http://www.candler.emory.edu/news/releases/2013/08/2013-distinguished-alumni.cfm

REAL Commitment: Alumni Honored For Service To Church And Community

On Sept. 27, Candler will recognize three individuals with the Distinguished Alumni Award, an honor presented to alumni chosen for their notable service to church and community. The recipients for 2013 are Brian Combs 06T and Diane Moseley 73T for Service to Community and H. Eddie Fox 62T for Service to Church.

brian-combs-small.jpgBrian Combs serves Haywood Street Congregation in Asheville, North Carolina, where his ministry focuses on society’s marginalized. Immediately following his graduation from Candler, Combs used his clinical pastoral education placements to minister to the homeless on the street, in shelters, and at Grady Hospital. Following his time in Atlanta, Combs worked in small congregations around Asheville until support and space from two merging local congregations created the opportunity to form Haywood Street Congregation. He describes his mission at Haywood Street as providing a place where labels are left behind and every person is seen as a child of God and not a stranger.

“Even though he has received a good deal of public recognition for his accomplishments, Brian goes about his ministry with humility,” one of his nominators wrote. “I suspect that persons are not only drawn to his vision, but the way Brian embodies the love and passion that propel the vision.”

diane-moseley-award.jpgDiane Moseley has served for 40 years as executive director of Killingsworth Home for Women, a unique community residence for women who are emerging from crisis situations, and a ministry of The United Methodist Women. One of the first females to graduate with a master of divinity degree from Candler, she has served on committees and in positions that keep her connected to the work and life of The United Methodist Church, including serving as delegate to both jurisdictional conference and the World Methodist Conference, and serving as an active member of the District Committee on Ordained Ministry since 1979.

A nominator of Moseley’s says, “Reverend Moseley has made her mark in the field of women’s lives and made a place for them to leave abusive situations by ensuring they are motivated and have the tools to move forward in life in a positive direction. She has been courageous, creative, determined, and compassionate in bringing the love of Christ to the ‘least of these,’ especially these women in crisis.”

eddie-fox-award.jpgEddie Fox has served for the past 23 years as World Director of World Methodist Evangelism for The World Methodist Council, and as Executive Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute located at Emory. He preaches and works with communities in more than 155 countries to develop holistic models of evangelism ministry of word, deed and sign so that the world may know Jesus Christ. Fox has engaged yearly with Candler students through his involvement in evangelism seminars. While a student at Candler, Dr. Fox received the William R. Cannon Dean’s Award for the highest academic average in his class. He is the author of several books, and in 1994 he received the Distinguished Evangelist Award from the Foundation for Evangelism of The United Methodist Church in recognition of his creative and committed ministry of world evangelization. In 1996 he was presented the Phillip Award by the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists and in 2000 received the World Methodist Council’s prestigious “Seat of Honor.”  He has served as a delegate from Holston Conference for five General Conferences of The United Methodist Church.