KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (ABNS 2/19/25)—Dr. Susan Gillies has been honored as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Cora and John Sparrowk President’s Award! This distinguished award will be presented with great celebration during the 2025 American Baptist Churches Biennial Mission Summit in Omaha, Nebraska.
The 2025 Biennial Mission Summit, taking place July 3-6, 2025, at the CHI Health Center Convention Center, will serve as the perfect setting to recognize Dr. Gillies for her exceptional and outstanding contributions to the life of Christ’s church. Through her faithful service, she has exemplified the fruits and gifts of the Spirit, making a lasting impact on the American Baptist community.
The Sparrowk President’s Award, made possible by an endowment established by Cora and John Sparrowk, is a tradition that honors those who have dedicated their lives to ministry and mission. Dr. Gillies now joins an esteemed list of past recipients, including the 2023 honoree, the Rev. Kathryn Choy-Wong.
“We have great joy in honoring Dr. Susan Gillies with the Cora and John Sparrowk President’s Award. Her tireless devotion to Christian living and discipleship accompanied by her generous spirit has encouraged generations of Christians,” said ABCUSA General Secretary Rev. Dr. Gina C. Jacobs-Strain.
We celebrate Dr. Gillies and this well-deserved recognition of her incredible leadership and faithful service! Join us in Omaha as we honor her at the Biennial Mission Summit. Learn more about past recipients here.
ABCUSA President Nikita McCalister shared these words in celebration of Dr. Susan Gillies’ recognition: “Dr. Susan Gillies has been a steadfast leader and a faithful servant of the Church, dedicating her life to strengthening ministries and empowering others. I have witnessed her wisdom, passion, and unwavering commitment to the mission of American Baptist Churches USA, and she has left a lasting impact on our denomination. It is a joy and an honor to recognize her with the 2025 Cora and John Sparrowk President’s Award. We celebrate her extraordinary legacy and give thanks for the many ways she has shaped and exponentially blessed our community. She demonstrates what it means to be a lifelong disciple of Christ.”
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Susan Gillies comes from a deep American Baptist heritage. With both of her parents serving as leaders in their ABC of Nebraska region congregations and as active board members supporting Camp Moses Merrill, faith and service have been woven into the fabric of her life from the very beginning.
Dr. Gillies has provided extraordinary leadership across the American Baptist Churches and beyond. She served as Interim General Secretary of ABCUSA from 2016 to 2017, guiding the denomination through a critical period of transition. Even in retirement, she remained deeply engaged in denominational life, chairing the Biennial Planning Committee for both Biennial Mission Summit events held in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2013 and 2015.
Before that, she served for nearly a decade as Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Nebraska, where she traveled extensively across the region, building relationships, strengthening ABC bonds, and overseeing major development projects. She played a pivotal role in fundraising and construction efforts for the Friendship Chapel, Ward Conference Center, and the Lodge at Moses Merrill Camp and Conference Center—where the Susan Gillies Room now stands in her honor.
Prior to her leadership in Nebraska, Dr. Gillies dedicated 13 years to the American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS). She was commissioned as a home missionary and served as Manager of the Ministry of the Laity in the Workplace Program. Her leadership abilities led her to become Deputy Executive Director of ABHMS, where she worked alongside Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins, III, to advance the mission of American Baptist Churches.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Gillies spent years in higher education and public broadcasting. She was a faculty member at the University of North Dakota (UND), Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), and the University of Sioux Falls (USF). She also worked in public radio at each institution, directing the construction of the first broadcast station at USF and hosting programs on both radio and television at EKU. At UND, she rose through the ranks as news director, program director, and general manager for two NPR stations, later serving as Executive Director of the North Dakota Broadcasters Association. Her award-winning work included contributions to NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered”, as well as documentary production and political coverage.
A respected author, Dr. Gillies wrote “Empowering Laity Engaging Leaders” (part of the Judson Press Living Church series). Her academic achievements include a B.A. from the University of Sioux Falls, an M.A. from the University of Memphis, and a certificate in non-profit management from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Gillies’ lifelong commitment to ministry, leadership, and service makes her an extraordinary and well-deserving recipient of the 2025 Cora and John Sparrowk President’s Award. We celebrate her remarkable contributions to American Baptist Churches USA and beyond!
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.