We understand that education extends beyond the classroom, into real-world environments that require students to dive in, get their feet wet, and explore. Take a look at what other students have done with the freedom to explore made possible by Springboard Funding.
Springboard Funding provides students with the opportunity to pursue a research project that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to explore without the university’s financial assistance. If you are curious about what is possible with Springboard Funding, we encourage you to take a look at what some of our students have done over the years and how their projects have inspired their journeys.
Testimonials
Marie Bakerpoole – MDiv
The Ariadne Institute leads a biannual, women-exclusive goddess pilgrimage touring central and western Crete — the biggest island of Greece, led by feminist theologian Carol P. Christ. The purpose of these pilgrimages is not only to learn about the
Minoan people – a civilization theorized to be matrilineal, matrifocal, relatively non-violent, and goddess-worshipping, but also to reconnect women to one another and to themselves with a strong emphasis on beauty, strength, and ritual.
The pilgrimage lasts two weeks and each day is filled museum visits, archeological tours, exploring caves, storytelling and lectures — and let’s not forget about the frequent dips into the gorgeous, warm water of the Mediterranean. The purpose of the pilgrimage is to reconnect women to their Mother Goddess and themselves bringing healing to our bodies, minds, and spirits. It is also extremely educational for discovering an old civilization in a new way which has great implications for women today.
While on this pilgrimage my entire being and life was transformed. At 26, I was the youngest on the tour, with the oldest having lived 72 years on this earth. I connected with each woman in a special and unique way and continue to remain in touch with these women from all over the world. I also found intense healing through experiencing anew a very old spirituality that reconnected me to myself and healed my estranged relationship with my abusive mother. After not speaking to her for over three years, I called her up after returning home from the pilgrimage knowing I was ready to love her in the way she needs most.
Lisa Garcia-Sampson – MDiv
During my springboard road trip with my spouse Ry, I sought to visit and experience alternative communities of meaning in order to see how they might inform my future ministry. Our trip took us through the southern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. We visited innovative ministries that are pushing the boundaries of traditional religion in our country. But we also met story-tellers, activists, college sports fans, musicians and nature lovers who make meaning of their lives outside the scope of organized religion. In our visits, we learned that,
- Whether digging in the dirt at farm church or practicing dying at a yoga studio, spiritual experiences are meant to engage our body, mind, and emotions.
- College sports can teach religion a great deal about rituals, accessibility and keeping history alive.
- Storytelling helps us make meaning of our lives, whether it be through country music, oral histories or spiritual testimonials.
- Nature has a powerful capacity to bring us back to ourselves and back to our sense of the divine.
- Through social justice work, people are spending less time saying what they believe and more time practicing their faith.
But above all else, the lasting memory that Ry and I took from this trip was of the generosity that we experienced. Not only did perfect strangers give us their time, they shared their hearts with us. They told us the stories of their lives and the way they make meaning of this world. What an incredible gift.
Jen Bloesch – MDiv
This past fall, I applied for springboard funding and received it to visit five churches and one seminary. These churches were Sanctuary UCC, Simple Church, Common Table, Nourished, and Farm Church. I was able to visit all of these churches. I also had plans to visit the Farminary at Princeton Theological Seminary, but the day of my visit in the early fall was also the day the hurricane was moving up the East Coast, and I decided it was wiser to head home. I did not have a chance to revisit due to budget and time constraints.
I chose these churches because I was interested in knowing more about farm and dinner churches. I have a love of food myself, and I have a background in local foods advocacy, and so I wanted to see how these churches were using food for their worship experience. My plan was to visit a worship experience at each church when they were doing their dinner church or farm church. I also hoped to talk with the pastors one-on-one to ask them more about their work. I indeed was able to do this for each church.
While doing these visits, I wanted to learn a couple of things: 1. How are these pastors structuring the dinner/farm church? 2. How are they managing financially? 3. Can I see myself being the pastor of a farm and/or dinner church?
My quest for this springboard funding was deeply personal, as I truly want to lead a food-inspired ministry. I was able to answer the questions I had in mind. I learned that the dinner churches in Massachusetts and Rhode Island all have a very similar format for worship. Their format was very alike a dinner church I visited years back in Chicago. I learned that the worship format is simple, and that instead of a 15-minute sermon from the pastor, there is time for discussion at the table.
I also learned that managing the churches financially are difficult. Many of the pastors kindly consulted me that it’s not easy to start a new church, and the denominations (especially the UCC) are not giving a lot of money to church planters. They taught me about the entrepreneurial ways they are sustaining their budget (and their salary).
Lastly, I learned that I still very much want to lead a dinner or farm church myself. I preferably want to have a church that manages a farm and also has meals around the dinner table, which makes my vision a farm and dinner church. I am nervous about the amount of entrepreneurial spirit that will be required, and I’m nervous about the overall feasibility of the logistics of starting a church, but I now know that the style of ministry really resonates with me.
A few serendipitous things happened during my visits. For one thing, I was given many names of interesting people with whom to follow up. I also became aware of other dinner and farm churches that exist, and I was even able to visit a few additional churches that weren’t initially on my list. This was very helpful in learning who I can talk to in the future if I have questions down the road.
Additionally, while I was visiting the Farm Church in North Carolina, I was invited by the pastor to participate in a conference that was happening that weekend, called Come to the Table. This was a very exciting opportunity because I was able to network with other Christian leaders who are passionate about food and local foods, and I was able to participate in the workshops and learn about what other things people are doing.
Over the course of the year, I have been reflecting with my advisor on this project. We have discussed the churches I visited as well as what they mean for me vocationally. Although I did not have a spiritual director this year, I plan to discuss my learnings from this project with a spiritual director as well, as I believe I will continue to vocationally wrestle with the things I learned from these churches. This springboard project was not a closed experienced for me; instead, it symbolized the very beginning of a long and exciting journey ahead.
Chloe McElyea – MDiv
Heart
The bike wheels bump along the road as the bike carries me down the paved hill. I catch
my breath. The mist is rising from the forest, lingering above the treetops before fading into the
waking sky. Every morning I meet the mist. Every morning I am stunned by her otherworldly
beauty.
It is not yet six in the morning. I am living and working with ten other young adults. We
are here, in this tiny village in Connecticut, for many reasons. To learn how to farm, to reconnect
with the land, to live in community, to develop leadership skills, to engage with Judaism. To heal
the disjuncture we sense between ourselves, other people, Earth. To let go of harmful
relationships. To reclaim intimacy.
Shamu, our teacher, likes to lovingly call this region the Inter dependent Republic of
Housatonica. What striking thought: a declaration of interdependence.
He often reminds us that Judaism was born out of an agricultural society. Before the
Jewish people became a ‘people of the book,’ they were a people of the land, of a specific land
given to them by their God. Laws predicated not only how to live out human community, but
also how to live faithfully in and amongst all of creation.
Today will involve animal and house chores, farm work, pickling or washing vegetables
for the CSA, study and community building. But before we uproot weeds or harvest zucchinis,
we tend to our hearts.
I rest my bike on the railing and walk into the Red Yurt for our hour-long Avodat Lev
(Service of the Heart). The yurt’s canvassing is faded. It sits at the base of a wooded mountain,
on the shore of Lake Miriam. The yurt is pulsing with a gentle, rhythmic human hum, something
that sounds like yumbum bei, yumbudum bedei . My friends sit in a circle on the floor. There is a
small candle lit in the circle’s center, sitting in a lotus candleholder.
Like the mist, our voices lift from our sleeping consciousness. Modeh ani , thank you. The
tradition speaks of God sending our souls back to our bodies after sleep. 22 We chant, we repeat.
We pray the Shema , remembering the oneness of God. We turn inwards for personal prayer or
variations of the Amidah. We gather again, and then scatter onwards to milk goats, haul compost,
or collect eggs.
One morning, during Amidah, I walk outside and follow the edge of the lake. There sits a
wooden bench, tucked under a mulberry tree by the lip of the water. I lean down and scoop up
the cool water, pushing my forehead into the palms of my hands. I do this two more times. The
cool water trickles down my face. The earth–the waters–breathe God’s goodness onto my
forehead, and my soul breaks open.
(From Chloe’s “When Body Meets Land: A Spiritual Autobiographical Excerpt,” 2017.)
Jeremy Hegi – PhD Candidate
My dissertation, “’Stand for the New Testament Order and Trust God for the Consequences’: Church of Christ Missionary Women in Japan, 1916-1945,” examines the history of American missionary women. Specifically, I examine the lives and work of Sarah S. Andrews (1892-1961) and Lillie D. Cypert (1890-1954) who lived in Japan from 1916 to 1945. Through close study of primary sources such as personal correspondence, periodicals, and autobiographies, I use biography to help make sense of the place of women in the history of Churches of Christ and consider their contributions to the broader history of American Protestant women in foreign mission. By placing their mission practice in the context of the Faith Mission Movement, I conclude that single women from Churches of Christ were able to exhibit a considerable degree of independence and agency in Japan while also wielding a surprising amount of control over the congregations they planted as they creatively navigated difficulties brought on by the gender norms and broader geopolitical situation of their day.
To uncover the stories of these women I had to visit two archives: The Churches of Christ Heritage Center at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. At the Churches of Christ Heritage Center I was able to uncover a treasure trove of primary source material from East Asia and Japan that had not previously been available. Specifically, the archive contained the personal photo albums of one of my research subjects, Sarah Andrews, which shed new light on her missionary methods and revealed how she was able to skillfully navigate the conservative gender roles of her particular Christian tradition, Churches of Christ. At the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University, I was able to find all of the periodicals from the denomination that contained reports from Cypert and Andrews. These missionary reports are invaluable to my research, and they enable me to craft a well-rounded narrative of their work in Japan.
It was only through the generosity of the Contextual Education department in the Boston University School of Theology that enabled me to make these research trips. The Springboard funding that I received was able to cover all of my costs so that my work was not a financial burden on my family. Furthermore, these trips also helped me expand my scholarly network, which will be invaluable to my future career. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to do this work, and I am especially thankful to the Contextual Education department for the funding I received.
Micah Pace – MDiv
My trip to Indonesia reframed many of my thoughts and presented new questions, ultimately providing an invaluable contextual experience. There is a part of theory that cannot be fully known devoid of context and the pragmatism that comes from being in an unknown situation. Aside from the trip being an adventure to a new place, it was also an experience of confronting my own identity and rethinking my theoretical framework towards living with difference.
One major point of learning and reflection is on the nature of identity. Going into the trip I knew I would be around people from a range of countries, faiths, and languages. I was prepared to have any assumptions I brought to be dismantled, so I tried to carry them lightly and to pay attention to the world around me before I developed new assumptions. However, as much as I tried to temper my assumptions I still quickly found that many of the people I met did not fit into my categories. Each person I met is as complicated and deeply drawn as I am.
The invaluable part of my trip to Indonesia was that it wiped out the assumptions that make life in Boston automatic. Rarely does one end up in situations where you start from scratch. It is not as though identity and assumptions work differently in my context, but it is the square one basis that traveling to the conference forced me to build from. It was like wearing a blindfold for a day to become more acutely aware of the other senses and systems that all work together to make life happen. The trip reminded me of the simple truths that people are complicated, and that being self-aware is a constant task that changes depending on context. My studies have been incredibly impacted by my experiences in Indonesia, and I will forever have a drastically different context in which to revolve new ideas around. I am grateful to BU for making the trip possible and for deeming such a trip an important contextual experience. It was two of the most uncomfortable weeks of my life, but also two of the most useful and life giving. In studying how to live with difference, my domestic policy has been disrupted by this international experience and shaded with a new pragmatism that I could not have thought of without such a square one experience.
Ludwig Beethoven Jones Noya – MTS
In the front of a monastery in Abu Ghosh, I plugged in my earphone and played “The Raiders March” a.k.a. Indiana Jones theme on my phone, as I hiked up to the monastery which is located on the top of a hill. I remembered every time my friends asked me what will I do in my first-ever archaeological excavation, my answer will be: “I’m going to be like Indiana Jones!”
Abu Ghosh is a modern city for the biblical city Kiriath-Jearim. According to the biblical tradition, the Ark of the Covenant resided in it for 20 years before David brought it to Jerusalem. Even though hoping to be like Indiana Jones is just a joke, it is apparent that to find the “lost ark” would be a significant contribution to the archaeology and biblical studies.
However, in its first season, the goal of the Kiriath-Jearim Expedition is much more but at the same time much less than just finding the ark. As one of the directors, Prof. Israel Finkelstein said in the introductory meeting, in this first season we are open for any possibilities. We have certain goals, but we are also ready for any surprises that the site might want to show us.
Working in Area B, just a few terrace down from the top, we were divided into some squares. In my square, we found a wall that is consistent to the wall in another square. It is even meet nicely with the wall from another area. And at the time I finished my work (as the excavation will still have another week), the specific locus I’ve been worked in is considered secure for the eighth century BCE materials. We’ve found many interesting materials from the potteries, grinding and pounding stone, coins, flint, and many more. And yes, the site was surprising us, indeed!
In my first archaeological experience, I learned a lot of archaeological lessons. From the methodology, field techniques, up to the current debates between some archaeologists. As a biblical scholar in the making, knowing more about this discipline has broadened my horizon. It invites me to see the text in the totally different perspective. It was an amazing experience for me, and it couldn’t have happened without the generosity of BU STH Springboard Funding Committee.
Thank you, Kiriath-Jearim!
Thank you, Israel!
Thank you, BU STH!
Blessings!
Michele Sigg – PhD Candidate
My research started with a trip to the archives of the Diaconesses de Reuilly (deaconesses of Reuilly) in a suburb of Paris. I had one afternoon with the archivist who was very enthusiastic about this history and therefore very chatty. From that contact I was able to obtain a recent book of correspondence between the founders and scans of original documents related to their work among vulnerable girls and women. My second stop was in Strasbourg where I visited the archives of the Diaconesses de Strasbourg. Here also I obtained several secondary sources on the founder and scans of correspondence or founding documents of the institution. I spent the majority of my time in the Paris Mission archives (about a week) where I focused my collection work on the Ladies’ committees and Lesotho documents and gathered many primary documents. My research in the south, in the archives in Montpellier (Methodist related materials), yielded fewer results related to my area of research. I was, however, able to make contact with two French scholars who shared their insights with me. I feel as if my work is to scrape together bits and pieces of women’s work and their voices (written or other) on this period. The period I have chosen, because it is so early, has very little material on or from women, which makes it particularly challenging. I think my research trip helped me make a good start in this exploration. I’m grateful for the opportunity, thanks to the Springboard funding.
Many thanks.
Michèle
Dr. Ricardo Franco – DMin
The main purpose of the project was a presentation at the AAR Conference in San Antonio, TX on November 19-22/2016. However, the dates of the conference coincided with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) and I was also invited to participate in the activities that HTI and the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality (SSCS) programed for this important milestone in the history of Latin@ Theological academic and ministerial presence in the U.S.
The participation in all these events gave me the opportunity to meet and greet many pioneers in the fields of Latin@ theology and biblical studies (e.g. Samuel R. Pagan, Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, and Fernando Segovia). Likewise, I met important scholars in the field of Christian spirituality (P. Sheldrake, S. Schneiders). I had the opportunity to exchange brief conversations with some of them and to ask questions during their panel presentations/sections. I attended a workshop and several sections relevant for my areas of interest (ethnography, theology, immigration, biblical studies) which allowed me to know some of the questions, methodologies, trends, and interdisciplinary approaches in those fields. I presented on two panels (Latino Immigrant spirituality and ethnographic research in Latin@ congregations). This was a perfect context to test some of the ideas I have been developing and to hear the feedback and questions of other colleagues. Lastly, I observed some of the dynamics and processes associated with professional job seeking and career marketing in the context of the AAR. Overall the experience was productive and I am grateful for the funding.
Respectfully submitted,
Ricardo L. Franco
Laura Chevalier – PhD Candidate
The generous Springboard grant made it possible for me to visit four archives in May and June 2017 to complete research for my dissertation focused on holiness and early Pentecostal missionaries’ work with children. At the beginning of may, I traveled to the Church of the Nazarene Archives in Lexana, KS and spent a week combing through their mission records, including early periodicals, reports, and correspondence. Their periodical resources were especially helpful and covered not only the movements that became part of the Church of the Nazarene but also an independent holiness mission called the Hephzibah Faith Mission. Much of the early mission work in these movements involved caring for “famine children” in India.
In June, I took a longer trip to visit three other archives. The first was the archive of Kids Alive International in Valparaiso, IN, an independent Christian non-profit originating in the early twentieth century that focuses on ministering to children-at-risk around the world. The founders of this work, Leslie and Ava Anglin, are key subjects in my study. Although they had roots in the Assemblies of God, much of their early records are housed at this non-profit rather than the AG. Therefore, before visiting two Wesleyan holiness archives, I spent a day in Valparaiso, accessing early periodicals written by the Anglins about their work with children in China. I also had access to early artifacts from their work including hand-crafted items made by the children in their care. The enthusiasm and support of my study by the staff at this location were particularly notable, as they rarely have research visitors.
From Valparaiso, I traveled to Indianapolis and spent five days at the Marston Memorial Historical Center of the Free Methodist Church USA. This archive proved to be the most useful of any that I visited. Their early mission periodical was the product of their women’s mission society, so stories about missionaries’ work with children in India and Southern Africa abounded. In fact, letters from children in the various homes were frequently printed in the periodical. This archive also housed rare internal items like an early record book detailing the stories of children admitted to an orphanage in India and information about their American sponsors. The official and personal letters of select missionaries also proved useful.
Lastly, the Springboard funding made it possible for me to visit the archives of the Wesleyan Church in Fishers, IN, where I spent four days. Again, similar to the other Wesleyan holiness denominational archives, the periodical record was the most useful resource for my study. While the women’s mission society of the Wesleyans eventually took over-reporting on the mission activity of the church, the early record was in their general denominational periodical and the Young People’s Missionary Band literature. While most missions and denominations involved American children in their mission efforts, in the Wesleyan case, a male missionary organized the American Wesleyan young people to spearhead raising funds and praying for the mission in Sierra Leone, and eventually the expanding work in India and Japan.
I now have a plethora of primary source material that will take some time to analyze. The biggest challenge will be what to include and what to leave out. I am grateful for this opportunity afforded by the Springboard funding and the richness that it has brought to my current study and future scholarship. I not only learned much about the history of Wesleyan holiness and early Pentecostal movements and missions but am now very familiar with the ways that these groups have documented and preserved their history. I will continue to reap the benefits from working in so many archives and collecting so much primary source material for years to come. Many Thanks!
