When听Dr. David B. McCarthy, professor of religion, recommended to his student, Logan Ellis, that he apply for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)鈥檚听鈥攐ne requirement of which is to memorize and recite the Westminster Shorter Catechism in the PC(USA)鈥檚听Book of Confessions鈥攖he college senior was game.听
鈥淚t was J-Term,鈥 said Ellis, referring to the opportunity that Hastings students have to spend the month of January studying one course in depth or pursuing an internship. 鈥淚 figured I had enough spare time, so I decided to give it a try.鈥澨
In addition to having the time, Ellis also had an edge. Not only does the religion major have a high school theater background, but he is also a musician.听
鈥淢emorizing comes pretty quick to me,鈥 he said, 鈥渁lthough it鈥檚 different when you鈥檙e memorizing theological statements.鈥
The Samuel Robinson Award鈥攐f which Ellis is the sole recipient for 2016鈥攊s open to PC(USA) students completing their junior or senior year of college at a听Presbyterian-related college or university. It was created from a gift made in 1956 naming the General Assembly,听Princeton Theological Seminary,听McCormick Theological Seminary, and听San Francisco Theological Seminary听to promote the memorization of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The General Assembly鈥檚 portion of the fund is overseen by the office of听Financial Aid for Service听of the听Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Ellis鈥檚 approach to memorizing the 17th-century catechism鈥檚 107 question-and-answer pairs was to take on 10 pairs a day during the J-Term鈥檚 weekdays.听
鈥淚t was a really good experience,鈥 said Ellis. 鈥淚 would call it beautifully frustrating. I think the most important thing I learned was just how much one word can almost shift theologies, and how a single word鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 not a noun鈥攃an change the meaning of an entire sentence to bring a whole new understanding.鈥澨
In addition to memorizing and reciting the catechism, Ellis was also required to write a 2,000-word original essay on an assigned topic as a condition for the award. He ultimately selected question-and-answer pair 60, 鈥渨hich asks the simple question of how the Sabbath is to be sanctified,鈥 as the focus for his essay.
鈥淭hrough my memorization process, whenever I would hit that pair鈥攁nd our chaplain [Rev. Damen Heitmann] and I would talk about it鈥攊t always caught my eye,鈥 Ellis says. 鈥淭he more I looked at it, the more looked-over it seemed to be and the more relevant I thought it was in modern society.鈥澨
Ellis, a native of Beaver City, Nebraska, and a member of First Presbyterian Church there, is currently enrolled to attend the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary听in the fall.听
鈥淚鈥檓 excited in seminary to be able to delve deeper into the texts and the hard questions,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 also really want time to explore what my call would look like. I鈥檝e always felt like I was called to rural ministry, although lately God has placed on my heart a call to campus ministry as a chaplain or maybe a professor. What鈥檚 nice about the seminary is that it鈥檚 right across the street from the University of Dubuque and there鈥檚 lots of interaction between the two, which would help me see what that call would look like.鈥
Laura Bryan, associate for Financial Aid for the Presbyterian Mission Agency, said that another unusual aspect of the Samuel Robinson Award is that its use is not in any way restricted to a student鈥檚 educational expenses. 鈥淭he use of the award is at the sole discretion of the awardee,鈥 said Bryan. 鈥淪amuel Robinson Awards have been used to fund mission trips, reduce educational debt, and for graduating students moving to accept a job or to enter a graduate program.鈥
Of having received the $5,000 award, Ellis said 听it 鈥渟till seems surreal.鈥
鈥淛ust having the opportunity, I feel amazingly blessed,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to imagine having $5,000. I can鈥檛 even explain how appreciative I am, especially going into seminary. That just helps a lot.鈥澨
By Emily Enders Odom, courtesy of the Presbyterian News Service
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