Today, Eden Seminary hosted its first Virtual Awards Ceremony. This is a time to honor students for their hard work during the academic year. The ceremony was hosted over ZOOM since this is a time of being physically distant. Here are this year’s award recipients.
Awards Descriptions and Recipients
Honor Graduate Fellowship Award: Jewell McGhee and Noah McCarn
The Honor Graduate Fellowship Award recognizes the graduating Masters-level student who, in the judgment of the faculty, has the greatest academic promise and potential for further graduate study in theology.
Grauer Award: Gabrielle Kennedy
The Grauer Award recognizes promise for congregational ministry related to faithfulness in preaching and pastoral care. The recipient is the student judged by the faculty to demonstrate solid academic achievement, a love of Christ’s church and excellence in both preaching and pastoral care.
Senior Preacher: Renee Johnson
This awardee is chosen by the faculty as an affirmation of gifts for preaching and worship leadership. The senior preacher normally preaches at the in-person Spring Convocation. That Convocation was held on-line for 2020. Instead, Renee Johnson was the preacher for Eden Seminary Chapel on April 20th.
Edith and Robert T. Fauth Book Award: Rachel Helton and Sabrina Trupia
The Edith and Robert T. Fauth Book Award recognizes the importance of an educated and learned clergy, the importance of books and learning resources and the need for an adequate personal library of the pastor, and is given to the Master of Divinity student having the highest academic ranking at the end of the first year of study.
Kenneth M. Cooper Book Award: Karen Pepmeier
The Kenneth M. Cooper Book Award is given to any deserving student pursuing preparation for parish minister with priority consideration to a student of the Kentuckiana Association of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC
Kniker Family Book Award: Emma Landowski
The Kniker Family Book Award celebrates the call of Charles Kniker as the twelfth President of Eden Theological Seminary and is given to a UCC student selected by the administration.
Warren H. Seyfert Memorial Book Award: Cory Lovell
The Warren H. Seyfert Memorial Book Award is given to a student in loving memory and appreciation of the life and ministry of Warren H. Seyfert, a graduate of Eden Seminary in 1946. It represents his belief that religion should take hold of people’s lives during the week as well as on Sunday and that the pastor’s life should be an example of participation and leadership in wider community, particularly around the issues of social justice, mental health and ecumenism.
Robert L. Tiemann Book Award: Mark Waight
The Robert L. Tiemann Book Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement of a student deemed to excel in business acumen, whose skills will be transferable and useful in the student’s ministry.
Milton and Jesse Hoffman Book Award: Timica Emerson
This Award recognizes the importance of books and learning resources and the need for an adequate personal library of the pastor. The Award is given to a Master of Divinity degree student with preference to a student from Hope United Church of Christ, St. Louis, or a student serving that congregation in the Contextual Education capacity.
In case you missed the live event or wish to share the students’ success with others, here is a video from the virtual ceremony.
