Annual Conference Awards
Nominations for Annual Awards
The following awards will be given at Annual Conference. Nomination deadlines are April 16, 2021.
Thelma W. Gregg Award
- One recipient – lay
- Sponsored by Board of Global Ministries (BGM)
The Thelma W. Gregg Award is given to someone who has demonstrated Christian commitment in tireless promotion of the missionary outreach of the Church. The award includes a financial gift to be designated to an Advance project by the recipient.
Contact: Mary Balson, mbalson43@gmail.com, 715-495-1213 (c), 920-922-6332 (H)
Harry Denman Award
- Three recipients (clergy, laity and youth)
- Sponsored by Connectional Table Resource Team
Harry Denman Awards are given to lay, clergy and youth who are nominated by United Methodists in Wisconsin for their outstanding ministry in the area of evangelism. Harry Denman, in whose memory the award is named, was a lay UM whose personal witness and invitation may have brought more people to Christ and his Church than any other person in the last century. The award is made possible by the Foundation of Evangelism, which was founded in 1949 by Dr. Denman.
Contact: Becky Mueller, clarenceandbecky@aol.com, 920-464-0320
Love in Action
- One recipient – lay or clergy
- Sponsored by Disaster Response Team of the Board of Global Ministries (BGM)
The Love in Action Award is presented by the Disaster Response Committee to recognize outstanding commitment to and passion for God's mission through disaster response and relief.
Contact: Bud Budzinski, friartuc@gloryroad.net, 252-432-2810, 1450 2nd Street, Fennimore, WI 53809
Perry Saito Award
- Two recipients – one layperson and one clergyperson
- Sponsored by the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA)
The Perry Saito Award is given by the Wisconsin Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) to individuals who demonstrate their loyalty to Christ through faith and work to further justice and peace through the UMC.
Rev. Perry Saito lived and taught non-violence and respect for all of life. Saito’s Christian faith and commitment to peace and justice was shaped by experiences in Japanese internment camps in California during World War II. Perry Saito helped found the Fellowship of Reconciliation and was a leading figure in justice and reconciliation ministries regarding peace, poverty, and people’s rights. He entered the Methodist ministry and served at Chicago: St. Paul’s and Christian Fellowship (Japanese). After transferring to Wisconsin, he served at Beloit: First, Stevens Point: St. Paul’s-Director of Wesley Foundation, Eau Claire: Lake Street, Supt. NC District, Wauwatosa: Wauwatosa Avenue, and Neenah: First.
Contact: Marianne Cotter, marianne.cotter@gmail.com
Francis Asbury Award
- One recipient – clergy or lay
- Sponsored by Board of Higher Education and Student Ministry (BHESM)
The Francis Asbury Award is given to a person who has been instrumental in supporting, strengthening, and promoting the church's work in higher education ministries (in schools, colleges, campus ministries, scholarships, Black College Fund, Africa University) and offers outstanding leadership to help bring awareness to the significance of the church's higher education ministries.
Contact Liz Whitford (pastorlizwhitford@gmail.com) for additional information.
Lois C. Olsen "Ministry of Memory" Award
- One recipient – clergy or lay
- Sponsored by Wisconsin Conference UMC Commission on Archives and History
The Lois C Olsen Ministry of Memory Award is presented at Annual Conference each year to recognize and encourage excellence in archival and historical work in our local churches and our Annual Conference. Lois was the driving force behind the collection of so many local church histories, records, and stories from our Wisconsin Conference. The award named in her honor is meant to identify and inspire those Wisconsin United Methodists, especially at the level of the local church, who through their efforts have made significant contributions to the preservation of the records and stories that define us as a faith community.
Contact: Lynn Williams, lew0201@gmail.com, phone: 414-688-1079
Wisconsin Conference Archives, 750 Windsor St., Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590