Churches, clergy and laity were recipients of awards during the 2015 Annual Conference Session held in Fargo, North Dakotas.  Those receiving awards included:

2015 Denman Awards

Mathew Bader, youth and young adult recipient-- Matt serves as the volunteer leader of the middle school youth group at First UMC in Mitchell, SD, where he attends college.  In that context, it is so evident how much he cares about the young people.  He is committed to reaching middle schoolers who don’t always get a lot of attention or investment and to making that time and space open and welcoming.  He has risen to the challenge of sharing in the visioning and leadership of the program and has recruited other college students to share their gifts through this ministry.

Mike and Libby Flowers, laity recipient-- In the Dakotas Conference there are a number of individuals who exemplify “Servant-Leadership,” but none more highly than Mike and Libby Flowers in their work at the Spirit Lake Ministry Center.  Both Mike and Libby have the special gift of being able to meet, accept, and connect with people wherever they may be in their journey through life.  This is what has endeared them to the people they serve at the Spirit Lake Ministry Center, they simply offer the love of Christ by being the hands, feet, and arms of Jesus to those they meet.  Through the many work teams that come to the Spirit Lake Ministry Center to help with building projects, Mike and Libby have touched the lives of so many families. 

Rev. Luke Smith, clergy recipient-- Luke has been serving in a pastoral role at Cornerstone during a time of rapid growth. He came to Cornerstone as the youth pastor in 2001 and grew the ministry to its present attendance of 150 students, sharing his faith with the young people and seeing many lives transformed. Each year Luke's ministry of Cornerstone has seen 30 to 80 persons make personal commitments to Christ. Luke has been a light and witness to the power of the Gospel for many years. 

2015 Genesis Award

Bob Lower, laity, was the recipient of the 2015 Genesis Award.  The award recognizes an individual(s) who have contributed in exemplary ways to disaster response efforts in the Conference and beyond.  Bob has served as the Assistant Director for Disaster Response in the Minot area.  Minot experienced a devastating flood the summer of 2011.  Over 10,000 people were affected.  Many homes were lost and others needed extensive repair.  Lower led the recovery efforts for United Methodist Committee on Relief in the region. 

Photo: Bob and Ada Lower stand outside their home that was lost in the flood in Minot, North Dakota the summer of 2011.  Bob led the recovery efforts for United Methodists. 

He also was instrumental to ecumenical efforts—Hope Village and the Welcome Table.  Hope Village was a temporary food and housing facility set up for volunteers who came to Minot to assist with recovery efforts.  The Welcome Table is an ecumenical effort to create a “one stop shop” for all of those that may be in need of food, clothing and other basic necessities. 

One Matters Award

The One Matters Award is offered through Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church.  The award recognizes churches each conference that are turning zeros into positive numbers with a renewed focus on discipleship during 2015.  This year’s recipients were Knollwood Heights in Rapid City, South Dakota and Faith United Methodist Church in Minot, North Dakota.  Both churches received $1,000 and a One Matters Discipleship Award plaque.

Francis Asbury Award

Francis Asbury Award for Fostering United Methodist Ministries in Higher Education was awarded to Rev. Brandon Vetter, Fusion UMC, Mitchell, South Dakota.  The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering the church’s ministries in higher education at the local, district or annual conference level of the church.  Brandon Vetter worked at Dakota Wesleyan University as the campus minister from 2006-14. During his time, he increased both budget and visibility of the campus ministry. He also had the vision to plant a new church on campus that would reach unchurched persons in the community as well as connect students with the life and ministry of a local church.

Streams of Justice Award

Tree of Life Ministries, under the direction of Rev. Russell Masartis, received the Streams of Justice Award.  “The Streams of Justice” annual award calls attention to a United Methodist sponsored program or event which promotes justice in our Annual Conference.  Ministries on Native American reservations, local churches and outreach centers in communities (rural and urban), and state-wide and regional organizations which have programs that offer components of justice education, advocacy and empowerment in addition to material assistance and spiritual support.  Tree of Life Ministry received a cash stipend of $500 will accompany and a copy of the “Poverty & Justice Bible” (with passages highlighted in orange) from the American Bible Society.