Dick Carter receives APRL award at Spring Meeting

Two influential leaders in religion are honored at Westar's Spring Meeting

Receiving the Advocate for Public Religious Literacy (APRL) award in 2019 is Dick Carter of Melbourne, Australia, pictured here with Marianne Borg and Char Matejovsky.

Carter first encountered Westar in 2005, when he and and John Smith traveled to Westar’s fall meeting. On their return, they brought together people interested in the work of Jesus Seminar scholars. With John and others, Dick played a pivotal role, in 2006, in establishing the Progressive Christian Network of Victoria and, in 2007, organizing Common Dreams, a conference of Australian and New Zealand organizations that promotes the study, discussion and implementation of progressive religious streams of thought and action.

“Dick invests of himself into you, as a person and in your research,” says his friend and minister Greg Crowe. “He is a deep thinker and reads widely. His commitment to biblical, theological and religious literacy is a passion. While he has breath, he will give as much as he can to make it happen.”

In 2016, we awarded the APRL to United Methodist minister, Chebon Kernell. He was able to attend our meeting this year to receive the award.

Congratulation Dick and Chebon on this well-deserved award.

As Marketing and Digital Education Director, Alexis Waggoner works closely with both Westar’s Marketing Committee and the Executive Director to advance the presence and value of Westar in our culture through social media and the use of digital media in public education. Alexis brings to Westar a unique blend of digital marketing and religious education experience. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary.