Spirit of the Mission: 2022 Georgia Bates Award

On an overcast spring day, the United Methodist Women of Highland Park United Methodist Church brought sunshine to Great Hall. The room was abuzz with lively conversation and warm hugs of welcome as women and men, alike, gathered around tables decorated with bright yellow flowers and lemons. All were there to celebrate and honor sisters Dana Hargrove Harkey and Rita Hargrove Clinton with the 2022 Spirit of Mission: Georgia Bates Award.

The award’s namesake is meant to honor missionary nurse Georgia Bates who devoted 34 years of her life to helping others. Stunned by the lack of sanitation, poor road conditions, and resistance to authority in west Dallas in the midst of the Great Depression, she stepped out of her comfort zone and into one of mistrust and disorder to help people in need in our surrounding communities. Bates’ legacy of selflessness, her undaunted spirit to overcome consequences, and her passion for serving one person in need at a time has inspired women to go above and beyond to serve others.

Since 2015, UMW has made it a mission to recognize women from our congregation who have made significant and lasting contributions to ministries serving people, communities, or specific needs around the world. This year, Harkey and Clinton, known as the “Dynamic Duo,” were recipients of the award due to their individual service in many ministries at HPUMC and throughout our community.

As a slideshow of photos documenting their volunteer work at favorite memories at HPUMC flickered across the screen to the tune of the “Sisters” song from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Harkey and Clinton joined Pastoral Care Associate Minister Rev. Linda Roby, on stage to remember and discuss their years of service to the church.

Rita and Dana share a birthday (although born in different years) as well as a commitment to Christian education. From planting gardens, serving as mentors in the Living Vine Sunday school class, organizing HPUMC garage sales, and coming down with meningitis on a first overseas mission trip, these sisters have overcome many challenges. But they have also touched the lives of countless people in our church and communities for the sake of the Gospel.

“Since joining HPUMC in 1973, Dana has been extremely active in numerous valued missions of HPUMC,” Rev. Roby said. “Her service has touched many lives, through mentoring young student pastors; supporting Wesley-Rankin Community Center in multiple significant roles; serving in a variety of leadership positions within UMW, and representing HPUMC and the North Texas Conference at Annual Conference.

“Rita joined HPUMC in 1979 and immediately immersed herself in service to the church and its impact on our community. Rita shares her sister’s commitment to Christian education, teaching Sunday morning classes and Confirmation classes—even when her own children were not participating; mentoring small groups seeking to know Christ; and leading many middle school spring break mission trips, including one that she organized herself to provide an opportunity for youth to experience Christian leadership as junior counselors. She, like Dana, has been extremely active in supporting Wesley-Rankin, always answering when called to serve both in leadership roles and hands-on service to the Center’s neighbors.”

After the sisters received their awards, they thanked UMW and the luncheon guests for the recognition and expressed their gratitude for having been blessed in return.

Thank you, Dana Hargrove Harkey and Rita Hargrove Clinton, for following in Georgia Bates’ footsteps and inspiring a new generation of UMW to step out of their comfort zones to serve others. What a blessing you both have been to HPUMC.