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A worthy recipient
Jamie Kepros earns this year's Elizabeth Skinner Scholarship Award

The recipient of this year’s Elizabeth Skinner Scholarship was Jamie Kepros of Fort Collins. The award was presented by Rocky Mountain Conference
Associate Conference Minister David Popham.

Jamie is a member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, and a student of Iliff School of Theology in Denver. She is completing her first year in earning a Master of Divinity.

Here was a piece from Kepros’ application:

Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

This song, sung in the congregation of my youth … speaks clearly to my feeling of call and vocation… After first sensing a call to ministry in high school, studying religion and philosophy in college, beginning a Master’s degree in theology, forming a relationship and walking through the process of ministry with my soul-mate Sharon, and winding my way through a denominational identity crisis I am finally ready to sing out in community: Here I am Lord, I will go if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

“I was quite pleased, of course.” said Kepros of winning the scholarship. “I’ve just finished my first year at Iliff and had the opportunity to take UCC history and polity. I am inspired by the dynamic structure of our denomination and the rich possibilities this structure affords for doing the work of the church. To be recognized by the conference was a great way to experience and be supported by one of the settings of our church.”

The Elizabeth Skinner Scholarship goes to a person attending seminary. It is named for the former spouse of the late Brad Skinner, Conference Minister of the earlier Intermountain Conference and one of the architects of our present Rocky Mountain Conference.

Popham got to know Brad during his time in Utah. One time, he heard Skinner lament to things from his time in active ministry. One was a stance early on against LGBT people and their inclusion in the church as members and leaders. A stance he obviously changed.

The second lament was that he had not done enough to help Elizabeth find her own identity as a clergy person in her own right, as if she was always thought of as the
" wife of.”

The scholarship given in Elizabeth’s name certainly informs us of her concern for trained pastors leading our churches.

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