to wake up and get paid for what God has created me to do," he says.

New Grant - New Opportunities

The Facilitating Spiritual Transformation & Economic Empowerment for Under-Resourced Ministry Leaders program is being funded by Lilly Endowment's Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The initiative seeks to help theological schools prepare the next generation of pastors.

Brian Ross, associate professor of pastoral ministries at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary who led the grant application process for the $10 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., says this new grant will benefit current and future students like Perez. "Its purpose is for the training of pastoral leaders," he says. Ross says he designed FPU's proposal around training co-vocational pastors as the number of pastors who have a second career is growing in the Valley.

As the grant is a collaborative one, FPU's Bridge to Ministry program will be working closely with the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Vineyard USA, Messiah University, Lead from Transformation and FPU's Center for Community Transformation. The grant will fund five key areas, including an online hybrid master's degree for co-vocational pastors, the addition of a new faculty member to support bilingual English/Spanish students, the development of training materials and programs, strategic hiring and leadership development, and an endowment offering significant scholarships for seminary ministry students.

Ross says the time and effort involved in the nearly year-long application process were worth it, as the grant will allow FPU to make education more accessible to students focused on making a career of serving the church. "I believe in what we do at the seminary, and this grant will have a large impact on future students," he says. "We're really excited to be working with lots of church leaders and being able to serve our students and future students in this way."

Once FPU has raised funds to fulfill its match component for the Lilly Endowment, co-vocational pastors like Perez will benefit from the grant for years to come, Ross says.

Continuing Impact

Perez says that FPU has had a huge impact on his learning, his abilities and the way he prepares for whatever the Lord has in store for him. "I am better because of FPU, and not just because I have a piece of paper that God can use to open new doors," he says. More than anything, he says he is so blessed and so thankful.

"If there was ever any doubt about the journey I was on, every dollar that was given towards my journey was confirmation that God has my back and that He was making a way; that God not only called, but provided," Perez says.

The Lilly Endowment grant ensures many more students like Perez will have the same opportunity in the future.

Through all this, FPU President André Stephens, Ph.D., sees God's hand at work. "We truly believe that God is moving at FPU, and this grant is just one example," he says. "When you consider how many individuals the Lilly grant will benefit, and how many lives those individuals will go on to impact, the ripple effects are exponential."