The Rev. Kathy Martin, retired chaplain and director of church relations at Morningside College, has received the Francis Asbury Award from the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Kathy Martin, retired chaplain and director of church relations at Morningside College, has received the Francis Asbury Award from the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering the church’s ministries in higher education. The United Methodist Church’s General Board of Higher Education and Ministry nominated Martin for the award, which was presented recently at the Celebration of Ministry awards banquet held in Des Moines in conjunction with the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Martin served as chaplain and director of church relations at Morningside from 2005 to 2014. During her tenure, she expanded the number of campus ministry events and opportunities for students. Her mission trips helped Gulf Coast communities devastated by hurricanes and assisted residents of many other areas. Martin also served as interim chaplain at Morningside during the 2016-2017 academic year.

 The award is named for Bishop Asbury, one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and an advocate for education.