Grantee Spotlight: Trinity Union Scholars
In partnership with Union Theological Seminary, a world-renowned graduate school in New York City known for its commitment to rigorous scholarship and social justice, Trinity designed the Trinity Union Scholars program to provide a one-year exposure to world-class theological education for students from India and China. The program is designed for those who show the extraordinary capacity to become church leaders and/or seminary professors.
The Trinity Union Scholars program exposes cohorts of faith leaders to a wide range of theological perspectives, the resources of a world-class research faculty and theological library, and the leadership and management practices of Trinity Church Wall Street. Participants return to teach in a seminary or lead congregations in their native countries after the completion of their doctoral degrees. Their educational experience will play a significant role in their development as leaders of the church in India and China.
The grant covers the costs for recruitment, application, visas, travel, tuition, living expenses, and conference attendance for up to three students from India and three from China. Launched in 2018, the program has graduated thirteen fellows as of 2021.
Students include Arvind Theodore and Thelma Ranjitsingh from India, who are now in Ph.D. programs at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, as well as Yanan Lu from China, and Joby Joy from India, who are Ph.D. students at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Yanan Lu also teaches Christian Ethics at Henan Theological Seminary in China, and Joby Joy is also serving as a vicar at Immanuel Church of South India Church in Elizabeth, NJ.
For the Academic Year Fall 2021–Spring 2022, Union welcomed five new students from China and India:
- Hongyi Wang
- Yingnan Ji
- Irene Preetha Prasannakumar
- Vinoto Shohe
- Samuel Ragland Paul Christopher Raja
