Anglican Journal wins 10 Canadian Church Press awards

Editor Kristin Jenkins’ editorial “Sharing the Experience of God,” was awarded second place in the newspaper editorial category. “A very solid grasp of the many issues facing churches as they seek relevancy,” the judge commented. Jenkins also received a first place award for the September and October 2009 editions of “Letters to the Editor.” Art director Saskia Rowley Fielder won two third place awards in the newspaper category. One was for the design and layout of the feature “Burundi: Rebuilding a Nation, Restoring Hope.” The second was for the design of the entire October 2009 issue. “Overall, a solid presentation that has surprises from page to page to maintain an interest,” the judge said of the October issue. In the newspaper category, in-depth treatment of a news event, staff writer Marites N. Sison received a third place award for her stories on the war-torn African nation of Burundi. The judge said Sison’s stories “conveyed to us both the difficult human tragedies – like that of Francine Nijimbere (who had been viciously attacked and both her arms cut off) – and the triumphs of the spirit of Burundi.” Staff writer Leigh Anne Williams also received a third place award in the newspaper feature category for “The Story of Beth and Ruth.” The poignant profile of an elderly priest and her wife, also a priest, was described by the judge as “one of the most original stories of all the stories I read.” Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, received an honourable mention for his column “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” about his experiences in Jerusalem. Canon Harold Munn, a Journal columnist who writes on “Re-thinking how we do church” won a first place award for his fictional short story “Away on a Sidewalk” in the December 2009 issue. The judge praised the story, which tells the tale of a homeless couple having a baby on Christmas Eve and the politician who finds them, for being “an inventive, original piece that uses dramatic narrative devices to tell a moving and memorable story.” Another first place award was given to photographer Jay Black’s black and white photo of a homeless man peering into the huge display window at a Tiffany & Co. store. The photograph accompanied the article “Taking it to the Streets,” by the Rev. Matthew Johnson about his street ministry on the Vancouver’s downtown eastside. Artist Joyce Cosby’s original artwork, “Unto Us a Child is Born,” won a second place award. It was commissioned by art director Saskia Rowley Fielder for the front page of the December 2009 issue. In addition, the Journal congratulates Crosstalk editor Art Babych in the diocese of Ottawa for his first place win in the newspaper colour photo category for his photo “Easter 2009, God is Closest to Those who Mourn.”