Search Our Site
MTSO announces top alumni awards
 enlarge>> Methodist Theological School in Ohio |
Written: 10/21/2009
Three distinguished alumni of Methodist Theological School in Ohio are recipients of the 2009 John and Ruth Mount Alumni Awards, MTSO’s highest honor for former students.
The Rev. Cyndy Garn, the lead pastor of Worthington United Methodist Church, received the Mount Award for Specialized Ministry. Since earning her Master of Divinity degree from MTSO in 1981, Garn has served five United Methodist churches. She recently completed a seven-year term as superintendent of the Columbus North and Capitol Area North districts of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The committee nominating Garn said, “She led her district with vision and distinction.” She has served on numerous boards, including those for OhioHealth, Otterbein Retirement Living Communities, the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio and MTSO.
Dr. William McFadden, of Sheffield Village, Ohio, received the Mount Award for Service to MTSO. McFadden, who earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from MTSO in 1979, has served as a pastor and as a consultant and administrator to churches and other nonprofit organizations, including the Peter D. and Eleanore A. Kleist Foundation, for which he was executive director. Currently the regional director for Educational Opportunities Tours, McFadden serves as a trustee of Ohio Wesleyan University and president of the Elyria Public Library System Board of Trustees. His nomination noted, “William McFadden received the resources that MTSO had to offer and then multiplied and employed them to benefit the school and humanity effectively.”
The Rev. Richard Noll, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Chambersburg, Pa., received the Mount Award for Parish Ministry. Noll, who earned a Master of Divinity degree from MTSO in 1981, has distinguished himself by leading congregations to focus intensely on mission work. He has led more than 25 mission trips and leads his church in supporting such charities as CROP Walk and Heifer International. The Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference presented Noll with its first Howard and Elizabeth Brinton Award for excellence in mission support and practice. Said the Mount Award nominating committee: “What Rick has accomplished by going far beyond the norm has truly enabled his congregations to see themselves as servants of Christ in the world.”
The John and Ruth Mount Alumni Awards were created in 1990 to recognize MTSO alumni who have achieved distinction in ministry and in service to the school. The award program was created by MTSO founding Board of Trustees member John Mount and his wife, Ruth. John Mount was present at an Oct. 12 banquet held in honor of Garn, McFadden and Noll. The banquet was held in conjunction with MTSO’s two-day Schooler Institute on Preaching.
Located in Greater Columbus on U.S. Route 23, the Methodist Theological School in Ohio is an ecumenical school, preparing transformational leaders for service to the church and the world. MTSO offers master’s degrees in divinity, counseling ministries, theological studies and Christian education, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree. The seminary’s president is the Rev. Jay Rundell. For more information, visit www.mtso.edu.
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
3081 Columbus Pike
Delaware, Ohio 43015
740-363-1146
CONTACT:
Danny Russell
Director of Advancement
740-362-3322