More than 200 peace-loving members of Central Arkansas communities gathered at PHUMC September 30 to honor retired Bishop and Peace Advocate Ken Hicks for the inaugural dinner to honor other like-minded persons in the community. Awards were presented to the Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church and Episcopal layperson Caroline Stevenson. Deborah Bell accepted the award for the Hoover Church.

With enthusiasm high, the dinner and awards presentations were the result of a joint effort by lay members of the PHUMC Peace Committee and support from the PHUMC staff, as well as conference encouragement. Co-chairs of the event were Leo Hauser and Elizabeth Minton. Approximately $6,000 was raised for the Hicks Endowment, which will support the Peace Ministry’s education of children, youth and adults.

Specifically, the Theressa Hoover church was praised for their actions in the community to end violence and anger through participation at the Church and other activities there.

Meanwhile. Caroline Stevenson was lauded for her work with WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions), which works to reduce militarism and violence and to redirect excessive military resources to unmet human and environmental needs.

The dinner meeting concluded with a presentation by Dr. Jay Barth, Hendrix College Political professor, who spoke on the subject of “The Changing Face of Race in Little Rock.”

Hauser sent the audience home with a reminder that both the award recipients and Bishop Hicks had emphasized the necessity of taking action toward peace in our own world with the hope of influencing others around us to do the same.

Bob Sells

See photographs in Photo

Gallery at www.phumc.com