wfn.org | NCC Award Winners Bring Peace, Healing To Their Communities

["NCC News" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

NCC General Assembly Award Winners Bring Peace, Healing To Their Communities

Hunt Valley, Md., November 22, 2005 -- A year of wars, natural disasters and
religious debate gave added meaning to the annual awards ceremony of National
Council of Churches USA and Church World Service General Assembly. The
awardees, without exception, were persons of faith who took extraordinary
steps to bring peace, healing and understanding to their communities.

The J. Irwin Miller Award was presented to Dr. Cynthia B. Cohen, an Episcopal
laywoman and professor of ethics at Georgetown University. The Miller award
is given to a lay person who has been a witness, through action in the world,
to justice and other values affirmed by Christian faith, and who has
demonstrated a commitment to church unity.  The award is a tribute to the
memory of J. Irwin Miller, a president of the NCC, who worked tirelessly to
support the ecumenical movement in the United States and around the world,
and who contributed greatly to racial justice and civil rights for all. 

Cohen, who was one of the "sages" guiding the work of the NCC's Committee on
the Biotechnologies Resolution, said astounding developments in the field
will force the world to choose whether it wants to preserve humanity as God
created it or create a species of non-humans. 

The citation on the 2005 award read: Dr. Cohen has exemplified the ministry
of the laity by: Utilizing her wide knowledge of Christian ethics, genetic
science and the law to promote understanding of issues related to human life
and death; Through her teaching and publications she has taught others in
emerging fields of inquiry; In service to the Episcopal Church and St.
Alban's Parish, she has modeled for all churches the possibilities of
developing texts which equip Christians to enter into public debate in the
interest of the common good. 

"As a 'Senior Sage,' the citation continued, "she has offered wisdom,
encouragement and counsel as the National Council of Churches developed an
ecumenical policy. As a member of the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission
on National Concerns she brings heart and mind to the search for faithful
ministry in our nation and age. 

The Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Award, given to Dr. Walter Harrelson, Professor
Emeritus at Wake Forest University Divinity School and Vanderbilt University
and editor of the New Interpreters' Study Bible for the NRSV, is given to a
clergy person whose life and work have significantly advanced the cause of
unity among the churches in the U.S.A. and internationally by: fostering
dialogue and understanding among the Christian churches; demonstrating a
commitment to other churches for common service, witness, worship, and study;
challenging churches to give visible witness to their covenant with one
another to manifest ever more fully the unity of the church; and offering a
strong prophetic voice to the Christian community. Professor Harrelson was
unable to attend the awards dinner so the award will be presented to him in
November 2006.

Also presented at the General Assembly Awards banquet were four Awards of
Excellence:

Annie Griffiths Belt, an internationally known photographer whose work has
appeared in National Geographic, was cited for	"enlarging our world as a
photographer, educator, and bridge builder.  During your 25-year career at
the National Geographic you have traveled the world and brought that world
home to millions though your articles, books, and extraordinary photographs. 
Belt's photographs have also documented the ministry of Church World Service.
"Your photos, which grace our annual calendar, vividly portray the courage
and resilience of those assisted by CWS," the citation said. "We happily add
our voice to the chorus of praise you have received from many organizations,
including awards from the White House News Photographers Association and the
National Press Photographers Association." (Pictured: Belt, Bishop Hoyt,
Betty Voskuil)
Senior Bishop Marshall Gilmore of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
was cited for "being a pioneer in the formation of the Commission on Pan
Methodist Cooperation and Union, which represents five strands of American
Methodism ? the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal
Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Union American Methodist Episcopal and
United Methodist Churches."

Bishop Gilmore, a mentor of NCC President Thomas L. Hoyt, was also cited for
"providing a compelling vision that recognizes and lifts up genuine
spirituality, the gifts and talents of the community, and mutual respect for
others ? lay and clergy - as the Presiding Senior Bishop of the Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church" and for "mentoring men and women who have been
called to the ministry as a new generation of church leaders, lay and
ordained. Bishop Gilmore was praised for his "leadership and tireless effort
with and on behalf of Texas College, Paine College, Phillips School of
Theology, and many other seminaries and institutions of higher education.

Akok Deng was cited for "working tirelessly as Maryland Program Coordinator
of the Virginia Council of Churches? Refugee Resettlement Program, a Church
World Service affiliate, to welcome refugees who have fled persecution in
their home countries and who now are beginning new lives in Maryland" and
"Building on your recent personal experience as a refugee from Southern Sudan
to provide compassionate accompaniment to other refugees and to help them
succeed in their new communities." 

The citation noted Mr. Deng has lived out his personal dedication to serving
others," first as a hospital volunteer while still a child, then as a medical
student, and now in refugee resettlement ? all the while guarding your
aspirations to become a doctor." Mr. Deng has modeled "perseverance in your
own life journey as you sustained yourself while a refugee in Egypt and then
upon arrival in the United States in 1999 by working as a dishwasher, cabinet
maker and salesperson before joining the Virginia Council of Churches Refugee
Resettlement Program in 2001 as a caseworker and, since 2004, as head of the
Maryland Office. Presenting the award above are Bishop Hoyt and David A.
Leslie.
The Virginia Council of Churches received a General Assembly Award of
Excellence for its work in refugee resettlement and rural family development.
The work includes "serving refugees since 1962 in an effective 'hands-on'
mission partnership among the Council?s Refugee Resettlement Program, Church
World Service, and cosponsoring faith communities in Virginia and Maryland,
ensuring that new arrivals are welcomed by a caring community and provided
with their basic needs during their initial resettlement.
The Virginia Council of Churches was also praised for "helping between 500
and 600 refugees a year begin new lives in the United States, making the
Virginia Council of Churches the largest resettlement provider in Virginia in
Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005; Empowering former refugees to achieve their
potential as business and community leaders who, in turn, become part of a
strong, growing network of support for newly arriving refugees; employing
former refugees and asylees in leadership positions, including as program
coordinators of sub-offices in New Windsor, Md., and Harrisonburg, Va., and
as director of the Cuban-Haitian resettlement program in Newport News, Va.,
among the largest Cuban-Haitian sites in the Church World Service Immigration
and Refugee Program.
Also, for "enabling children and adults in migrant farm worker and other
rural households to achieve their potential through its Rural Family
Development program, a 50-year-old program begun in partnership with the
National Council of Churches USA, which establishes relationships of trust
with family members as a basis for providing comprehensive family and child
development services, including 'Head Start' for migrant farm workers?
children through age five. The program currently serves 300 families."

Accepting the award for the VCC was General Minister Jonathon M. Barton.

Contact NCC News, Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2258, or Leslie Tune,
202-544-2350.