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The Presbyterian Outlook has awarded its E.T. Thompson prize to the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins. Hawkins is Director of Advocacy and Witness for Presbyterian Life & Witness, an agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In a live broadcast from its Facebook page on Thursday, the Outlook’s Editor and Publisher, the Rev. Dr. Teri McDowell Ott, and the President of the Outlook Board of Directors, the Rev. Dr. Bridgett Green, presented the award to Hawkins, who also joined the broadcast. The two then asked Hawkins several questions about his ministry and perspective.
Ott offered a brief welcome to Hawkins before Green introduced the award and offered some context about its origin. Green clarified that the Presbyterian Outlook is an independently run and funded publication, and explained that Ernest Trice Thompson, for whom the award is named, was founder of the Presbyterian Outlook Foundation, chair of its board, and editor for nearly 60 years until his death in 1985. Thompson also moderated the 99th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (US) in 1959.
Green, President and Publisher of Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, described Thompson as an educator, church journalist, historian, and leader in social witness who was committed to the reunion of the church. She explained that the E.T. Thompson Award is given annually to a person who “embodies these convictions and gives exemplary leadership in their pursuit.”
She said the board had chosen Hawkins for his ministry, which has “long connected the life of the church with the needs of the world.” She praised his efforts to help Presbyterians faithfully engage in public life and bear witness to God’s justice, and specifically named his decades-long work in civil rights and justice movements, including in his role as Director of Advocacy and Witness at PL&W, and his participation in the Moral Monday movement and the Poor People’s Campaign.
Green also lifted up Hawkins’ prolific writing, including “Unbroken and Unbowed: A History of Black Protest in America,” “The Shaping of Black Identities: Redefining the Generations through the Legacy of Race and Culture,” and his upcoming book: “In God We Trust: the Origins of Christian Nationalism.” All three books are published by Westminster John Knox Press, part of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.
Hawkins took to the microphone to accept the award, making a point to first express gratitude for the grace of God and then thanking his wife and children for their “unwavering love and empowerment” over his more than 25 years of ministry. Hawkins went on to say that he was especially honored to receive an award named for Thompson, who he described as a “Presbyterian prophet” and “an outspoken advocate for justice in a time when prophetic voices were few.”
He further shared that he had lived in Thompson Hall, named for the same man, while pursuing his ministry education. Hawkins then held up an aged and well-loved copy of Thompson’s 1950 book, “The Changing South,” which he said he has quoted throughout his own ministry. Drawing from the book’s final chapter, Hawkins shared “timely advice” from Thompson that included evangelizing to the poor, planting churches in urban areas, adapting churches to the changing realities of the world, and cooperating with all members of the body of Christ, urging the church to cross racial boundaries and engage with communities of color.
“The work that we are all called to do as Christians has to be informed by the teachings of Jesus, the words of Scripture, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,” Hawkins said. “From these we are informed that God is a God of love and a God of justice. We are to imitate the love of Christ as we proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to a broken world. To teach the word of God for the transformation of the world into the Beloved Community. And to heal the wounds of the world by meeting needs directly, and yet at the same time calling for long-term structural change through advocacy.”
For the remainder of the broadcast, Ott and Green took turns asking Hawkins to share from his own perspectives and experiences in ministry. Ott emphasized that all the nominees for this year’s award had been chosen for their public-facing ministry “in a day when being public with our faith and our values is so challenging.” She asked Hawkins how he remains grounded and maintains his optimism and joy in such a public position.
Hawkins responded that he is motivated and inspired by the work that he gets to do, by having wonderful colleagues, and by his faith in God. He also said that he finds great hope in his sense from his work travel that Presbyterians are more engaged in advocacy than ever before, “evolving to where justice is a more prominent aspect to the life of our church.”
In expressing his gratitude for his colleagues, he also made a point of mentioning the recent restructuring of Presbyterian Life & Witness, which now includes in its Advocacy and Witness ministry the Office of Public Witness with the addition of the Peacemaking program, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, the Office of Immigration Advocacy, the Office of Advocacy for Issues of Race, Sexuality, and Gender, and the Office of the Committee for Mission Responsibility Through Investment.
Hawkins also lifted up the vital work of other ministries within PL&W, including the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, Global Ecumenical Partners, and the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, among others.
He then offered a description of the work done in the advocacy offices of PL&W and listed a number of ways interested Presbyterians can get connected to advocacy opportunities, including the monthly Advocacy Hour webinars, yearly Young Adult Advocacy Conferences, and the Commission on the Status of Women, which takes place each March at the United Nations in New York.
Hawkins took time to speak about each of his books and his love of writing. He described how he’s loved books since childhood, when he would visit the library daily. He noted that the Covid pandemic is when he established a daily writing habit, which continues to this day and has resulted in his several books and other projects. He offered advice to others to “write about what interests and motivates you.”
As a final word, Green expressed gratitude particularly for Hawkins’ “expansive view” of his ministry, both in terms of partnerships beyond the denomination and for the many forms ministry can take, including author and advocacy efforts.
“In so many ways you give us hope, in so many ways you give us inspiration,” Green said. “I feel very honored as a member of the board and board president to have come to this place to give you your flowers today.”
Ott then closed the broadcast with a prayer, giving thanks for Hawkins, “for his courage, his clarity, his hope. For the ways he has helpful the church speak faithfully in public life, and for the steady grace he brings to difficult conversations and urgent struggles for justice.”
She prayed that all may be sent out with “renewed courage to listen deeply, speak truthfully, act boldly, and hope stubbornly.”
A recording of the Facebook live broadcast is available to be viewed on the Presbyterian Outlook’s Facebook page.
By Layton Williams Berkes, Presbyterian News Service
