Diocesan ACW Establish Bursary

On October 31, 2017, The Anglican Church Women of the Diocese of New Westminster signed an agreement with the Anglican Foundation to establish a perpetual bursary.

“The Award(s) will be paid to Qualifying Students who, at the time of the decision to pay the Award, are enrolled in full-time or part time studies in the Anglican stream of theological studies or in disciplines that are in full communion with the Anglican Church at a recognized, accredited theological school or college in preparation for ordination or a form of lay ministry. Preference will be given to female students and/or to students from the Dioceses of New Westminster or Yukon. But if in a given year no applicant meets those criteria the Scholarship Committee may at its discretion direct the funds towards other worthy recipients.”

This bursary has been made possible thanks to the foresight of the Anglican Church Women who in the 1950’s purchased a home in Vancouver on West 14th Avenue. The initial intent of WA Memorial House, as it was known, was to house visiting missionaries—both those leaving to the Far East and those returning home on leave. Times changed and the house was used for Board meetings and the outreach of preparing the Bales to the North. Over the years many repairs were undertaken on the house but it became evident that the house was going to require much more expensive repairs that would have made it impossible to continue our outreach. The 2011 sale of the house, a decision of the Board, made with advice from Bishop Michael Ingham was a difficult but has turned out to be a blessing. The diocesan ACW are now located in a warehouse on Merritt Street in Burnaby and have expanded outreach to more than the Bales for the North initiative by funding a school lunch program in the university district of Whitehorse, YT and by giving grants to a youth shelter, a drug and alcohol recovery residential facility and to some of those training for leadership roles.

With some of the monies realized from the sale of WA Memorial House, The ACW have been able to give to the Anglican Foundation an amount of money that will be a perpetual bursary with the initial capital not being touched. The bursary will be awarded in the amount of interest that is earned each year. The current principal will generate interest of approximately $4,000 per annum. Additional donations to this ACW bursary are encouraged and will be most welcome as that will increase the interest available. Donations to the bursary should be sent to the Anglican Foundation to be added to the “Anglican Church Women Diocese of New Westminster Trust Fund.”

Application dates are April 1 and September 1 and all information can be found on the Anglican Foundation Bursary pages of the AF website.

We look forward to hearing from the Anglican Foundation about our first recipient.

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Gail Revitt, President, Vera Morgan, Treasurer and Sheila Puls, Past President signing the Agreement.