Michael Preston Barham, who graduated cum laude in May, has been named a Ministry Fellow by the Fund for Theological Education, Inc. The fellowship program selects only 40 students nationwide as Ministry Fellows, providing them with financial support for divinity school expenses and funding for a service program spearheaded by each student. Appli- cants are selected based on dedication, work for the church, and an essay submitted for consideration.

Only eight of the 40 selected students are placed in service positions which offer students hands-on ministry experience. Barham has been chosen for this special opportunity and is serving this summer as a “student pastor” at United Methodist Church in Horse Shoe, North Carolina. After his field work, he will pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University this fall.

“Michael is one of the truly outstanding students with whom I have worked,” says Chaplain Don Fortenberry. “He possesses a wide range of skills and combines those with passion for the ministry of the church and its potential for transforming society.”

Barham has been active in the ministry since 1993. He has served as a Leggett Intern for campus ministry, as the chair of a chapel services planning group, and as a delegate to the UMC Mississippi Annual Conference.

“Michael’s selection reflects very well on his gifts and capacities for ministry, and on the College itself for the preparation they have provided him,” says James Waits, President of the Fund for Theological Education. Waits is a Millsaps alumna and former dean of Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Barham is the son of Robert and Janet Barham of Meridian. Among other honors, he is the recipient of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leader of the Year Award, the Student Body Association Leader of the Year Award, the Lewis and Reiff Award, and the Bishop’s Medal.

Millsaps Magazine  |  Millsaps | Last Edited August 12, 1999