United We Stand: HPUMC Receives the Pioneer Unity Award

On Wednesday, June 15, HPUMC received the Pioneer Unity Award from Project Unity at the “Together We Sing” Awards and Concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The one-time award honors hard work, dedication, and belief in Project Unity’s vision of making a difference, and was given to faith communities who did so through time and service, helping to build Project Unity and its Together We programs from the beginning. HPUMC Director of Justice Ministry, Karla Nivens, accepted the award on behalf of the church. To Nivens, receiving the award marks a significant milestone for HPUMC.

“Receiving the Pioneer Award from a non-profit organization such as Project Unity signifies we are actively practicing what we preach,” Nivens said. “Not only are we saying we are working toward our God-given mission of being deeply devoted followers of Jesus Christ, but we are leading the charge toward bringing true unity to our church, to our city, and hopefully to our nation.”

As she was called up to receive the award for the church, Nivens said that she was humbled but extremely proud of the church that she is a part of.

“Many people in the room were informed, at that moment, of who HPUMC is,” Nivens said. “HPUMC is a loving community of believers who value the same things the Lord values. We value and love people. We understand the power of community and we are willing to go outside of our norm to link arms with other believers who also value unity.”

As one of the first churches to stand with Project Unity, HPUMC has aligned with its goals – encouraging other churches and other organizations to participate in the “Together We” movement. The church has participated in “Together We Dine” and “Together We Ball” events since the beginning. The church puts a focus on reconciliation and revival, and it is because of these efforts that HPUMC was given the Pioneer Unity Award. “Unity means leveraging a variety of strengths for the good of the Kingdom of God,” Nivens said. “I believe He wants us to come together to exchange thoughts and learn from each other’s lived experiences.” Nivens believes that HPUMC has been successful in helping to fulfill God’s desire.

“I believe we have caught up with the heart of God,” Nivens said. “I can’t imagine He would create diversity in race, culture, thought, and experiences for us to allow these things to keep us from being in community together.” HPUMC’s pursuit of God’s heart and the award that has now come from it has great meaning to Nivens. “This brings us closer to each other and closer to achieving true unity,” she said. “It’s a blessing Project Unity recognized our church as pioneers of doing all we can to bring unity to our city.”

The “Together We Sing” event was hosted by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Project Unity, in a night of tribute to GRAMMY-winning legend Richard Smallwood. The night featured the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions from the NFL Players Choir, Gospel Star Tamela Mann, a 200-voice multi-faith choir, and many more. The concert event followed the awards ceremony and had “amazing energy from top to bottom,” Nivens said, describing how the orchestra excited the crowd, Tamela Mann received a standing ovation, and Richard Smallwood was tributed. During the event, Nivens looked around at the packed Meyerson and experienced the feeling of unity firsthand.

“It hit me that this room is full of believers in Jesus Christ gathered to have a unified experience,” she said. “The Unity choir, the orchestra, the directors, and the audience — all from different churches, different backgrounds, different lifestyles but all willing to gather to celebrate together.” Nivens believes that this sense of unity is important for churches as well.

“If churches would continue to come together, because of love for one another and because we all serve the Lord, we will figure out how to reach more people with the good news of Jesus Christ,” Nivens said. Receiving the Pioneer Unity award is an important stop in HPUMC’s journey of unity. “Our future will hold many opportunities for our staff and church members to grow our faith alongside other believers of diverse cultures,” Nivens said. “Imagine what this will mean for the generations to come.”