wfn.org | Lark Award honors couple's work with poor

[Beth Hawn <BethAH@mbm.org>]

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May 26, 1999
Mennonite Board of Missions
Beth Hawn
(219) 294-7523
<NEWS@MBM.org>

Lark Award honors couple's work with poor and powerless

ELKHART, Ind. (MBM) - A lifetime of work on behalf of the poor and the
powerless won special recognition for John and Ruth (Bechtel) Hess, who
recently 
received the James and Rowena Lark award presented annually by the Mennonite
Board of Missions.
John Powell, director of MBM's Evangelism and Church Development program,
presented the award to the Hesses at the Mennonite Conference of Eastern 
Canada's annual conference in April.
In praising their work in Ontario, Canada, over the past 47 years, MBM cited

their efforts "in bringing individuals into a relationship with God,
reconciling
 injustices, being a voice for the voiceless, and encouraging them to
develop 
their own revolutionary models for ministry."
After serving a few years at First Mennonite Church in Kirchener, the Hesses

moved in 1955 to one of the smallest churches in the province, Warden Park
in Scarborough on Toronto's east side, where they were to minister for the
next 
30 years.  Within five years, the congregation grew from five to 50.  
The Hesses developed an innovative model for ministry at Warden Park, 
which included a new multimillion-dollar housing development with a high-
rise tower, town houses and apartments for 347 family units and 392 senior 
citizen units.  John Hess said his goal throughout his Warden Park work was 
to "develop and maintain cooperative relationships with other planning 
bodies - religious, social and government."
Among their developments at Warden Park were the Woodland Nursery 
School and the Warden Woods Church and Community Centre, along with 
numerous other programs for all ages. 
Moving once again in 1986, this time to Kingston, Ontario, the Hesses 
continued their ministry to the poor and powerless. There, John took up 
chaplaincy duties at Kingston's Prison for Women, and Ruth worked to 
establish relationships with the women prisoners.
The James and Rowena Lark award is given annually to Mennonites who 
have demonstrated creative leadership in evangelism and church 
development in North America. The award seeks to create a broad awareness of
Mennonite individuals who have recognized North America as a mission field 
by their work with others to build God's kingdom.  It honors the memory of
James Lark, the first African-American bishop in the Mennonite Church, and
his wife,  Rowena.  The Larks were leaders in urban ministries and
instrumental in 
organizing and nurturing mission churches in a number of cities throughout 
North America.
Based in Elkhart, Ind., MBM is the evangelism, mission and service arm of
the 111,000-member Mennonite Church, the largest Mennonite body in North 
America.

* * *

Mike Knaack

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