STORIES GO HERE##################-->

Hatcher tapped for human relations award

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher, pastor of River's Edge

Community Church in Fayetteville and columnist for The Citizen, received

an award April 24 for "outstanding work in human relations" from

the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta.

The Harry V. Richardson Award for Outstanding Work in

Human Relations was presented to Hatcher, in part, "for making

significant progress toward reconciliation in the southern crescent"

of the metro area, according to the award program.

Hatcher's church "has responded to the call for

unity among those who claim to be a part of the Body of Christ,"

the council program said. "As a result of a ministry of reconciliation,

the church has merged with other churches. Furthermore, it

regularly holds services of unity with congregations from other

denominations and traditions.

"River's Edge is a multiracial congregation, but has come

from the predominately white Southern Baptist Convention. The

church has looked beyond traditional barriers to Christian unity and

worshipped with Hispanic and African-American churches of a

variety of denominations," the council program said.

The award program noted that Hatcher "meets with an

ecumenical group of ministers for breakfast every week to develop

friendships with one another. One result of this weekly gathering has

been a community-wide 'March for Jesus.' This march involved

members of more than 30 churches with approximately 2,000 in

attendance."

That second annual march is planned for Fayetteville May 22.

<!--##############