Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Summer 2013 Issue | Page 24

Agnew Awarded for Ecumenism
On May 14, the Rev. Dr. Christopher Agnew, longtime priest
of the Diocese of Virginia and priest-in-charge of St. Paul’s,
Montross, received the Faith in Action Award from the
Virginia Council of Churches for his work in ecumenical and
interfaith outreach.

At an awards lunch at Epiphany Lutheran Church in
Richmond, members of the Virginia Council of Churches
gathered to celebrate Agnew and the other honorees: Alfred
Street Baptist Church, another Faith in Action recipient, and
the Rev. Cecil McFarland (1930-2012), who was recognized
with a lifetime ecumenist award. “Our ecumenical witness
must always have in it the witness of servant ministry, and
that ministry must have as its basis love for one another
as Christ has loved us,” said Agnew, upon receiving the
recognition.

Agnew, pictured here with his wife, Elizabeth,
previously served on the presiding bishop’s staff as an
associate ecumenical officer. Today, he is the ecumenical
officer and co-chair of the Committee on Ecumenical &
Interfaith Relationships for the Diocese of Virginia, and vice
president of the National Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical
and Interreligious Officers. He is an accomplished author
and historian, having served as the president of the National
Episcopal Historians and Archivists.

In his remarks at the luncheon, Agnew recalled his

Photo: Emily Cherry

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Agnew and Elizabeth Agnew.

first interaction with ecumenism, 50 years ago when
he was a student at Bucknell University and served on
the Christian Association. “We must steadfastly and
persistently keep after the work of Christian unity,”
said Agnew. This award recognized Agnew’s own
steadfastness and persistence. t

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