Kelsey McAfee & Caleb Mangesho member achievements

Spring 2022

Spiritual gift in action

Our own Kelsey McAfee won 2021 Teacher of the Year for Union Public Schools. And, when you talk to her for just a few moments, you wish she had been your English teacher. Her spiritual life has been central to her life and career. As a middle school student, attending a Presbyterian private school in Saint Louis, she announced to her mother she had found her spiritual gift … diagraming sentences! A most unusual gift, but in reality, it was helping people understand the process and making them successful that led her to want to be an eighth-grade English teacher. So, getting teacher of the year felt like a full circle of not only helping her students be successful, but also using her spiritual gift of teaching and connecting with others.

– By Katie Williams

Scholarship excellence

Congratulations to Caleb Mangesho for being awarded a full scholarship to attend Yale University in the fall of 2022. Out of 16,000 applicants, Caleb was one of 81 to be selected as a Yale University Quest Bridge scholar. He graduated from Jenks High School this past May and will be studying English at Yale. Caleb is the son of Petra and Elisa Mangesho, and brother to Joy and Glory Mangesho. Being involved with First Church and Tulsa International Fellowship has helped him in his academic endeavors. He said, “First Church gave me the courage to accomplish the things I set out to do, and also taught me values to help me succeed.” Caleb’s poetry was featured in the Fall 2021 issue of Tidings, and he has also written two books, “Pandemic Shuffle” and “Dreams of a Promise.”

– By Paul Marsh