“I was frustrated and struggling with where the United Methodist denomination was going, especially on the issue of inclusiveness to LGBTQ persons,” he said. “I thought, I’m either going to walk away, or I’m going to try to turn the dial a little.”
While pondering how to turn the dial, Poole remembered a story by Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled. In the story, a group was frantically rescuing people who had fallen into the river. One of the rescuers stopped helping people and started walking up the river. The other rescuers asked him: “Where are you going? Why won’t you help us here any longer?” The man replied, “I’m going to try to figure out who is throwing people in.”
“That concept of going up the river was what made me ask myself, where is there vibrancy, and life, and hope in the church?” Poole said. “And that brought me to Garrett-Evangelical.”
Garrett-Evangelical Seminary is one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries supported by the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment of the United Methodist Church.
Poole called Rev. Dr. David Heetland, then vice president of development for Garrett-Evangelical, and said he wanted to make a difference. Heetland talked to him about what it took to create an endowed scholarship. “He gave me a number that would be helpful to start with,” Poole said. “I sold some stock that I had inherited, and we put down the first stone in the foundation.” Poole has also included Garrett-Evangelical in his will with the proceeds going to his scholarship.
Poole grew up in Flint, Michigan, in the 1960s and 1970s. His entire family was active in the Trinity United Methodist Church, a more progressive church known for its interest in social justice.
After high school, Poole went to Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and majored in anthropology and sociology. For much of his teens and early adulthood, Poole said he felt “some kind of calling” and knew he ultimately wanted to be either a teacher or a minister, but he leaned toward the ministry.
Wilbur Franklin, the dean of the Chapel at Albion College, pushed Poole toward Garrett-Evangelical.
During spring break of his senior year of college, Poole visited Garrett-Evangelical and was impressed with the vibrancy of the students and the energy and excitement of the professors and the staff.
In the fall of 1983, Poole arrived on campus. “It really did live up to what I imagined it to be,” he said.
Poole graduated from Garrett-Evangelical in 1986 and was ordained in the Detroit Annual Conference. He was appointed to three, small rural churches in the thumb of Michigan: Riley Center, Berville, and West Berlin United Methodist Churches.
After he retired, Poole became a member of Garrett-Evangelical’s Board of Trustees.
He urges others to support Garrett-Evangelical annually and to put it in their wills. “This is how you can make a difference,” he said. “This is how you can make sure that the next generation is prepared in a way that they can be effective leaders and that they can help heal the church.”
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL
One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the Ministerial Education Fund is at the heart of preparing people for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The 13 United Methodist seminaries help students to discover their calling through the challenging curriculum. The fund enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip annual conferences to meet increased demands. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
