Martha May Holman Scholarship Fund Established by South Atlantic & Puerto Rico Region

To celebrate the life and ministry of a gifted and gracious educator, The South Atlantic and Puerto Rico Region of APCE, created a scholarship fund in memory of Martha May Holman. Martha died January 21, 2001 at Westminster Oaks, in Tallahassee, FL.  She was a lifelong Presbyterian and loved the church. She lived life with a grand sense of humor and shared with the church a multitude of insight into the church being a community of faith.

Martha had retired after serving as Associate for Education to the Synod of South Atlantic for many years. Before that she served in large and small congregations as an educator. She was a former APCE cabinet member and had served as Finance Committee Chairperson. She received a life achievement award at the 1997 San Diego APCE national conference. The endowed scholarship began with a gift of $600 from the Synod of South Atlantic. A matching gift was sent to First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, Martha’s home congregation.

Rev. Brandt Copeland led a Service to the Resurrection at Westminster Oaks and shared these warm thoughts about Martha. “Perhaps if she had been born a little later, Martha would have been formally ordained. A commission of presbytery would have set her apart for ministry by prayers and the laying on of hands. As it was, she was set apart for ministry by the laying on of different sets of hands – the hands of children covered in glue and glitter from one of Martha’s art projects, the hands of adolescents ringing her doorbell at all hours, the hands of God’s people eager to receive her embrace. Martha was ordained, alright, and Martha had the call. Her baptism was her ordination and her call was ministry to God’s children of all ages. Few servants of the church have been better equipped for that calling, and I cannot imagine any who could have been more faithful.”

The Martha May Holman Memorial Scholarship Fund for the APCE Region of South Atlantic and Puerto Rico will be housed as restricted funds with the Presbyterian Foundation. The scholarship funds will be used to enable APCE members in the South Atlantic and Puerto Rico Region who have a continuing education allowance of under $500 to attend regional events and/or APCE events. Specific guidelines and an application process are being developed. Anyone wanting to contribute to the Martha May Holman Memorial Scholarship Fund (account #520A5507) for the APCE Region of South Atlantic and Puerto Rico should send contributions to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation
Attention: Account #520A5507

Presbyterian Foundation
P.O. Box 406863
Atlanta, GA 30384-6863

(Please specify account name and number on check)

For more information contact Marcia Winchip Bacon, South Atlantic APCE Treasurer, at (803) 799-8533 or email mbacon@shandonpres.org .