About the Award

The James Shopshire Award is presented to a church or nonprofit organization that has partnered with Wesley Theological Seminary in equipping leaders for excellence in the ministry of community engagement. The outstanding community engaged partner has demonstrated excellence in ministry by understanding their community context, assessing and mobilizing resources, offering a prophetic witness, engaging in mission, and advancing human flourishing through the ministry.

The award is named after James Shopshire, retired professor of sociology at Wesley, who for over thirty years brought his sociological insights and training to bear on shaping church leaders to promote their understanding of the social, economic, cultural and political institutions. Professor Shopshire has helped generations of ministry leaders understand that the institutional structures and processes of our own church and the larger society have consequences both intended and unintended that both support us and hinder us in our embodiment of the Reign of God.

Past Recipients

2017—Rev. Kendrick Curry, PABC
2016—Rev. Susan Henry Crowe, General Board of Church and Society
2015—Reverends Ianther Mills (Asbury United Methodist Church) and Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol (Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church)
2014—Rev. Tim Warner, Montgomery County Office of Faith and Community Partnerships
2013—Rev. Hal Garman, Gaithersburg Beloved Community Initiative

About the Award

Dr. Margaret Pittman was a noted expert in the development of childhood immunology at the National Institutes of Health. She was a long-time member of Mt. Vernon Place UMC and she saw the need to develop strong urban leadership in the church: leaders prepared to meet the special challenges of urban ministry. It was her insistence and financial support that encouraged and supported the creation of Wesley’s Urban Ministry Programs.

Past Recipients

2017—Patrice Gerideau
2016—Ashley Lawter
2015—Kelvin Mulembe
2014—Douglas Walker