Attending Seminary Together: Meet MDiv Students Miranda Joy Donakey Hornsby and Chad Hornsby
March 18, 2021
Miranda Joy Donakey Hornsby
Hometown: Hammond, Louisiana
I grew up moving around the state of Louisiana as a UM pastor’s kid before I went to Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas for my undergrad in religious studies. After going to Hendrix, I decided to get married and stay in Arkansas with my husband, Chad, who is a fellow MDiv student. In my free time, I love spending time with my puppy, Sven, and going on hikes around the natural state of Arkansas. It is in these natural places I feel most centered.
Why did you decide to attend seminary and Garrett-Evangelical in particular?
After visiting Garrett-Evangelical, I fell in love with the feeling of community and balance between academic rigor and practical ministry.
What challenges and opportunities have you found with the fall semester being online?
One of the aspects of seminary I looked forward to most was building community and friends, and that aspect has been a lot more difficult being online, where there is less time to get to know one another.
How has your scholarship enabled you to pursue your theological education?
My scholarship has taken away a huge amount of stress, which I am incredibly grateful for this semester especially. With my scholarship, I am able to focus more on my coursework and have more conversations that help me develop my voice and what I believe.
Where do you see Christ leading you after seminary?
Post seminary, I feel led to work within a local church where new ministries can be developed. I look forward to teaching and being in conversation with people about what they believe and walking with people as they discern their call to see their life as a calling, in and outside the church.
Chad Hornsby
Hometown: Brinkley, Arkansas
I grew up in Brinkley, Arkansas, which is in the Mississippi River delta on a small family rice farm. I went to college at Hendrix College in Arkansas, where I met my wife Miranda and studied religion with my focus on biblical languages and texts. Since the pandemic began, I have been encouraged more to delve into camping in the state parks around Arkansas with my COVID-19 friend group. I have also been learning how to refinish a table as a fun project to keep busy.
Why did you decide to attend seminary and Garrett-Evangelical in particular?
There was a sensation that I felt inside me when I walked onto campus that just felt right. The way that the faculty talked about how they were going to prepare me for ministry while also giving me a rigorous education felt right to me. Something inside me knew that not only did Garrett-Evangelical care about me, but it was also the place where I would become a better myself.
What challenges and opportunities have you found with the fall semester being online?
It has been a challenge to make the friendships that I hoped for in seminary without the random run ins and study groups. I think for me, there is some lament and fear that I won’t be able to establish the kinds of friendships that I hear pastors talk about having with their seminary peers. That is currently the toughest part.
How has your scholarship enabled you to pursue your theological education?
In the midst of COVID-19 and all that it has uncovered, I have at least been able to remove the burden of paying for school off of my plate, which has made me a better student who is more able to get meaningful things out of my classes in seminary.
Where do you see Christ leading you after seminary?
After seminary, I will be coming back home to Arkansas with my wife to be an elder in The United Methodist Church here to make change and to teach in the kind of local rural church that I was raised in.