Wake Forest Divinity School awards Wait Fellowships

The 1999 recipients of the scholarships, the most prestigious merit-based awards offered by the divinity school, are: David Brown of Marietta, S.C.; Amy Joyner of Hillsborough, N.C.; Megan Ramsey of Brentwood, Tenn.; Bradley Tharpe of Maynardville, Tenn.; and Stephanie Wyatt of Knoxville, Tenn.

The Sarah and Samuel Wait Fellowships in Theology and Ministry are awarded each year to up to eight students entering the school’s master of divinity program. Samuel Wait was the first president of Wake Forest.

The awards are renewable for up to three years based on academic achievement and are awarded to those who show exceptional promise for Christian ministry.

Brown is a 1999 graduate of Clemson University and a member of Grace Baptist Church in Seneca, S.C. He plans to pursue pastoral ministry and ordination upon completion of the master of divinity program.

Joyner is a 1991 graduate of the University of Richmond, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s preeminent honor society for the liberal arts. She is a member of University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill and an English teacher at Orange High School in Hillsborough. Joyner is interested in pastoral ministry and ordination.

Ramsey is a 1999 graduate of Wake Forest. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, where she served as a pastoral care intern. She wishes to pursue pastoral counseling.

Tharpe is a 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. A member of Harpeth Heights Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., Tharpe has spent the last year traveling and working in Germany as a missionary. Tharpe plans to seek ordination.

Wyatt, a 1998 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is a member of Central Baptist Church in Fountain City, Tenn. She plans to pursue work in campus ministry.

The Wake Forest Divinity School will open this fall with about 25 students from a variety of denominational traditions and is expected to grow to 135-150 students within five years.

The school’s curriculum is centered in the classical theological disciplines of biblical studies, church history, theology and ministry studies, which includes areas such as pastoral care and preaching.

Wake Forest’s divinity school, whose mission is Christian by tradition, ecumenical in outlook and Baptist in heritage, prepares individuals for ministry in the Christian church.