Indiana Wesleyan University awarded Marion locals Arthur and Gwen Evans with the 2017 Tony Maidenberg Award for community service during the annual employee convocation on Wednesday, Aug. 23. President David Wright presented the award commending the Evans for being “pillars of the African American community in Marion”.
The Evans are co-pastors of New Beginnings in Christ Church Prayer and Worship Center, where they host numerous conferences for the larger church community. They also are co-directors of the Community Youth Outreach Center that serves the needs of children and families throughout the city.
“Many of you likely have driven by the Youth Outreach Center, without having a clue to the lives that are being changed in small but eternal ways inside the two-story brick building that has stood at 30th Street and Home Avenue for more than a century,” said Wright during the award presentation ceremony.
Arthur serves on the board of International Administrative Assistants for Independent Charismatic Ministries International. Gwen is known for her musical talents, which she has shared with the students of Faulkner Academy and with the IWU community at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert. Additionally, the couple has helped to launch Circles of Grant County, a new initiative seeking to support thriving families in Grant County through personal finance counseling.
“Their marriage exemplifies sacrifice and a lively love filled with care and humor to everyone who meets them,” said the person who anonymously nominated the Evans. “Their lives demonstrate a commitment to Christ that is sincere and faithful, open and giving, full of life and love. Marion is a better place because of them.”
In 2002, IWU introduced its annual award for community service as a way to recognize specific individuals for exceptional commitment and selflessness among their neighbors. Maidenberg, a former mayor of Marion and a former Indiana state senator, was its first recipient. The award was later named in his honor, and has been presented to 16 recipients to date.