Event set Sept. 13 at Chez Josef.
Three "true worshipers" will be honored on Sept. 13 as Mount Calvary Baptist Church presents its third annual "Miriam's Gift" awards at 6 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam.
Miriam the prophet, as recorded in the biblical Book of Exodus, took a tambourine and led the people in worship. Mount Calvary began its awards banquet, in 2011, to acknowledge "true worshipers" who are examples of "communal change in the ancient tradition of Miriam."
Those to be recognized are church member Mary E. Bogert; Patricia A. Spradley, chief of parent and community engagement for the Springfield Public Schools, and a member of Bethlehem Baptist Community Church in Holyoke; and Henry M. Thomas III, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Springfield, and member of Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield.
"Each one does something very different to contribute to the community," said Brenda J. Moses, event chairperson, adding they "do the work" and have a spiritual base for that work.
Bogert is a Sunday School teacher, superintendent of Sunday School, a choir member and head of the intercessory prayer group at the Springfield church. It is the church to which her husband, Robert, brought her as a bride in 1948.
"These are things I've always done. I never thought I'd get an award for it," Bogert said. "I'm very humbled by it."
The mother of three, grandmother of nine and great grandmother of four is a retired elementary school teacher.
Being a "true worshiper," she said, means "you know you don't have all the answers but you know somebody who does" -- God, Bogert said.
"You're working with somebody absolutely perfect. Our God is a marvelous being who will always be there when you need Him. He doesn't abandon you."
Spradley, married to Willie Spradley Jr., is a mother of four and grandmother of five. She conducts classes for new members at Bethlehem Baptist, is treasurer of the missionary ministry, and is a choir member. She also heads the hospitality ministry, and formerly served as superintendent of Sunday School.
Spradley said people appreciate her honesty and candor, and she often receives positive feedback on her columns in the Point of View newspaper, which readers say give them hope.
"Faith is what most often in an urban community keeps people going," Spradley said.
Challenges, like unemployment and single parenting, "will change and be better if you keep the faith," Spradley said. "Hang in there and (God) won't let you fail. He will always have your back."
At Martin Luther King Community Presbyterian, Thomas is a member of the men's organization and was part of the organizing group that created the church.
The father of two and grandfather of one is married to Devonia Thomas; they live in Springfield.
"Whenever you get recognized for something you don't seek recognition for, it creates a moment of pause and reflection and gratefulness. By recognizing me, I consider they are recognizing the body of work of the Urban League," Thomas said.
Thomas sees several key issues facing churches today, among them survival and remaining relevant.
"It's critically important that ecclesiastical communities provide spiritual leadership to bring a moral perspective to a number of issues" such as health care, education, immigration and care of the environment, Thomas said. "There are a plethora of issues the church can weigh in on."
Tickets for the banquet at Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, are $35 and $45 for adults; tickets for children 12 years and younger are $24.
For more information, call Patricia McCray Davis at (413) 737-9583.