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Communicators Honor Their Own

Episcopal News Service. June 12, 1986 [86132]

NAVASOTA, Texas (DPS, June 12) -- The Communicant, newspaper of the Diocese of North Carolina, took four awards for excellence, including General Excellence in the Print Medium (Newspaper), and two merit awards in the 1986 Polly Bond competition sponsored by the Episcopal Communicators. Jubilee, the Episcopal Church's Journal for social ministries, followed closely with three excellence awards, including General Excellence in the Print Medium (Magazine), and one merit award. Recognition was also given to outstanding work in various electronic media categories.

The awards were announced during the first evening of the annual meeting of the Episcopal Communicators, which took place here May 27-30 at Camp Allen, the camp and conference center of the Diocese of Texas. (Eds.: A list of all winners appears below) At an opening reception and banquet prior to the awards, conferees were welcomed by the Rt. Rev. Maurice M. Benitez, bishop of Texas, and Dixie Hutchinson, president of Province VII, and heard special guest Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning speak.

In his remarks, Browning stressed the importance of communication and expressed his desire for the Communicators and himself to get to know one another better and work together, soliciting their expectations of the Church and of himself. Calling the Anglican Communion "probably the most diversified expression of Christendom," he said he affirmed that diversity and challenged the Communicators to express and hold up for the Church both the diversity and the unity which it contains. In closing, he told the group, "Until we in the Church have an understanding of our own brokenness... once we have been able to acknowledge that... and understand the dynamics of the Gospel, maybe we can communicate to the world the message that's so badly needed."

Browning was present with the Communicators again the next day, when he participated in a panel discussion on the theme: "Communications from Now to the Year 2000." Moderated by Janette Pierce of The Episcopalian, other participants were: the Rev. Steve Weston, communication officer for the Diocese of Dallas; Roy Baker, diocesan editor in Maryland and also heavily involved in video; and the Rev. Sarah Mottley, editor of Church News, Diocese of New Jersey.

Other activities during the meeting included a get-acquainted session for the communicators; critiques by judges of the Polly Bond Awards; "A Satirical Look at the Church: Its Clergy, Its People, Its Preachers" by Dr. William Martin, chair, Sociology Department, Rice University, and contributing editor, Texas Monthly magazine; and workshops on newswriting, layout and graphics and video communication. There was also some free time for recreation and a hayride around some of the camp's 900 acres.

The final morning, the Rev. Hugh Magers, specialist in Hispanic congregational development for the Diocese of Dallas, and the Rt. Rev. Anselmo Carral, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Texas and director of the Center for Hispanic Ministries of the Seventh Province, provided the group with a review of Hispanic ministry in the Southwest.

During the business session, Ruth Nicastro of Los Angeles was elected to a three-year term as convenor of the group, succeeding the Rev. Leonard Freeman of Trinity Church, New York. Elected to three-year terms on the Board of Governors were: Dick Snyder of Nevada and the Rev. Louis Scheuddig of the Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation. Two one-year terms were also open, due to a change in position of the Ven. Stephen Galleher, formerly of the Diocese of Newark, and to the auto accident which left Rev. Edward Berckman of Indianapolis -- to whom regards were sent -- presently unable to complete his term. Dick Crawford of The Episcopalian and Mary Lee Simpson of Southwestern Virginia were elected to the one year terms.

The Board of Governors also voted a special Polly Bond Award to the Rev. Canon Richard J. Anderson, outgoing executive for communication at the Episcopal Church Center, "to celebrate and give thanks for his ministry in Church Communications and for the breadth of his spirit." Anderson, it was noted in the citation, was one of the founders of the Episcopal Communicators.

A resolution to create an Associate Membership category was tabled, and referred back to the executive committee. A resolution for the appointment of a structure committee was approved. Copies of the "By Lines" under which the group operates were circulated, as was a proposed statement of professional standards for diocesan editors. The latter was accepted in principle, subject to further study.