The Board of Church and Society administers the Jack and Kay Crum Award that celebrates prophetic ministry in our Conference.
History and Purpose
In 1990, Jack and Kay Crum established The Endowment for Prophetic Church. The purpose of the Endowment is to encourage churches and ordained ministers to be “on the cutting edge for incisive prophetic ministry” in order to aid NC Conference churches to become active in social action, not just social service.
About Jack Crum
John Hammond “Jack” Crum (1926-2008) served as an elder in the NC Conference for 37 years (1953-1989) and spent his life in ministry both engaging in and supporting Christian social action. Jack received his M.Div. from Duke University (1956) and his D.Min. from Boston University (1975). He served as the director of Christian Social Action for the N.C. Council of Churches from 1964 to 1969 and was given the award for Distinguished Service on the Care of Ecumenical Christianity from the N.C. Council of Churches in 1997. In addition to the Endowment for a Prophetic Church, Crum established a Scholarship Endowment Fund for Prophetic Ministries with Duke University Divinity School in 2000 to assist the education of students for an informed Christian activism that confronts both system and prejudices for constructive change.
Recent Recipients
In 2020-2021, the Board of Church and Society gifted the Crum Award to the following organizations:
- The Feast Gathering (Wilmington), advocating for the unhoused population;
- Bridges Puentes (Raleigh-area), advocating for the Latinx community;
- The Encouraging Place (Raleigh-area), advocating for racial reconciliation;
- The Justice For Our Neighbors Clinic (Fayetteville), advocating for immigrant rights and protections.
How to Apply
The Crum Award is given on a rolling basis through applications or nominations. Contact Rev. Molly White at molly.white@nccumc.org for more information.