The Rev. Dr. David M. Hindman is the 2020 Virginia Conference recipient of the Francis Asbury Award from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. The award was presented to Hindman Oct. 24 at the Wesley House at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. He previously received the Virginia Conference’s John Wesley Distinguished Education Award, the Algernon Sydney-Sullivan Award from The College of William and Mary, and the GNOME (Gaining Notoriety for Outstanding Ministry in Education) Award from the National Campus Ministry Association, an ecumenical association of professionals engaged in ministry in higher education.
Hindman served as director of the Wesley Foundation at William & Mary for 22 years (1988-2010). He was also invested in Williamsburg UMC’s ministry to the campus. He was well known and respected on campus, recruited many staff and faculty to serve on the Wesley Foundation board and led Bible studies for staff and faculty. During his tenure, nearly 30 alumni continued their studies in seminary; some of them currently serve ably as pastors in the Virginia Conference. His campus ministry was noted for international mission work. To recognize this legacy the alumni and board created the Hindman Missions Endowment Fund.
In his final appointment (2010-2015) before retirement, Hindman served as lead pastor at Duncan Memorial UMC, Ashland, on the campus of his alma mater, Randolph-Macon College, where he continued to prioritize ministry with students. After retirement he returned to Williamsburg and partnered with the Wesley Foundation campus ministry as “Alumni Ambassador,” traveling around the country with his wife Teri, visiting alumni, hosting alumni trips and in the past few years hosting a Homecoming Reunion Brunch for Wesley alumni and students.
Throughout his ministry, he gladly mentored students and clergy, modeling collegiality and inviting those less experienced to step into leadership. In addition, he serves as a consultant for local campus ministry board development.
During his appointive ministry and in retirement, Hindman has valued relationships between campus ministries. He was the visionary behind UVA and W&M Wesley Foundations making education and mission pilgrimages to Israel-Palestine.
Hindman exemplifies the importance of lifelong learning and the interplay between “knowledge and vital piety.” He earned his Ed.D. while serving full time as a campus minister and focused his scholarship on higher education. His dissertation was titled, “Treasures Hidden in the Field: The Biblical Wisdom Tradition as an Alternative Perspective on the University and Model for Campus Ministry.”
Francis Asbury Award honorees are nominated by Annual Conference Boards of Higher Education and Campus Ministry. This annual award is supported by the Division of Higher Education at GBHEM and is one of the ways the agency continually strives to enable and resource leadership within the church. This award recognizes and encourages support of higher education and campus ministries within The United Methodist Church.
The award is named for Bishop Francis Asbury, one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and is based on his admonition to the people called Methodist to erect a school in the vicinity of every church. “We must,” he said, “…give the key of knowledge to your children, and those of the poor in the vicinity of your small towns and villages.”
To learn more about the award go the GBHEM web site at: https://www.gbhem.org/education-leaders/collegiate-ministry/francis-asbury-award/