Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1189300
7 MEETING OUR AUDIENCES WHERE THEY ARE WHY I GIVE DONOR STORIES LORIN & ANITA CLANEY, denver seminary board member When Lorin Claney, Denver Seminary Board member, and his wife, Anita, made a financial commitment to the Denver Seminary Presidential Scholarship, they were not only making a seminary education possible, they were honoring Lorin's late mother, Carlene Swanson Claney. Born in 1936, Carlene had a gift for preaching, and at age 16 entered a national youth preaching competition. "God used that experience to develop a love for God's word that lasted her whole life," says Lorin. "She discipled so many women and communicated God's word so well that if she had been born at a different time, she likely would have used her gifts of teaching and speaking more." When Carlene died in 2014, the Claney family knew they wanted to honor her legacy, and a gift to Denver Seminary's Presidential Scholarship seemed appropriate. SARAH VANDER NEUT, alumna, ms, christian studies, 2008 When artist Sarah Vander Neut made the decision to come to Denver Seminary to earn an MA in Christian studies, she knew she was taking a chance. Sarah had enough money to only pay for one semester of seminary. "After my first semester, I went home with $8 in my pocket," she says. But then the Denver Seminary Art Curatorial Committee accepted a proposal to commission some art from Sarah, which covered her next semester's costs. Sarah says she has story after story about how each semester God found ways for her to use her talents and gifts to pay for her education. The experience continued to shape Sarah's already-established passion for giving. Today, Sarah owns her own business, designing running jackets. She donates a percentage of the proceeds from each jacket she sells to Denver Seminary. I see my gift as something that will bring back a return on my investment. I know that God will take what I give and scatter it throughout the world. —Sarah Vander Neut I think my mom would think it was great that we donated to Denver Seminary. The Presidential Scholarship supports men and women who want to go to the Seminary, and she'd like that. —Lorin Claney 5