2022 Annual Conference issues awards

The South Carolina Annual Conference has honored clergy and laity across the state with annual awards. The winners are as follows:

Harry Denman Evangelism Award for Laity

The Foundation for Evangelism recognizes one layperson in each conference for responsible evangelism in the local church. This year’s recipient is Andrew King, a lay servant at New Hope United Methodist Church, Ridgeville, in the Walterboro District.

Michael C. Watson Volunteer In Mission Award for Clergy

This award recognizes clergy who exemplify extraordinary volunteer mission service within the South Carolina Conference. This year’s recipient is the Rev. Cynthia Taylor, former pastor of Asbury Memorial UMC in Columbia in the Columbia District. (Taylor is now the pastor of Mount Hebron UMC in West Columbia.)

Michael C. Watson Volunteer In Mission Award for Laity

This award recognizes laity who exemplify extraordinary volunteer mission service within the South Carolina Conference. This year’s recipients are Louis and Cindy Jordan, members of Bethel UMC, Charleston, in the Charleston District. 

Bishop’s Five-Star Award 

The Evangelism Committee of the Discipleship Area provides an incentive for churches to embrace new ministries each year geared toward growth and outreach. The award enables small and large churches to receive recognition.

This year’s recipient is Chapin UMC, Chapin, in the Columbia District, where the Rev. Jody Flowers is the pastor.

Board of Ordained Ministry Scholarships

Several scholarships also were awarded. 

Seminary Students Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded by the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry to assist in-state students pursuing a program of study leading to a first professional degree. This year’s recipient is Christopher Charles Key, a seminary student at Duke Divinity School and pastor of Mays Chapel UMC, Branchville, in the Orangeburg District. 

Janie Robinson Thomasson Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded by the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry to a member and regular attendee of a United Methodist church, with preference given to members of St. Paul UMC, Clover, and other UMCs in the Rock Hill District. This year’s recipients are Mary Thomas Christofaro and Christian Joseph Smrekar. Christofaro is a 2022 graduate of Lugoff-Elgin High School who plans to study speech language pathology at Newberry College. Her home church is St. John’s UMC, Lugoff, in the Hartsville District. Smrekar, a 2022 graduate of Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, plans to business entrepreneurship at Emory & Henry College in Virginia. His home church is St. John’s UMC, Rock Hill, in the Rock Hill District.

Bessie Bellamy Parker Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship was created by the South Carolina Conference to honor the memory of the Rev. Bessie Bellamy Parker, the first woman ordained in the former 1785 South Carolina Conference. It provides assistance to female students at United Methodist seminaries or theological schools preparing for ordained pastoral ministry in South Carolina. This year’s recipient is Elizabeth Scott Loughran, a seminary student at Candler School of Theology and director of children’s ministry at Oak Grove UMC in Decatur, Georgia. She is a native of Greenville and grew up attending Mauldin UMC in the Greenville District. 

S.C. United Methodist Advocate Scholarship

This $1,000 scholarship given by the Advocate is for South Carolina United Methodist students with an interest in communications, journalism or business and planning to enroll or already enrolled at one of the four United Methodist colleges in South Carolina. This year’s recipient is Susann Breazeale, a lifelong member of Grace UMC, Pickens, in the Anderson District and an incoming freshman at Wofford College. 

For more on conference award opportunities, visit www.umcsc.org.