Master of divinity student Rebecca Reeder found it impossible to express in words the joy she felt when she read her financial aid contract from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for this academic year. “Tears definitely welled up in my eyes, and a weight lifted that I wasn’t fully aware I was carrying,” she recalls.
Rebecca began coursework at PTS four years ago as a part-time, mostly evening M.A. student. She also worked full time in campus ministry to undergraduates at nearby Carnegie Mellon University. “Over time I began to sense a call to be more fully invested in my seminary education as a full-time master of divinity student pursuing ordination,” she says. But holding her back from following that call was the financial risk of leaving a good job with benefits. “It shows how forgetful I am as a human being that, even after God provided for me financially in ministry for seven years, I still feared not being provided for as a full-time student! Thankfully, God’s Word and God’s people reminded me of God’s faithfulness in providing all that is necessary for life and godliness and affirmed God’s call for me to return to classes—full-time.”
Transitioning out of her job and more fully into seminary studies hasn’t been the only recent change in Rebecca’s life, however. A little more than a year ago, she also got married! “Zach and I have both experienced job changes and moving all in the last 18 months. We’re grateful for all those who are praying that God’s Spirit would guide and strengthen our relationship even as we adjust to the changes around us.”
Rebecca is excited about the dedicated time she has as a student to continue discerning God’s call on her life while preparing for enhanced effectiveness in ministry surrounded by the Seminary community. She anticipates the rest of her program will be “filled with growth in knowledge and character” as she gains greater clarity concerning her particular vocational direction after graduating.
“I am incredibly grateful for the generosity and partnership of people who come alongside us seminary students as we pursue God’s call on our lives in ministry!” Rebecca says in recognition that the entire community of PTS—people on and off campus, in and out of the classroom, contributing all kinds of resources—is engaged in the same ministry of participating with Christ in God’s redemptive work in the world.