Lois C. Olsen Ministry of Memory Award

In 2018, the Commission on Archives and History inaugurated the Lois C. Olsen Ministry of Memory Award.  Lois Olsen was a mainstay of the Wisconsin Commission on Archives and History and the Wisconsin Conference Historical Museum for the last 30 years of her life.  She committed herself to the collection and preservation of local church histories throughout the Wisconsin Conference of The United Methodist Church.  She served as editor of Flashbacks from 1995 to 2011.  In that capacity she spearheaded the collection of local church histories from around the state.  She prepared several major displays at our Conference Historical Museum in Greenfield, WI.  And she authored several historical books including:  Contentment is Great Gain: A Missionary Midwife in Sierra Leone; Goodly Tents: A History of Camp Meetings in Wisconsin; and All God’s Children:  A History of African American Methodists.

To honor Lois, and her passion for the preservation of the history of our Wisconsin Conference, the Commission on Archives and History established an award in her name to be presented at Annual Conference each year.  The Lois C. Olsen Ministry of Memory award recognizes and encourages excellence in archival and historical work in our local churches and our Annual Conference.  All lay and clergy members of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, or its local churches, except current Commission on Archives and History members, are eligible to receive this award.  Anyone may submit a nomination for those who have excelled in the collection and preservation of the records, artifacts, and stories that define us as a faith community. Nominations for the annual award should be submitted to the Archives by April 30 each year.

Our first two deserving awardees were:

2018:  Rev. Anthony Farina

2019:  Rev. Edward Johnson