The Seventh-day Adventist Church will receive an Award of Excellence from the Religion Communicators Council this Thursday evening at the DeRose Hinkhouse Awards Banquet in New York City.

The award is for the materials developed by the church in North America for Ingathering: Hope for Humanity 2001. “This is wonderful, having an independent organization tell us that our materials deserve the Award of Excellence,” said Maitland DiPinto, director of Ingathering.

Ingathering funds received in North America increased 9 percent last year, the largest gain in the past 25 years. “The materials were a major part of the reason for the increase,” DiPinto said. “We helped members know how much good their funds did.”

The Ingathering promotional materials last year included a 16-page magazine reporting about the program, several short videos showing the success of Ingathering-funded projects, and a Hope Kit for local churches to use in times of disaster.

The Religion Communicators Council is a 73-year-old organization representing communication professionals from more than 50 religious groups.