Beth Rooney Bailey and Luke Perrin have been named 2022 recipients of the Daniel and Earlene Vestal Scholarship by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
The scholarship, named in honor of former CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal and his wife, Earlene, was created in 2011 to further CBF’s commitment to theological education. Students who receive the Vestal Scholarship have demonstrated excellence academically and have displayed a deep commitment to the local church and to CBF.
Beth Rooney Bailey
Bailey is a rising second-year master of divinity student at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va. She currently serves as a seminary intern for young adults at River Road Church, Baptist in Richmond. Her previous ministry experiences include multiple internships with Student.Go, CBF’s student missions program, as well as Student.Church, CBF’s congregational internship program.
She served two summers with Passport Camps as a missions Bible study leader and community life coordinator and was a Religious Freedom Fellow with the Virginia Baptist Historical Society. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies and a master of teaching degree in elementary education from the University of Virginia.
Luke Perrin
Perrin is a dual-degree student at Duke University, where he is pursuing a master of divinity degree from Duke Divinity School with a certificate in Baptist Studies, as well as a master of public policy degree from the university. He previously earned the bachelor of arts degree in political science from North Carolina State University.
His previous ministry experiences include an internship with Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., serving as associate Baptist campus minister at the University of North Carolina, student intern at Hope Valley Baptist Church, policy intern with the North Carolina Council of Churches, and camp director with Passport Camps.
“With significant growth these last few years in the Vestal Scholarship endowed funds held by the CBF Foundation, we are excited to be able to again award two Vestal Scholarships to bright, talented, well-deserving students,” said Devita Parnell, director of CBF’s Young Baptist Ecosystem. “Both Luke and Beth are natural, gifted leaders who have been serving in ministry informally and formally for quite some time. They are products of an ecosystem of CBF partner churches, CBF programs and partners that have given these and many other young leaders the opportunity to grow while exploring their calls to ministry.”