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By Felix Hoover
For YourNewsColumbus.com
Posted 05-28-09
Hugs, kisses and fond
remembrances celebrated exemplary religious servants at this year’s
Living Faith Awards breakfast.
The 18th
annual event took place Thursday, May 28, at the Harry C. Moores Campus
Center at Capital University and was sponsored by the Columbus
Metropolitan Area Church Council.
The Rev. Kenneth Coy,
president of the council, gave greetings and a bit of humor in saying
that the highlight of his morning was a hug from Tracy Townsend, a news
anchor at WBNS-10TV, who emceed the ceremony.
State Attorney General
Richard Cordray, honorary chairperson of the event, cited scriptural
references to ponder concerning the relative merits of faith and deeds.
Most of the program,
however, was devoted to this year’s honorees who were nominated by
friends, colleagues and parishioners for exemplary service in education,
business, community service, health, social services and the arts.
A first-time Social
Justice Award was presented to Bishop Bruce R. Ough, leader of the West
Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.
He has spoken out on
numerous controversial issues, including opposition to expansion of
gambling in Ohio and opposition to the death penalty. At the ceremony he
spoke of a kiss between righteousness and peace, as suggested in Psalm
85.
A Presidential Award was
presented posthumously to Alvin R. Hadley, long-time executive director
of the church council. His son, Patrick, of the University of West
Georgia, accepted the honor on his behalf.
“The Living Faith Awards
was a major event for my father,” Patrick said.
After previous
ceremonies, Patrick and his sister Elaine, knew to expect a blow-by-blow
account from their father.
Family members are still
adjusting to the void in their lives resulting from Alvin’s death in
January.
“His physical presence is
not with us, but his spirit still is,” Patrick said.
Starting next year, the
Presidential Award will be renamed the Alvin R. Hadley Award.
This year’s Interfaith
Award went to Abukar Arman, president of the Columbus Council on
American Islamic Relations.
Other honorees were:
Carolyn
Abels, Northwest Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Richard Dick, Christ the King
Catholic Church
Kim Emch, Upper Arlington
Lutheran Church
Allan Kennedy, Covenant
Presbyterian Church
Common Pleas Judge Guy Reece,
II, Second Baptist Church
Ann Summers, Westerville
Community United Church of Christ
Mike Tynan, Dignity Columbus
Edna Vaughn, Christ United
Methodist Church
For more information
about the council, see
www.churchcouncilofcolumbus.org. |