Every gift—whether large or small— has a story behind it. When it comes to scholarships at Covenant College, generous people with generous hearts from all over the country and all different backgrounds have decided to invest in Covenant students and have seen compelling returns on these investments. Sometimes, these donors did not attend Covenant or know anyone who did, but upon hearing about the college, they were intrigued by Covenant’s mission and vision for Christ- centered education. By using their resources to support students through scholarships, these donors provide a way for more students to access this type of education. It is an investment in the future of Christ’s kingdom and Church. Many of the scholarships that bless our students are a direct result of the Lord taking a generous investment and doing abundantly more with it than imaginable.

The Way Ahead Scholarship

Ted Aven and his late wife, Frances, have a long history of giving to orphanages. “When I was young, our church would visit an orphanage every year,” recounts Ted. “I ended up becoming friends with some of the kids there.” Ted’s father was in the cattle business, and since orphanages often raised cattle at the time, Ted’s family decided to donate a calf to the orphanage. This was when Ted’s heart for giving began to grow.

Ted soon met Frances, and after getting married, they too entered the cattle business, moving from Alabama to California and later to Texas, where Ted resides today. Along the way, they met Taylor McGowan, who directed the Palmer Home for Children in Columbus, Mississippi. “When we heard about the Palmer Home, we were broke. We didn’t have any money,” Ted explains. “But, we had a heart for orphanages, and we had some bulls.” When they told Taylor they could give him a bull, he joyfully accepted the donation. “From then on, we gave what we could to the Palmer Home—and still do,” Ted states.

Covenant College has a way of stepping into people’s lives and leaving a memorable impression. Though neither Ted nor Frances attended Covenant, Ted admired the “castle on the mountain,” now Carter Hall, well before he knew Covenant existed. “The castle has been in my mind since 1945 when I was four years old,” he says, chuckling. Driving back and forth from Virginia to Alabama to see family, Ted describes how he and his little sister would see who could spot the castle first, saying, “We’d shout ‘There it is! There it is!’ when we saw it.”

Fast forward to the early 1990s, Ted and Frances met Dr. Frank Brock, Covenant College’s fourth president, at their church, where he talked about how Covenant provided a college education from a biblical perspective taught by Christian professors. “This resonated with me,” says Ted. “I dropped out of college twice, but when I heard about Covenant, I thought, ‘If I’d had an opportunity like that, I probably would’ve stuck with it!’”

The Avens began giving Covenant what little they could, and as they gave, the Lord began to bless their business. “We never had children, so we decided to help children—specifically those without parents or financial stability— receive an education that gives them the tools to go out and live a Christian life in a fallen world,” Ted explains.

This is how The Way Ahead Scholarship, named by Frances after her husband whose initials are T.W.A., began—from a young calf given to an orphanage in Alabama and a bull donated to the Palmer Home in Mississippi, to now a robust scholarship that provides financially disadvantaged high schoolers a chance to attend a Christian college. “We had no idea 30-something years ago that we would be able to do what we’re doing today, but the Lord has done a mighty work,” exclaims Ted.

Covenant Church of Naples Scholarship

The Covenant Church of Naples Scholarship based out of Naples, Florida, was established by an anonymous family that valued education and had also benefited from the generosity of others. “We had been bemoaning the state of our society and how often young people walk away from their faith after leaving home and attending college,” explain the donors.

Like The Way Ahead Scholarship, a church visit by a college president was one of the factors that influenced the establishment of this scholarship. As Dr. Derek Halvorson, sixth president of Covenant College, explained the college’s mission to the congregation, the donors realized that a Christ-centered college education was just the thing they had been looking to support. They began to prayerfully consider starting a scholarship through their church in order to encourage the high schoolers, many of whom they knew and loved dearly, to attend Covenant and soon felt the Lord’s affirmation.

“The cultural pressures are strong in early adult years, especially at a secular college,” the family writes. “We believe Covenant College offers the opportunity to grow [one’s] faith even deeper while expanding life skills and vocational training.” This anonymous family’s prayer for students who receive their scholarship is that the Lord would mold them into servant leaders in whatever path He leads them. Already, they have been amazed at the Lord’s goodness that many students from their church have chosen to attend Covenant and benefitted from their giving. “It is God who deserves the glory, not us,” they state. “It was His idea in the first place, and He gave us the means to fund it.”

The Montana Scholarship

Ray and Ladeine Thompson heard about Covenant College through good friend, graduate, and college board member, Joel Belz. Ray was on the board of WORLD publications, called God’s World at the time, and Joel suggested that Ray and his wife visit the Christian college on the mountain. The Thompsons were already devoted advocates of Christian education as they were supporters of Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell, Montana.

After visiting Covenant and meeting former president Dr. Frank Brock, Ray and Ladeine were captivated. “I found it to be just a wonderful and very distinctive, unique college,” Ray recalls. “There were so many things I liked, and the location was wonderful.” As students graduated from Stillwater Christian School and began their college searches, the Thompsons recognized an opportunity to help them continue receiving a solid Christian education in college. “I so appreciated and respected the whole environment of the college,” Ray recalls. “Covenant was the real thing, and we felt it was a great place for God to develop younger people to do His work.”

One of the high schoolers the Thompsons knew was Jane Berry, now Jane Turner, a 2003 graduate of Covenant. Jane received financial support from the Thompsons to attend Covenant, where she met her husband, Josh Turner. It was through Covenant that she connected with 1995 graduate Carlee (Bevis) Hilger, who founded Hilger Higher Learning, a Christian homeschool program in Chattanooga. After working at Hilger some during college, Jane decided to return to Kalispell, where she and her husband founded their own Christian homeschool program called Heritage Academy. 

As Ray and Ladeine Thompson look back on the impact their scholarship has had, they are not only grateful for the Christ-centered education the students have received, but they are humbled by how their gifts have been multiplied due to the Lord’s work in one graduate’s life. “The Heritage Academy has very much been a remarkable return on investment,” describes Ray. “It has had a huge influence on this community and is a reflection of what we’re admonished to do as we live the Christian life.”

This idea of a worthwhile return on investment is not uncommon for those who faithfully give to Covenant College. When it comes to investing in education, the impact is often apparent in the short term and lasts for generations, influencing more than just the graduates but also their families, churches, and communities. The Giver of good gifts provides for our needs, blesses our generosity, and does miraculously more with our gifts when we come to Him with open hands and open hearts. Through these good gifts, the Lord has used these friends of the college to ensure Covenant is a place for students to receive a quality, biblically based education for decades to come.

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