Daniele’s online BA (Hons) Theology course fees

My name is Daniele Ciraulo and I am 53 yrs old. I am British born Italian. I was born in Wolverhampton in England in 1968. My Parents were from the region of Sicily specifically the city of Palermo which is the capital.They were non practicing Catholics and we had a family run ice cream business. I have three brothers, of which two are older and one is younger. All are married and catholic.

I met my beautiful wife Letizia in Palermo where we married.We have four adult children, two boys and two girls. Regrettably our eldest son Angelo, who is 24 years old, has Autism on the lower scale of the spectrum. We then have two gorgeous twin daughters, Maria and Naomi, aged 22 years old, unfortunately one has special needs and the other has mental health issues. Joshua my youngest son is 19 years old. We have been married for 28 years.

Academically, I have attended various vocational courses as follows;

Leadership Foundations Course (2 Yrs) - September 2012 - June 2014 (New Frontiers denomination)

Foundational course (10 Months) - October 2011 - August 2012 (New Frontiers denomination)

Attended NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory (8 Months) - January - August 2008 (Birmingham Christian college)

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory (3 Months) - September - December 2007 (Birmingham Christian College)

Life Training Academy (1Year) - September 2006 - June 2007 (Assemblies of God)

Leadership training course (3 Weeks) - 7th November 2005 - 25th November 2005 (Ground level Churches)

Regarding extra-curricular activities the following is applicable;

Pastoral care, Mentoring and Discipling for over 15 years including, marriage counselling, counselling and helping many people including children, homeless, alcoholics etc. in various ways. This included S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Ministry training; Over 15 years of church, public, personal training including studying systematic theology.

Teaching and Preaching; Over 15 years of teaching and preaching in various contexts.

Hospitality; Over 15 years of giving various people accommodation in our home which included, pastors, missionaries, guest speakers, friends and the homeless. Hosting prayer meetings, birthday parties and various other events for various churches at our home. Continually inviting congregants for meal and fellowship at our home.

Evangelism; Over 15 years of street, home, events, prison and general evangelism.Locally and in various other areas of Britain and even Internationally.

Spiritual Father in the faith; Too many various people, working with them to achieve their fullest potential.

Translating and translation work; At events and in churches in Italian.

I have been a carer for my family for the last 20 years including for my wife. Occasionally I have worked from time to time. By God’s grace I have managed budgets for my own family and for business purposes as a general manager in a coherent way.

I am very interested this course because it is validated nationally therefore if I was to receive a contribution it would benefit me greatly as I would fulfil a lifelong desire to train academically and to serve in Church leadership. Furthermore, it would enlarge my job opportunities as I would be able, by God’s grace, to access other roles such as a lecturer in a university or as a religious education teacher. Additionally I would be able to write books and even other creative ideas which could all alleviate my financial predicament.

On professional level I have worked in customer service industry for over 40 years particularly customer facing. In the last 10 years markedly in the restaurant business as a manager of Italian restaurants with great success by God’s incredible mercy. I specialised in turning them from being mediocre ones to exceptional ones. This was measured by increased income and by fantastic reviews mainly on social media especially “Tripadvisor” which is the standard in its class.

In conclusion I felt a calling upon my life to serve the Church as a Pastor since 2005, a year after my conversation, through many prophecies from numerous people in innumerable and various places. From that moment onwards I had many twists and turns along the journey which have included long valleys and steep mountains but by the clemency of God and with much determination and perseverance I have continued to study and train privately. Furthermore I have served various churches with great love, passion and integrity.

That was the first stage, the conception of the calling. Now this my second stage, the process, which has involved practical and theologic training within the Church, external training in institutions of education. Last year in August 2020 I felt a calling to go back into formal education in a theological University. Although I thought it was beyond me, at my age (53), I did some research and found LST (London School of Theology).

Amazingly I managed to pass the first three stages required to enter, that is the application with my credentials, the interview and once again, by God’s undeserved favour, I managed to get a scholarship. I am absolutely blessed by this, but regrettably now have a shortfall of money for the first year of the course. If I did the course onsite it would be £9000.00 however as I am doing it online and the total cost is £7750.00. The scholarship is worth £3000.00 therefore it leaves me a deficit of £4750.00.

I have included in this “Contribution Letter” all the proof possible to show that this a genuine request and that any contributions made will not be used for any other purposes. Besides you can contribute directly into the London School of Theology (LST) bank account, which is the preferred method. I realise that there are many questions that one might ask. So I have tried to do so in the following section.

Why have you not saved up the money?

Over the years I have tried but my wife and children have needed me more care than usual, therefore I have been a carer for them all. They have been times as explained previously that I have worked but regrettably not on a consistent basis. I’ve used that money to help my family in the way of specialised private health visits and various other activities.

Why can you not get a student loan?

I did apply but I do not qualify for the simple fact that I am no longer a permanent resident in the U.K. Although I do have duel nationality that is I am still a British citizen as well as an Italian one I have to be living in the U.K. during the duration of the course on a permanent basis. Regrettably, in Italy the rules are different. Loans are only allowed to students between the ages of 18 - 40 years old and the institution has to be in the country.

Have you tried to get funding from different sources?

Yes. That is I will be asking help from my local church, friends and relatives. At this point I don't know how much I will be actually receiving. I have to admit at this point that it is not easy for me to do this. I believe, my loving father God is challenging me to be humble and accept help from others which is difficult for me as I love to help others and give them my time, energy, money (when possible) and resources. I have a passion and joy to see people fulfil their purpose and destiny in life to their fullest potential.

Have you tried public and private charities?

I searched tirelessly but I have to mention that it’s like a needle in a haystack. Firstly to find them is hard enough. On top of that are so many non relevant listings found on the internet that it makes your eyes water. After that hurdle there is a very strict criteria to obtain the funding. This is very disheartening and it feels as if that there is non that match your case even though you have placed key and matching words into your internet browser search box. As a last resort I am currently trying crowdfunding but as mentioned previously I still do not know the outcome of this venture either.

Why do have to do the course this year rather than wait until next year?

It's difficult to answer this question as it can be subjective to each student. I genuinely feel that this is the year based on many factors. Generally speaking many students cannot explain precisely why, they just know instinctively when it's the right time. I share this conviction in that I perceive that the Holy Spirit (According to my faith) is guiding me to do this even amid many varying difficult circumstances.

If you would like to kindly contribute you will need to complete this financial form for the London School of Theology :

https://www.cognitoforms.com/LondonSchoolOfTheology6/pledgeform

I most grateful for your time and help.

Kind regards 

Mr Daniele Ciraulo