The superintendent of Knoxville District and his wife have given $30,000 to establish The Carolyn And Doug Fairbanks, Jr. Scholarship for Seminary.

"Our plan is to continue adding to this scholarship on an annual basis and then a substantial contribution will be forthcoming through our estate," Fairbanks said. "It has been and continues to be a marvelous privilege to be a United Methodist clergyperson. Carolyn and I have been blessed to serve in some great churches in the Western North Carolina Conference and Holston Conference. We are very much aware that the cost of seminary education continues to rise and that many of our seminary students graduate with  heavy indebtedness. In fact, I believe the average indebtedness is somewhere around $27,000 plus. So, we have decided to establish this scholarship in appreciation for our own opportunity to serve Christ through the local church and in support of those whom God will continue to call to serve our churches in the future. We are thrilled to be able to do this and we are looking forward to awarding these scholarships for years to come, even as we continue to serve."

"This is a great story of a couple looking back on their life and career and planning to do something to assist new pastors in the future," said Roger Redding, executive director of the Holston Conference Foundation. "This scholarship will be able to provide a $1,000 annually as it is and hopefully substantially more in the future."

For more information, visit the Holston Conference Foundation website.