It’s again time for preachers or for those who have heard an outstanding sermon to nominate a preacher and a sermon for the 2021 Bishop’s Preaching Award. This year, we will be accepting video sermons only accompanied by a written text. If you do not have a video version of your sermon to submit, it’s permissible to record one and submit it along with your text. We’re focusing on video recordings (accompanied by a text) to acknowledge the fact that sermons are spoken events, not manuscripts or notes alone. We also believe that videos better capture the variety of preaching methods and styles in the diocese.
Below is the pertinent information about submissions for the 2021 award:
Which preachers can be nominated?
- Bishops, priests, deacons, and laity who preach can be nominated if that person preached the sermon in a congregation in the Diocese of Olympia during the time period stated below.
What time period must the sermon be preached within to be nominated?
- Sermons must have been preached from the First Sunday of Advent, 2020 (November 29, 2020) through August 1, 2021, to be eligible for consideration.
What is the award?
- The award will be $1,000 and will be announced at the 2021 Diocesan Convention.
How do I submit a sermon for consideration?
- Sermons must be submitted by email to mkoski@ecww.org. If your video file is too large to mail, Matt will work with you to figure out how to transmit it. The written text should include:
- the Propers (Readings) for the sermon,
- the date and congregation for whom the sermon was originally preached, and
- full citations for anyone whose work (scholarly, journalistic, or anecdotal) that you include in your sermon.
By what date do the nominations need to be received?
- Nominations must be received by Friday, September 17, 2021.
How will the winner be chosen?
- The winning sermon will be selected by a panel of lay and clergy readers in consultation with Bishop Rickel. Judges will be looking for a lectionary-based sermon that communicates the Good News of God in Christ both to long-timers and to newcomers or visitors to the congregation. The judges will be especially interested in receiving sermons that decode religious language so that those newer to the Episcopal Church can be evangelized within the context of worship.
