(RNS) — Two notable pastors, the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, a public policy strategist and voting rights advocate, and Mack McCarter, founder and coordinator of Community Renewal International, will be honored with awards Monday (Oct. 7) by the Center for Christianity and Public Life at its second annual summit in Washington.
The center is a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by Michael Wear, the former faith adviser to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, and aims to politically engage and unite Christians to help build a “healthy, inclusive, civic pluralism” in the U.S.
The 2024 Civic Renewal Award honors Christians who have made “exemplary contributions to the health and well-being of their community and nation.”
“Both of this year’s awardees reflect and justify our confidence in positive Christian contributions to our communities and public life,” Wear said in a statement. “They have advised presidents and advocated for the poor. They have counseled leaders and mentored generations. And they have done it all with integrity, joy, and perseverance.”
Williams-Skinner is CEO and co-founder of the Skinner Leadership Institute, which offers leadership development for people of all backgrounds and faiths, especially young people. With her late husband, the Rev. Tom Skinner, she founded the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Prayer Breakfast, which annually attracts over 3,000 leaders across the nation. In 2022, Williams-Skinner coordinated a 10-state nonpartisan, multi-racial and interfaith voter justice campaign to make it easier for vulnerable groups to vote.
Additionally, Williams-Skinner has served as a board member for Operation Rainbow PUSH, the Christian Community Development Association and the Neighborhood Learning Center. She has authored two books on prayer and leadership.
“I’m honored to receive the Center for Christianity and Public Life Civic Renewal Award. I consider myself a follower of Jesus seeking to model as he did in his public ministry profound care for the health and well-being of all members of the community beyond barriers dividing them,” Williams-Skinner said.
Mack McCarter is the founder of Community Renewal Institute (CRI). He is an ordained minister in the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) denomination. After his time serving as a pastor in Texas for 18 years, McCarter returned to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1991 to implement his vision of community renewal.
After CRI was formally organized in 1994, it has grown to receive national and international recognition for its impactful work. In 2013, McCarter moved with his family to Washington, D.C., to develop a model of intentional community in what he considers an influential city.
“I’m just honored to represent our entire team of wonderful, dedicated people who are dedicated to our mission to make our world a caring family through the love of God,” McCarter said.
Ten cities in the U.S. are reproducing the model of CRI, as well as a community in Cameroon. In two weeks, CRI will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with Esteban Moctezuma, ambassador of Mexico to the U.S., who will be the keynote speaker.
McCarter has received numerous other awards over the years, such as the Lumen Christi Award (2019-2020) by the Catholic Extension and Distinguished Minister of the Year (2015) by Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas.
“It is a tremendous privilege to honor these two incredible human beings in this way, and I hope their examples inspire others to serve the public,” Wear said.
The Oct. 7-8 “For the Good of the Public” summit will also feature speakers on the current state of religion and American public life, strengthening democracy and addressing challenges for politics and civic life, including sexual abuse survivor and advocate Rachael Denhollander; the Washington Examiner columnist and senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute Tim Carney; New York Times columnist Jessica Grose; author of the forthcoming book “The Anti-Greed Gospel” Malcolm Foley; and more.
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