Sara and Carl Box at First Baptist Great Falls, Mont., receive hugs and encouragement for their ministry with children of incarcerated parents.

This year National Ministries took its ministry awards on the road, so to speak. Instead of presenting all of the awards recognizing exceptional American Baptist ministry at June's biennial meeting, National Ministries staff went to the honorees' places of service and celebrated with the community where the ministry takes place.

At First Baptist Church in Great Falls, Mont., the June Sunday worship service that honored Carl and Sara Box with the Jitsuo Morikawa Evangelism Award began with the baptism of four new Christians—part of the Box's Angel Tree ministry to families of incarcerated mothers or fathers.

"God gets the glory," Sara Box says. "If your heart is open and the vision is there, God is going to take you for a wild ride." Though the Boxes have moved to Iowa, they returned to Montana to receive the award with the church that had been a part of it. "I told [congregation members] that if they prayed for the families or played with the kids, they were part of the award. I want to use the award to show other people what can be done."

The Rev. Eugene L. Neville, senior pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Brockton, Mass., received the Edward H. Rhoades Urban Ministry Award at The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts "Mission Works" event in March.

Neville founded the church more than 30 years ago. As its pastor, he has led the congregation in a variety of ministries, including prison programs, theological education, the Amara Education and Computer Learning Center, and a food pantry and homeless outreach. Today, Mount Moriah is a thriving urban congregation committed to ministering to all in the name of Christ.

The Newton C. Fetter Higher Education and Campus Ministry Award was presented in May to Dr. Shawn Zambrows at the Purdue Baptist Student Foundation, West Lafayette, Ind., where she serves as campus minister, as well as at the annual gathering of American Baptist Campus Ministers in June. With Zambrows' focus on discipleship, leadership development and service, students not only contributed to the World Mission Offering last year, they also spent a day working on a Habitat house and cooperated with other Christian campus ministries to winterize senior citizens' homes in the community.

The Rev. Marsha McDaniel received the Richard Hoiland Local Christian Education Award with her church family looking on. In the 25 years that she has led the educational program at First Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Ind., she developed an outstanding Sunday school program and directed Beginnings for Children, a multicultural and multiracial preschool program that has made a significant impact on the surrounding community. Her work hasn't stopped with the local church: She attends regional and national workshops and events, and writes curriculum and Christian education resources for American Baptist Churches USA.

"Marsha has helped to shape the faith and faithfulness of not only a local church, but a generation of people, young and old, who have been touched by her life and faith and witness," says Dr. Fred Lewis, her pastor.

At its annual meeting in October, the Central Region celebrated with Dr. Molly T. Marshall, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Kan., as she received the Luther Wesley Smith Education Award. Marshall, who has taught in various seminaries for 30 years, became the first woman to lead a Baptist-affiliated seminary in 2005. "I view my vocation as an 'equipper of ministers, a midwife of grace,' who helps deliver what I discern is struggling to be born in the lives of students," she once wrote.

The Kenneth L. Cober Regional Discipleship Award, which honors leadership at the regional level, was presented to the Rev. Dale Miller. Though he now pastors First Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Pa., Miller served as an area minister for more than eight years. During service with the southeast area of American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware (ABCOPAD), he worked throughout the region in discipleship and evangelism, particularly training local churches in transformational ministry.

Dr. David Laubach (left) and the Rev. Frank Frischkorn (right) present Christian education award to the Rev. Dale Miller (center) at First Baptist Church, Bethlehem, Pa.

"I was humbled to be nominated. I just do ministry because I love to do it," Miller says.  Receiving the award at his church made it more meaningful: "It represented a bridge. Dr. David C. Laubach, National Ministries' associate executive director for Strategic Missional Relationships, and the Rev. Frank T. Frischkorn, ABCOPAD executive minister, were at the church, which has been a long-time mission partner. It's a confirmation that the things we're working on make a difference and matter."

When he was nominated for the Rosa O. Hall Rural and Small Town Award, the Rev. Mark A. Stauffer was serving a small congregation, Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, in Alderson, W.Va. In an area with little local industry, the church focused on economic development, starting a thrift store and hosting work teams from other churches.

The award was presented at the biennial, then again in September at Highlawn Baptist Church in St. Albans, W.Va., where Stauffer now serves as pastor. "I encouraged National Ministries to present the award again because I felt it was important that the churches celebrate," Stauffer says. And celebrate they did, with 30 members of Old Greenbrier traveling two hours to join Highlawn for the presentation service.

The two awards presented at the Pasadena biennial were the Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace Award, which honored Thomas Adams, Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Mich., and the NEW LIFE Award, presented to the Revs. David and Maureen Freshour of Chevy Chase Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

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