Awarding leadership
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches, led by executive director William Tabbernee, pictured, recently presented awards to several spiritual and civic leaders.
The Oklahoma Conference of Churches recently presented awards to several leaders in the Oklahoma City metro-area faith community.
The awards were presented at the organization’s 2017 Annual Dinner on Nov. 9 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63. The Rev. Justin Lindstrom, dean of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, serves at the conference’s board president and the Rev. William Tabbernee serves as executive director.
The Rev. Bob Long, senior pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, received the conference’s Distinguished Ecumenist Award. The Rev. Floyd Schoenhals, retired bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, presented the award to Long.
The Rev. Shannon Fleck, the conference’s director of community engagement, presented four leaders with the organization’s Community Service Award. They are Robert Henry, president of Oklahoma City University; Lou C. Kerr, president and chairman of The Kerr Foundation; the Rev. Major Jemison, senior pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church; and Gene Rainbolt, BancFirst chairman emeritus.
Rabbi Vered Harris, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Israel, received the conference’s Interfaith Award. Adam Soltani, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma chapter, presented Harris with her award.
Harris gave the event’s keynote address entitled “Stepping Into Fear.” She discussed the importance of overcoming fear of people from different backgrounds, while sharing her perspective of an interfaith trip to Israel that she coordinated and led in January involving 22 Oklahoma Jews, Christians and Muslims.