HONORING A SISTER, LEAVING A LEGACY

By Rev. Barbara Jean Haney Jenkins

Rev. Barbara Jean Haney Jenkins, right, honored her late sister, Rev. Barbara Ann Wilson, left, with a scholarship at Fuller.

Rev. Barbara Jean Haney Jenkins, right, and her sister, Rev. Barbara Ann Wilson

For the past 35 years, it has been my honor to memorialize my sister, Rev. Barbara Ann Wilson, and in the process help African-American female students who prepare for Christian service at Fuller Seminary through the scholarship that bears her name.

Barbara Ann and I were both born into the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles and served as deaconesses there. It was during this time that Barbara Ann acknowledged her call to ministry in 1986. She was ordained that same year and enrolled at Fuller in 1987.

At the time, there were very few women in ministry in Baptist churches. During her studies, it became clear there was a need for women to receive financial support as returning graduate students.

Sadly, Barbara Ann died on May 30, 1988, as the result of an asthma attack while on tour in Chicago with the Southern California Community Choir. She was 44.

Our spiritual mother, Dr. Evelyn Carter Spencer of Oakland, Calif., suggested we create a scholarship to honor her, and the Barbara Ann Wilson Scholarship was established to support African-American women in ministry. Since its inception, this scholarship has been awarded more than a dozen times, aiding 10-plus women.

This scholarship will live on through an endowment of real estate to fund it beyond my lifetime, ensuring that Barbara Ann's life will be remembered far into the future. I invite you to create your own legacy with an endowed scholarship or legacy gift to Fuller.