Paul Rutledge of First Church of God in Risingsun, Ohio, winner of Servant Heart Award 2010 Pastor of the Year

Pastor Rutledge had been pastor of the First Church of God for 14 years. Below is the text of the nomination that was submitted about him:

Pastor Paul Rutledge is an amazing and loving man. He went to college to be a history teacher, that education has served him well he is one of the best "bible teachers" I have ever heard. He is involved in EVERY aspect of the Church life yet he remains humble and is never demanding.

Our small country church cannot pay him near what he is worth or close to that of some of his peers. He preaches 2 services on Sunday, teaches Sunday School, teaches Bible study twice a week, teaches at Wednesday night "Kids for Christ"(KFC), drives the bus for KFC and for youth group outings, is a youth group leader, member of and teacher for the Men's group, is an essential member of our "Overtime" team (Overtime is for High School kids after home football games), does several visits every week to nursing homes hospitals and shut-ins. Always putting everyone else's needs first and his own last. He does all of these things out of genuine love and caring and in the spirit of Christ.

Two years ago a congregation member committed suicide. Paul was in WI at a Pastor's retreat. He never hesitated, he was on the first plane back to deal with the devastation. It was a horrible time, very difficult for everyone. I do not think the Church would have survived without Paul as the catalyst to see us through. Just last week a house in town caught fire and even though the owners did not go to our Church Paul was there, during the fire comforting one of the owners until her husband arrived. Even with all of these commitments Paul remains a loving and dedicated Husband and Father to two young men, a more devoted family man you will not find. Besides all of these things he is FUN, fun to be around and to talk with.

I could never do justice to him in this short essay. Please consider Pastor Paul for this award.

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Reverend Donald R. Ruth Selected as
2009 Servant Heart Pastor of the Year

Reverend Donald R. Ruth is lead pastor at Saint John Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was nominated by Edna Cosey who submitted these comments about Pastor Ruth:

Our pastor is a humble-spirit kingdom builder. He reaches out to all races, ages, and socio-economic groups. His love for God is seen through the people he serves, especially children, youth and seniors. Salvation for this world and pleasing God are his number one priorities. He teaches by example; in giving, service, compassion, and his treatment of others. He labors in the Word and is forever interceding for others. The children just flock to him. He does not have enough arms for all of the children. Although a fulltime pastor, he manages to get involved in every aspect of the church, from serving food to cleaning the facility. Nothing is too menial for him. He has a passion for serving all people and does so with humility. He is about meeting needs, regardless of the cost.

His service extends beyond the church to other communities, local and international. He ministers quarterly at the prison, visits prisoners, has done revivals and missionary work in Trinidad, reaches out to Zimbabwe with prayers and finances, and has adopted three children abroad (Brazil, Indonesia, and Senegal) that we supply with material and financial support. He directs and teaches in a St. John Bible Institute, that he founded 7 years ago. Three years ago, he started an educational/recreational summer camp for kids ages 5-12.

The camp includes year-round tutorial and mentoring services for youth of the church and community. His goal is to reach out to youth with activities to enhance their lives that would deter them from becoming a part of the judicial system through crime/or unplanned pregnancies. He opened the church to 200 Katrina victims and volunteered his labor in the shelter operations. This awesome man of God is the very essence of love and untiringly gives so much to so many.

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2008 Servant Heart Award Winner

Pastor Walter Colace of Christ Community Church in El Centro, California.

Pastor Colace was nominated by Angel Dyson who wrote the following:

"Pastor Walt - first and foremost is a man who lives and dwells on Scripture and is a true man of prayer. He prays consistently for the congregation, he worries for his testimony to the congregation and our community, he is accountable and trustworthy. He preaches fulltime, is attending Seminary (125 miles away) weekly, he is a pastor of discipline and discipleship. He takes the good and blessings along with the tough and trying. THROUGH PRAYER!

I am grateful for his leadership, dedication to his wife, his children, our church family and the desire to see our community stand for Christ. He founded New Creations, a Christian life school; some might call a rehab center 15 years ago. However, we teach people to live by the word of God and through Christlike behavior. Our church, Christ Community Church, is a byproduct of the New Creations - the church is just 10 years old. We are growing and growing, sending out missionaries from within the congregation and I see it as a healthy place to worship, grow in the Lord and follow an example of encouragement to trust in the Lord. The Lost must hear the word from somewhere - if not from us... who?"

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2007 Servant Heart Award Winner

Pastor Kenneth Ray Hammond of Union Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina.

Pastor Hammond was nominated by Eloise Edwards who described her Pastor this way:

"Our pastor shows a Servant Heart when he goes out into the community to try to reach the "unreachable." He is very committed to our young people and especially our young men. He is working to resolve the gang culture that is in our community. He has helped young men to get out of this community because of the gang situation so that they can see a better way and he goes into his own pockets to help finance these young people. I see Jesus Christ in our pastor when I see him cry over the loss of a young person who has been killed by gang violence; when he stops and spends time with the senior citizens of our congregation; when he goes on mission trips to other countries to impart the word of God; when he rolls up his sleeves on a Habitat for Humanity cause; when the little children of our church run up to him for a hug or a handshake; when he treats his staff as though he is the "sheep rather than the shepherd." I see Jesus Christ in our pastor through his every day walk. He is a good shepherd and our congregation share in this assessment."