We value our NACCC member church ministers and are grateful for the opportunity to recognize them. We are thankful to our donors for their generous financial support. Each award and its corresponding fund is unique and may require that you complete and return an application to the NACCC office.
Marion Bradshaw Award
Marion Bradshaw was a professor at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine and was the only faculty member to take a principled stand for continuing Congregationalism. The Marion Bradshaw Memorial Fund was originally endowed by Rev. Dr. Harry Butman in Bradshaw’s honor. This award is given to an ordained minister who is personally committed to Congregationalism. Preference is given to a minister in the state of Maine. Awarded funds are to be used for continuing education.
Harry R. Butman Award
Harry R. Butman was a Congregational minister and ardent proponent of Congregationalism. A graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine, he served several churches before moving to California as minister of the Congregational Church of the Messiah in Westchester. Harry believed in encouraging ministers and their spouses in their work on behalf of the church. This award is given to a minister or ministers with at least ten years of service in a NACCC church and a personal commitment to Congregationalism.
Jennette Butman Award
Established by Harry R. Butman in honor of his wife, this award honors spouses married to ordained Congregational ministers who have served NACCC churches for at least ten years and have been of help to their spouses. It may also be awarded to a widower or widow of a Congregational minister or the spouse of a CFTS student. The award is made on the basis of need, merit, or outstanding achievement.
Joseph Jones Russell Award
Established by Harry R. Butman, this preaching award is given every other year for the best sermon submitted by an ordained, active pastor of an NACCC member church with under 400 members. The sermon must speak to some aspect of the relationship of classical Congregationalism to contemporary American life and point out the continuing viability and relevance of the Congregational Way.