Epoch Awards Honors Unsung Heroes- Do You Know One?

At Catalyst, we enjoy meeting leaders, developing leaders and becoming better leaders. Some of our favorite leaders are the ones no one knows about…yet.

The 2013 Epoch Awards is seeking nominations for real people making their community beautiful. This night at Atlanta’s historic Fox Theater on Oct. 28 will honor unsung heroes who are tackling issues like poverty, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS, the need for clean water, homelessness and discipleship among others. Winners will receive awards totaling $50,000 that will then be used by recipients to restore places, people, and begin and sustain projects that impact people’s lives.

Epoch Awards is a cooperative undertaking, led by Adventures in Missions and shared among various partners and sponsors. Adventures in Missions’ Chief Operating Officer, Tim Abare is the Curator.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tim and find out more…

Catalyst: How did the idea for Epoch Awards come to be? What does the word Epoch mean?

Abare: It was the dream of a collaborative environment, a hotspot of sorts, for those who are “wrecked” by the plight and pain of people locally and globally... for innovators, thought and action-leaders, and those who open-handedly give their time, talents, and resources to missions. Through collective brainstorming, we landed on Epoch. The term refers to the beginning of a distinctive period in the history of anything. It just fit.

Catalyst: How do you think culture portrays the idea of being “known” compared to how God portrays the idea of being “known”?

Abare: In today’s culture, it’s easy for people to desire to be known by what they have, rather than who they are. We’re taught from a young age that in order to be known, we must have the most and be the biggest. Instead, we recognize that God knows each of our hearts individually and loves us for what we’re doing in the world and how we positively impact others. Nominees for the Epoch Awards – the unsung heroes – may not be the most well known, but they are still incredible heroes of faith. We’re excited to have the opportunity to recognize them for whom God sees them.

Catalyst: How many nominations do you receive? How are the final nominees chosen?

Abare: For the inaugural Epoch Awards in 2011, we received 438 nominations. We anticipate more than that in 2013. We read through each nomination, put them in categories, and begin narrowing down the list. It's not easy, but it is incredible to read about the people who are changing the world. A committee of 15-20 influencers in missions will then select our finalists.

Catalyst: How do you see Epoch Awards bringing together business and ministry for the Kingdom of God?

Abare: Epoch is for anyone who cares about missions and/or wants to reach history-makers, innovators, and those who support them including: companies, ministries, churches, individuals, foundations, publishers, service providers, films, etc. People in business and ministry can come together to celebrate, not their own achievements, but what God has done around the neighborhood and the world through their collective lives.

Catalyst: What are the different ways that organizations, companies and people can partner with Epoch?

Abare: There are three different ways that organizations, companies and people can partner with Epoch: (1) Help offset the costs of the cash grants and the evening. Learn more here. (2) Think of the difference-makers you know anywhere in the world and nominate an “unsung hero” here. (3) Join the celebration! Purchase an entire table or a couple of tickets. It will be an evening you will never forget.

Catalysts, do you know an unsung hero who is actively serving others and whose bravery is rather unknown?

Nominate them for an Epoch Award before May 30: http://epochawards.com/nominations/nominate.

Featured guests at this year’s Epoch Awards include Bob Goff, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Restore International, a nonprofit human rights organization operating in Uganda and India, and Jon Acuff, author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, Quitter, and renown blogger of StuffChristiansLike.net. See you there!