Jennifer Blair Foster didn’t even know the Outstanding Student Award for the master of divinity in Christian education existed until she got an email from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) telling her she had won it.
When Foster began taking classes for her master of divinity degree at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School in 2000, she expected to earn the degree within the usual three to four years. But plans don’t always pan out as expected.
“Oftentimes you have a plan for your life and you think things are going to work out a certain way,” Foster said. “But the Lord interrupts your plans for life and there are other priorities that come up.
‘A call for your life’
“Even through the broken places and the difficult times of uncertainty there is a call for your life.”
Earning a master’s degree after 15 years of dreaming and chipping away is a “sweet gift” from God, she said. Through NOBTS classes at the Central Alabama Extension Center which is hosted by Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery, where Foster serves as minister to children and women, she was able to walk down the hall from her office to class and complete the majority of her degree work in the last three years. The flexibility the extension classes offer is a large part of how Foster was handed a master’s degree at her May 16 graduation ceremony.
“It’s a real challenge for the adult learner to go back to school, but New Orleans has made it so accessible to pursue a Christian education.”
To stay motivated with her studies, Foster looked to a special person for strength.
“My husband is an amazing model of perseverance in life,” she said. Foster’s husband battles a chronic illness but consistently seeks to “struggle forward,” a motto that she has applied to her academic pursuit.
Judi Jackson, associate dean of students and coordinator of women’s programs at NOBTS, said of Foster, “Jennifer is truly an example of the motivated learner. Although she is already leading church ministries and teaching in a variety of settings, Jennifer poured herself into her school work believing that each course had something to offer for both her present ministry as well as whatever God has in store for her.”
Outstanding minister
Unlike Foster, her pastor at Heritage Baptist, Teman Knight, wasn’t surprised when she was given the Outstanding Student Award.
“Jennifer has served in an outstanding fashion as our children’s and women’s minister so it was no surprise to us that she was an outstanding student as well,” said Knight, who also serves as director of the extension center. “This accomplishment was a long journey for her, but one she was finally able to accomplish because of NOBTS’s commitment to make quality theological education available to ministers everywhere.”
As an educator, Jackson hopes Foster’s story will encourage others to fight through hardships that accompany higher education.
“I would hope other individuals — men and women — would understand that formal ministerial training enhances, undergirds and strengthens their current ministry efforts and has no age limit.
“Sure there’s a bit of a distraction when a 15-page paper is due, but when the content of that paper encourages the writer to attempt new ministry challenges it is so worth it.”
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