VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 10/31/11)—Judy Sutterlin, American Baptist International Ministries (IM) missionary in China, is a recipient of the Charity Award from the Jiangsu provincial government of Jiangsu Province, China. This award recognizes Sutterlin as a “most caring and benevolent model” demonstrated through her service in the Province. She is the only foreigner among the thirty plus award winners to receive this honor. The award ceremony for this first-ever Jiangsu Charity Award took place on October 12 in the ancient capital city of Nanjing.
Sutterlin thanks American Baptists for enabling her service in Jiangsu Province and IM’s partner, the Amity Foundation, for recommending her for this award.
In 2008, she received the Friendship Award from the Ningxia Province for her contribution to building and supporting village clinics among Muslim communities.
Sutterlin serves as a missionary with Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, where she teaches General, Biblical and Theological English. As faculty and students improve their English skills, they gain access to additional Bible study resources, increase their ability to dialogue with Christians from around the world, and acquire proficiency that can enable them to lead English outreach ministries now existing in some city churches.
“Judy has been recognized as a caring and benevolent model,” commented Dr. Reid Trulson, executive director for American Baptist International Ministries, “because her work demonstrates care for the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, relationally and physically. In addition to her theological and academic work through the Seminary, Judy helps with the orientation and care for the Amity Foundation’s English teachers and serves as a liaison to Amity projects supported by IM. Those include help for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS as well as support for remote village clinic work, drug rehabilitation and economic development projects.”
The Amity Foundation, an independent Chinese voluntary organization, was created in 1985 on the initiative of Chinese Christians to promote education, social services, health, and rural development from China’s coastal provinces in the east to the minority areas of the west. For more information: http://www.amityfoundation.org/wordpress/
American Baptist International Ministries (IM), organized in 1814, is the first Baptist Mission organization formed in North America. IM brings U.S. and Puerto Rico churches together with global Christian partners in holistic ministries that meet human needs and help people come to Christ, grow in Christ and change their worlds with Christ.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.