wfn.org | United Methodist communicators receive awards

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

April 30, 2002 News media contact: Linda Green7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.     10-71B{196}

By Barbara Nissen*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - United Methodist communicators took home seven Awards for
Excellence and one Best of Class in the DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards
annual competition, sponsored by the Religion Communicators Council.

The DeRose-Hinkhouse awards are given to active RCC members for excellence
in religion communications and public relations. The presentations were made
to the winners during RCC's annual meeting, April 18-20, in New York City. 

Receiving Best of Class for Public Relations/Advertising: Television was the
Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, United Methodist Communications, for the
television spot, "Daughter Sleeping." That spot also received an Award of
Excellence.

Other United Methodist communicators receiving awards of excellence:

7	Periodicals:  Christie House and Alma Graham, United Methodist Board
of Global Ministries, for New World Outlook, March-April and May-June 2001;
Alice Smith, North and South Georgia Annual Conferences, for the Wesleyan
Christian Advocate.
7	Broadcast: Bill Wolfe, United Methodist Communications, for "Rage"
radio series.
7	Public Relations/Advertising: the Steve Horswill-Johnston, United
Methodist Communications, for "Amen" radio spot and for "A Thousand Hands"
television spot.
7	Electronic Communication: Web site of the Communications Resourcing
Team, United Methodist Communications, for http://crt.umc.org

More than 360 entries were received. Entries are divided into eight classes,
which are judged by local RCC chapters around the country. The awards are
named for the late Victor DeRose and the late Paul M. Hinkhouse,
lithographers in New York City and longtime supporters of RCC.

The theme of this year's RCC convention was "The Message in Many Voices."
The three days of plenary sessions and workshops were held in venues
throughout the city, including the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the
Schomburg Center in Harlem, St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church near
the Lincoln Center Area, and the United Nations. 

Cees Hamelink, professor of international communication at the University of
Amsterdam, set the tone of the convention for the more than 150 participants
with a keynote address on when the message is monologue. He challenged RCC
members to look at communications as give and take and a process that
requires a capability for compassion, curiosity, silence and sharing
something of individual substance.

During the April 19 business session, the Rev. Michael Hickcox, director of
communication for the New England Annual Conference, was elected president
of the RCC Board of Governors. Other United Methodists serving on the board:
Barbara Nissen, United Methodist Communications; Leslie Crosson, United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries; and Shirley Struchen, who retired last
year from United Methodist Communications. Struchen leads the RCC National
Office in New York.

United Methodists also took home several awards from the Associated Church
Press, which held its annual meeting earlier in April in Birmingham, Ala.: 
7	The United Methodist Reporter won an Award of Merit for Best in
Class: National or International Newspaper, an Award of Excellence for
newspaper feature article, an Award of Merit for newspaper news story, and
an Award of Merit for newspaper front page.
7	Christian Social Action, published by the churchwide Board of Church
and Society, tied for honorable mention in the category for special-interest
magazine features. It won an Award of Merit for theme issue, section or
series by a magazine, and an Award of Merit for a first-person account in a
magazine.
7	UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Annual
Conference, won an Award of Excellence for meeting or convention coverage by
a newspaper and an Award of Merit for newspaper column.
7	Devo 'Zine, published by the Upper Room unit of the churchwide Board
of Discipleship, won an honorable mention for poetry and an Award of Merit
in the Magazine Graphics: Entire Issue category.
7	Alive Now!, published by the Upper Room, won an Award of Merit for
theological reflection of fewer than 1,500 words.
7	Weavings, also published by the Upper Room, won an honorable mention
for devotional or inspirational writing of more than 1,200 words.
7	New World Outlook, published by the Board of Global Ministries, won
an Award of Merit for photography.
7	Zion's Herald, published by the Boston Wesleyan Association, won an
honorable mention in the Magazine Graphics: Spread or Story category.
# # #
*Nissen is director of the Communications Resourcing Team at United
Methodist Communications.

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United Methodist News Service
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