Honoring Those Who Serve Their Church


By Vicki Marsh


id you know that there is an award, sponsored by ARP Women’s Ministries, which honors women who have served their church and/or denom- ination over a number of years? On page 20, Cathy Wilson, Women’s Ministries Historian gives a de- scription of the awards and a list of the recipients from 2022. I received my Life Member- ship several years ago and let me tell you, it is an honor to be recognized by your peers. I have seen different types of Life Mem- bership presentations in my role with Women’s Ministries. At my church, the award is given at our Ladies’ Christmas Event. We try to surprise the winner, therefore       their families know so that they can be there for the presentation. A friend of the person is recruited to make sure that they will attend the event. Information on a recip- ient’s history and some of the po- sitions or work that she has done is obtained from close friends or relatives, and those facts are a part of the presentation. One church awarded a Life Membership award to a member of their church at the beginning of the worship service.


D Another


lady was awarded her Life Membership by the Presbyterial Board at her      the recipient. She was not a “leader” but was very much a helper when anything needed to be done. The committee based its presentation on an old TV show called “This Is Your Life.” They had included pictures of her, even as a child, and told different facts and events from her life. They showed these pictures on a screen and when they showed a pic- ture of her as a child, she turned to me and said, “That looks a lot like me!” She was very surprised when she received the award and they had bound the presentation in a book for her. Another time, I saw a presenta- tion by a panel where each member of the panel gave a fact or two about the person before announcing who it was. However it was presented, I have seen many recipients continue to wear their pin for many years. It is an honor to receive the award and it is a great way to recognize women who serve their church and denomi- nation well!


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