| WACC installs three new Honorary Life Members |
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By Erik Alsgaard, member of the WACC North America Executive Committee , reporting from Chicago
Inducted were the Rev. Dr. William F. Fore, Mrs. Shirley Whipple Struchen, and the Rev. Edward. Willingham. Jr. In addition, the Rev. Carlos Valle, a Methodist minister from Argentina, who served as WACC’s General Secretary from 1986 through 2001, was also inducted but not present in Chicago. The four new members raised the number of Honorary Life Members to 19 since the award’s creation in 1995. In his sermon, Smith, who works for the Presbyterian Church USA in Guatamala, said that this time after Easter is the “resurrection season.” He said that Fore, Struchen, and Willingham were “seasoned witnesses to resurrection in your communities and many places throughout the world.” The problem with talking about resurrection, Smith said, was that it can lead to becoming overly focused on death. To do this, he said, was to miss the point. “Life well lived is the point,” he said. “The stories are what we remember – stories of strength, and hope – struggle for common dignity. Christian communication must build community, must speak truth to power; must defend and celebrate the rich diversity of human culture. Over the years, you have given us the gift of your stories. You have created safe spaces where such stories can be shared. We are the richer for it. We honor you and give you thanks.”Download full sermon here... Fore, a clergy member of The United Methodist Church, was President of WACC from 1982 to 1990, during a difficult transition from the “old WACC” to the “new WACC,” said Naylor, which was formally adopted in 1986. Fore served for many years as the Executive Director of the Communication Commission of the National Council of Churches, USA, where he became recognized as a leader in the field of communication policy and regulation. In accepting the honor, Fore said that it is important for religion communicators today to realize where they have come from and where they are going. “One thing – we all stand on the shoulders of other people,” Fore said, after thanking his wife, colleagues and family for making this honor possible. Addressing the younger communicators in the audience, Fore said, “Some of you may wonder who I am. It is important for you that people come after you and stand on your shoulders and continue the work.” Struchen, another United Methodist, carries a long history of ecumenical work around the world. In introducing her, Naylor said Struchen had a great talent for bringing people together. Currently, Struchen is executive director of the Religion Communications Council (RCC), coordinator of electronic media programming for the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and coordinator for both the Religion Communication Congress 2000 and 2010. She was 1996-98 president of the Religious Public Relations Council, forerunner of RCC; president of the Media Action Research Center; chairwoman of the National Council’s media education committee; a member of the WACC board of directors; and a member of the WACC North American executive committee. In her remarks after receiving the award, Struchen said that her life seems to be like one big ripple, sending waves in many different directions. “The stories, the friends and families that surround us, like a skipping stone, send out ripples,” she said. “I feel my life has been like that. My ripples represent people – the Sunday school teacher, the youth leaders, the parents, and the people who encouraged me to keep trying. They modeled grit, stick-to-itiveness.” Willingham is perhaps best known as the energy behind the North American Broadcast Section of WACC (NABS-WACC), Naylor said, which during its nearly 30 year run was one of the largest ecumenical gatherings of any kind in the world. A Baptist minister, Willingham worked for three decades with the Council of Churches of Detroit and Windsor (a USA/Canadian border city alliance), first as communication officer and eventually as Executive Director. He was a delegate to the conference in 1968 that gave birth to WACC, where the old WACC (once WACBroadcasting) was merged with the North American committee, RAVEMCCO. Even though NABS has not met since 2001, he has continued to keep the network alive through a monthly newsletter. Willingham noted in his remarks that NABS-WACC began 40 years to the date of the ceremony, in the same city during the same kind of meeting. He thanked his father and grandfather, both of whom served as heads of foreign mission agencies in the Baptist and Southern Baptist church, respectively. “They passed along the global Gospel gene,” he said, “and by that I mean a concern for the poor.” Willingham closed his comments with a prayer, saying, “May memories of our yesterdays inspire our actions of today and our dreams for tomorrow. May that be true for each of you in this room, and for the World Association for Christian Communication.” Read more about WACC's Honorary Life Membership here...
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