Since Nancy Taylor announced her retirement, many people have been working on ways to celebrate Rev. Taylor’s profound and visionary ministry and leadership in a manner that leaves a lasting legacy that strengthens Old South Church’s role as a teaching and learning church. Rev. Taylor’s commitment to nurturing, guiding and mentoring seminarians and beginning ministers is a hallmark of her tenure at Old South Church. With that focus in mind, and because Nancy does not want a traditional “purse” for herself from the congregation, the Celebration Team proposed and Church Council approved the creation of the Nancy S. Taylor Leadership Fellowship that will be funded through an endowment and offered annually to a seminary student.
The “Taylor Fellow” is in addition to the seminarian Old South already supports, and will target seminary students in their third or final year. The Taylor Fellow will serve the church from 12-15 hours per week and have a selected area of focus to further advance and expand Old South’s diverse ministries and the Fellow’s gifts and skills. The endowment allows for an initial stipend of $6000-$7800 for 9-12 months; the Fellowship will be funded each year using income earned on the principal, now targeted at 4%. The Fellow will also have access to a modest budget to pursue educational or programmatic initiatives associated with their chosen focus area.
To endow the Fellowship, the church is seeking gifts from the Old South Church family to raise a minimum of $200,000 by May 1, 2022 so we can announce the Fellowship on May 22, 2022 when the congregation will give thanks and celebrate Nancy’s ministry. Due to the generous founding gifts of several church members, we are pleased to report that over $125,000 has been raised to launch this fundraising effort. We hope that you will consider making a gift to support the Fellowship. We are excited to create this lasting tribute to our 20th senior minister and first woman to lead Old South to carry on Nancy’s unwavering commitment to fostering ministers and leaders.
To make a gift, please submit donate here or send a check made payable to Old South Church (please note that it’s for the NST Leadership Fellowship) and mail to Helen McCrady at 645 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
June Cooper and Priscilla Geigis, Celebration Committee