Wake Forest Divinity School awards Wait Fellowships

The recipients of the Wait Fellowships are: Margaret Kenny Leinbach of Charlotte, N.C.; Robilyn Gayle Byrd of Dallas, Texas; John M. “Tripp” Martin III of Augusta, Ga.; and Daniel Brian Miles of Johnson City, Tenn.

“I chose Wake Forest Divinity School because they are striving to be ecumenical,” said Margaret Leinbach. “It was important to me to work with people who take spiritual life very seriously.”

Established in 1999, the Divinity School’s inaugural year, the Samuel and Sarah Wait Graduate Fellowships in Theology and Ministry are named in honor of the first president of Wake Forest and his wife.

“Samuel and Sarah Wait were committed to a ‘learned’ clergy,” said Scott Hudgins, director of admissions for Wake Forest’s School of Divinity. “The Wait Fellows continue their commitment and legacy on this campus, and provide hope for the future of Christian leadership and service.”

Renewable for up to three years based on academic performance, the fellowships cover the entire cost of tuition and fees and include a stipend for living expenses. Students are nominated for the fellowship and selected by faculty as those who show exceptional promise for Christian ministry. Up to eight awards will be given each year.

Leinbach brings a variety of academic study to the new class. A 1975 graduate of Emory University, she holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was a practicing attorney prior to her acceptance. She has also taken classes at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Moravian Seminary Extension. She is a member of Peare Moravian Church in Charlotte.

Byrd is a 1999 graduate of Trinity University with study abroad experience at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. Her home church is Cliff Temple Baptist in Dallas.

A 2000 graduate of the University of Georgia, Martin is a member of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Ga.

Miles is a 2000 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His home church is Central Baptist Church in Johnson City, Tenn.

The four fellowship recipients are members of an incoming class of 28, including two part-time students, from a variety of denominational backgrounds.

The Divinity School’s mission is to educate women and men for Christian ministry by preparing students for parish ministry as well as vocations in related fields. The school is Christian by tradition, ecumenical in outlook and Baptist in heritage.