Sarah Ross
’25 to serve in Frisco, Texas
CONWAY,
Arkansas (June 6, 2024)—Sarah Ross ’25 of Bryan, Texas, has been announced as
this year’s recipient of the $2,600 Elizabeth T. and John S. Workman Summer
Project Grant.
Ross, a
member of A&M UMC in College Station, Texas, is spending her summer serving
with First United Methodist Church of Frisco, Texas, with the Rev. Luke
Thompson as her mentor. She will be leading weekly Bible study, preaching, and
building the congregation’s outreach and hospitality ministries.
“The reason I chose to take this path for the grant is because I
feel called to the profession of pastoral ministry,”
said Ross. “This is a church that is vibrant and wanting to grow and try new
things and I feel this is the perfect environment to learn and develop in my
skills needed to serve as a pastor of the United Methodist Church.”
“Sarah is an outstanding student who is passionate about living
and sharing the Christian faith and has been exploring and growing in her
calling through a variety of internships and ministry roles,” said Hendrix
Chaplain the Rev. Ellen Alston ’82. “This summer she is diving into a context
that will require her to integrate advanced leadership skills, writing, and
relational ministry needed for the church’s faithful witness in a new and
challenging season. We’re excited to hear about her
experiences and learnings when she returns to Hendrix this fall.”
The grant honors the late John S. Workman
’50, who died in 2014. As a Hendrix student, Workman founded Campus Kitty, the
student philanthropic organization that still exists today, and was student
body president. A United Methodist minister and journalist, he was the fifth in
a line of Methodist ministers in the Workman family stretching back to the
earliest days of Methodism in America.
Workman served in the U.S. Army in the
Pacific, Japan, and Korea. He earned degrees from Hendrix and Southern
Methodist University and received honorary doctorate degrees from Hendrix and
Philander Smith College (now Philander Smith University). He served on the
Hendrix Board of Trustees from 1987 to 1993, and in 1992, he received Hendrix’s
Ethel K. Millar Award for Religion and Social Awareness. He served as religion
editor for the Arkansas Gazette and was one of Arkansas’ most respected and
influential voices on religion and its importance in American life. The grant
is made possible by a gift from Workman’s wife, Elizabeth T. Workman ’50
(1928-2022) and her family. Read
more about the Workman Grant
“Sarah is now part of a great tradition,
and I’ll look forward to reading her summary report in a few months,” said the
Workmans’ son, John Workman, Jr. ’75, who enjoys following how each year’s recipient
uses the Workman Grant and what they learn from the experiences it makes
possible.
About Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is
featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You
Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts
colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career
preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors
compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the
United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through engagement that links the
classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice,
and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives
of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.”
—Hendrix College Statement of Purpose