ESTES PARK, CO (July 11, 2011) – The Association for Covenant Clergy Women presented three awards at the Covenant Ministerium meeting.
Anita Carey was presented with the Priscilla Pastorate Grant. Carey, along with her husband, is co-pastor of Kingdom Covenant Ministries in Miami, Florida.
The award is named for Priscilla in the Bible, who with her husband Aquila, gathered the followers of Christ in their home for worship and instruction. The $1,000 grant is paid to the church on behalf of the recipient for the advancement of a particular ministry.
Kingdom Covenant will benefit Sister, Sister – a ministry that connects women of the church with women who are responsible for the welfare of their households but do not receive assistance from other individuals or social services. Sister, Sister reaches out to women who are single parents, low-income, recently incarcerated, paroled, temporarily unemployed, or women who are physically or emotionally challenged. The program provides essentials such as food, clothing, and hygiene items, as well as bus passes.
The Anderson/Nordlund Missionary Scholarship was awarded to Pia Peña-Restrepo, a missionary in Malaga, Spain, where she serves La Victoria Church. She and her husband have been working through the Department of World Mission since becoming short-term missionaries to Colombia in 1989. The $500 scholarship is offered to a full-time missionary called by the church, on assignment through World Mission and supported by a local Covenant church. Peña-Restrepo was the first Spanish-speaking editor of the Covenant Spanish Sunday school curriculum (El Pacto Con Dios), which continues to be used around the Spanish-speaking world. The award was presented to Margie Swenson, co-director of mission personnel, because Peña-Restrepo was in Spain.
The scholarship is named for the first female Covenant martyrs, who were shot to death by roaming bandits in China in 1948 as they traveled by bus in the country. Martha Anderson was shot after crying out at the killing of Alexis Berg. After witnessing the killing, another Covenant missionary, Esther Nordlund, told them, “Yes, you may kill me, too,” and she was murdered. No other passengers on the bus were killed.
The Mordecai Award for Outstanding Partnership, which honors male colleagues who have been particular advocates for women in ministry, was presented to Jerome Nelson. He is the superintendent of the Central Conference. Nelson has demonstrated his commitment to women in ministry, in part, by insisting that local churches consider women for senior ministry positions. The award is named for Mordecai in the Bible, uncle of Queen Esther, who partnered with her to save their people.
