Persons who have had a significant impact in stewardship ministry were honored at the Apostles in Stewardship Awards Dinner at the 73rd General Convention in Denver. The Rev. Thomas H. Carson, Jr., Iris Harris, Manuel G. Mesa, Laura E. Wright and the Rev. Nathan Wright, Jr., went to Denver to receive the appreciation of some 260 bishops, priests and lay persons.

The presence of an ongoing national network indicated that stewardship is far more than a word in the Episcopal Church. The dinner was sponsored by the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development, the Office of Stewardship at the Episcopal Church Center and The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS).

According to Tom Gossen, executive director of TENS, the purpose of the dinner was to raise the awareness of the impact of stewardship ministries in the church. "Almost every congregation asks its members to make a pledge and other offerings for the support of the mission of the church," he said. "Plate and pledge offerings alone now total about $1 billion per year in the Episcopal Church. Offerings for special projects and ministries together with endowment income increase the annual available for ministry to over $1.5 billion."

Fr. Carson was called by Presiding Bishop John Allin to become the first executive for stewardship for the Executive Council. He was active in the life of the dioceses of Tennessee and Upper South Carolina, and was elected a deputy to General Convention four times. He was also an outstanding leader in Venture in Mission.

Ms. Harris, of the Diocese of Washington, is a former member of the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development, and currently a member of the Executive Council who has served in a multitude of capacities in her parish, diocese and the national church.

Mr. Mesa, of Southeast Florida, has served 12 years on the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development, and has been the leading figure in the development of stewardship education resources for Hispanic congregations. He served as first chairman of the diocesan Hispanic Commission, and his leadership of national and diocesan Hispanic ministries has extended more than 25 years.

Beginning in 1979 as a secretary and the only staff person for stewardship at the Episcopal Church Center, Ms. Wright became the first staff officer for stewardship education. She planned, edited and developed the resources used in the church, from videos to bumper stickers, many of which were models for stewardship education in other churches.

Fr. Wright, of Long Island, is the author of more than 20 books and 1,000 articles, was both a participant and chronicler in the first Freedom Ride and has been speaking and writing since the 1940s. He has held positions at the parish, diocesan and national levels of the church, including six years, service as associate in the Office of Stewardship.

Terry Parsons, stewardship officer at the Episcopal Church Center, joined the Rev. Ronald Reed of Kansas and TENS president Bruce Rockwell of Western Massachusetts in presenting the honorees.