Nearly 350 members of congregations affiliated with Interfaith Action of Evanston gathered at the Orrington Hotel for the 16th annual Vision Keepers Dinner On Feb. 20. The record attendance represented 29 congregations in Evanston and Wilmette, honoring members who exemplify their ministries and missions.
The Rev. Wendy Mathewson, a Presbyterian minister and associate chaplain at Northwestern University, delivered the keynote address, “There Is Still a Vision: Stories to Stir Our Imagination.” She shared stories of witness and care, of ordinary people transcending the troubled divisions between religious groups in the United States.
The Vision Keeper Dinner is the primary fundraiser for Interfaith Action. Proceeds support a weekday hospitality center that provides job search support, fellowship and an address that participants may use for job applications and other contact. IA also supports soup kitchens and cold-weather warming centers based in churches. All programs aim to serve homeless and hungry people in Evanston.
The Rev. Betty Landis, St. Paul Lutheran Church, and The Rev. Daniel Ruen, Grace Lutheran Church, presented awards to these Vision Keepers:
Alice Millar Chapel of Northwestern University – Suzanne Calder
Bahá’í Faith in Evanston – Cheryll Simmerman
Beth Emet The Free Synagogue – Jeff Forgash
Evanston Meeting of Friends – Margaret Nelson
First Congregational Church – Nicholas J. Tucker
First Presbyterian Church – Nelda Hobbs
First United Methodist Church – Cynthia Changyit-Levin
Fisher Memorial AME Zion Church – Henry Revis, Sr.
Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary – Wilbert E. Cook III
Grace Lutheran Church – Clare Tallon Ruen
Hemenway United Methodist Church – Chi Leung and Richard M. Locke
Immanuel Lutheran Church – Anne Heider and Steve Warner
Lake Street Church – Gregory Vaughn, Cally McKinney and Deborah Smith
Northminster Presbyterian Church – Heidi Niggli
Salvation Army – Miriam Myers
Second Baptist Church – Tammi R. Turner.
Sheil Catholic Center – Luis Espinoza
Sherman United Methodist Church – Veronica Stanford-Davenport and Martha V. Carter
St. Athanasius Catholic Church -– James and Carla LaRochelle
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – William Kaspar
St. Mark Episcopal Church – Rev. Elizabeth Stout
St. Mary Catholic Church – Gerry and Emmeline Hubbarth
St. Nicholas Catholic Church – Julie Drew
St. Paul Lutheran Church – Carol Garrett
Trinity Lutheran Church – James Geppert
Unitarian Church of Evanston – Meredith Haydon
University Lutheran Church – Alex Hurd and Matthew Reuter