Tuition for Tony's PhD at Aberdeen

Starting in the Fall of 2017 our family will be relocating to Aberdeen, Scotland where I (Rev. Tony Stiff) will complete a PhD in Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen, looking at disability in light of the Christian tradition. My research project is specifically focused on food-related disabilities in the church. Our six-year-old son has a food-related disability, a severe form of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). For the past five years we have been advocating for him inside and outside the church where I have served as a Pastor. During that season of advocacy we reached out to a professor who is a disability theologian. We shared with him our struggle as parents to find resources that could offer us perspective on how to help our son be included, understood, and celebrated in the ministries of our local church. He challenged us to consider that God may be calling us to do the kind of research that would lead to those resources. After a time of prayer and seeking counsel from others we realized that we were the ones God was calling into that research!





On average 8% of children in every Children's Ministry across North America have food allergies (the percentage shifts due to region, age of children in programs, and other factors). Many of them have severe food allergies, including nut and dairy allergies. Depending on the severity of their allergic reaction they may experience abdominal pain, rashes, congestive issues, or be at risk for anaphylaxis if they come in contact with or ingest certain foods common in snacks. An anaphylatic reaction could become fatal, and requires the presence of EpiPens and those trained in their use to counteract the reaction. These risks create a great deal of anxiety for parents and children alike, and sadly lead to many children not being present in the life of the church. 


There are also many adults with severe food allergies, researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies (www.foodalergy.org). These allergies prevent some adults from fully participating in communion because of the presence of gluten in the sacramental elements (or cross contamination in the cup) and in other food-related events in their places of worship. Unfortunately, there has been little to no research completed on food allergies and food-related disabilities as they relate to the practices of churches. This reality has left many parents, children, and adults feeling alone and misunderstood in the very communities they should feel embraced and loved by. 




As I begin this research I have 18 years of ministry experience across North America. That experience has matured my understanding of what is required from staff and congregations alike in the reforming of the church's practices. I also have a Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and I have a thesis in review for a Doctor of Ministry from Western Theological Seminary in the area of practical theology. My previous ministry experience and educational undertakings, as well as our personal family experience of having a son with a food-related disability, have prepared us to flourish in this area of post-graduate research. 



The Advisor for my research at the Univeristy of Aberdeen is Dr. John Swinton. Dr. Swinton is one of the most widely respected disability theologians in the church today. In addition Aberdeen's focus on disability studies as they relate to the church is unique among theological institutions in the world. The University of Aberdeen's Practical Theology departement is considered by many to be the best Pratical Theology department in the U.K. , the broader theological department of the University of Aberdeen is ranked  #13 in the U.K., and  #28 in the world (www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk). 





As we have shared this work with friends and family members many people have expressed a desire to support us in this journey. If you would like to support my research on food-related disabilities in the church (which includes general food awareness advocacy), please consider doing three things:



1) Pray for us. 



It is never easy to leave everything behind to start a new journey. In undertaking this work we are leaving behind our family in Florida and Georgia; our beloved church family in Roseville, CA (Centerpoint Community Church); and all of our wonderful neighborhood friends. We will miss them all dearly. Jessica, our children, and mysef will process the distance between us and our loved ones in our own unique ways. Please pray for encouragement for us and them, for wonderful reunions with them as we visit them and they visit us during the three years, and pray for favor as we make new friends in Aberdeen. 



Also pray for the research I will be doing on food-related disabilities. Disability studies as an area of inquiry in the church is still in its infancy. This creates a lot of exciting opportunities to make meaningful contributions, but it also means that researchers have a more difficult time finding the materials necessary for their research.

Pray that my doctoral research will be grounded in the life of the church, and that it will make a contribution that will assist in the development of wise practices in the church as they relate to food awareness issues as well as broader disability needs. 





Finally pray for Jessica and I as we also step out into a greater season of food awareness advocacy with churches. We have created a website to be a resource for individuals and/or families with either food-related disabilities, food allergies, or with a passion to make changes in their places of worship so that everyone can be welcomed and understood. We also plan on writing a popular level book on the topic of "Parenting Children with Food Allergies in the Church."



2) Follow us. 



You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We are also preparing a monthly prayer letter, if you would like to get on the mailing list for that please contact us through Tony's personal website www.tonystiff.com.  



Another way you can explore the resources we will be developing for food awareness in churches these next three years is by visiting our website www.foodawarechurch.com. Right now it is in a beta stage, future updates and resources will be forthcoming, including video stories from families of children with food-related disabilities. 



3) Consider giving to us financially by giving to our Go Fund Me campaign.



The base cost of tution for a three-year PhD at the University of Aberdeen in this area of study is $53,406
. Tuition for the PhD is £13,800 per year, which comes out to £41,400 for three years. The present rate of conversion for pounds to dollars is 1.29 which means £41,400 comes out to roughly $53,406. We are asking friends and family who want to support us in this research to contribute to the costs of the tuition and not other costs because we will both be working during this PhD research to offset our living costs. 



So far we have recieved $5,750 dollars toward the cost of my tution from four generous gifts.

-- $5,000 dollars through a Education Grant gift.
-- $500 from a complete stranger who was moved to support my research.
-- $150 from dear friends of ours who Tony performed their wedding as a pastor that wanted to support us.
-- $100 from another dear friend who believes in us and what God is going to do these next three years.

$53,406 - $5,750 = $47,656 left to raise through this GoFundMe account!!! We are amazed by the support and excitement for what God is calling us into! 



My wife Jessica will be working full-time while I work part-time doing pastoral work in the Presbytery of Aberdeenshire. I will be doing pulpit supply and will be searching for opportunities to help churches in Aberdeen grow in their food awareness and in their embrace and celebration of those with disabilities. 



We hope you will consider supporting us in this very important, and under researched area of need in the life of the church. And we hope you will take time to post this GoFundMe campaign to your Social Media page to spread the word of this important research. Thank you!