The Victor and Nancy Knight Living Tribute Award is presented at the CUC National Conference, which is held every other year. The award honours the ideals exemplified by the lives and work of Nancy and Victor Knight in furthering the principles of Unitarianism in Canada, and is presented to a living person who has, as a volunteer, contributed at the national level towards furthering these ideals. As an encouragement for others to follow the Knights’ example, an award is made annually from the income of the fund to the recipient. Check below for the notable list of Knight recipients.

Nominate an outstanding Unitarian Universalist for a Knight Award
Nominations may be submitted by any member or friend of a Canadian UU congregation and must be accompanied by a citation describing what the nominee has done at the national level to promote the Unitarian Universalist principles in Canada and why they should be considered for the award. Retiring members of the CUC board and CUC employees are not eligible for nomination until a minimum of five years after their departure. The citation should be at least 200 words in length and may be submitted by email to John Hopewell at hopewell@telus.net. If you would prefer to mail your nomination in, please email John for his mailing address.

Nominations will be accepted until March 31.

In 2023, the Knight Award was presented online to Lynn Sabourin by Rev. Brian Kiely at the Sunday Banquet of the CUCs National Symposium

It gives me great pleasure to announce on behalf of all the ‘KNIGHTS” the 2023 recipient of the Nancy and Victor Knight Living Tribute for outstanding service to Unitarianism in Canada.

It is traditional for us to describe the merits of our nominee before naming them, though I think many of you will figure it out long before I get there. 

Our honouree this year is a religious educator with almost four decades of service in a particular congregation.  As an exemplary Director of Family Ministries she has made a significant contribution to the furthering of Unitarianism in Canada as a volunteer, the reaches of which go far beyond her congregational staff assignment. 

I had the pleasure of serving with her on a committee that helped shape the first Regions and RNGs plan in the early 2000’s after the CUC became autonomous. Of course her particular focus was Religious Education portfolio but her contributions went far beyond that portfolio.  She managed to be passionate and determined and yet constructive, lighthearted and supportive to the rest of the team.  Her eyes were always on the prize, that being the service to Unitarianism in Canada. In any task, you would want our honouree on your team.

She brought a wide range of experience and wisdom to her role as CUC Life Span Learning Consultant for 6 years. She developed and conducted workshops and retreats for colleagues and volunteers, including Renaissance Modules, Our Whole Lives facilitator trainings, and conference sessions at the national and regional level. 

She was a founding member of CUURE, Canadian Chapter of Liberal Religious Educators Association, and has been a Good Officer for LREDA since 2014. She facilitated many Covenanting workshops for Religious Educators and served on the LREDA Equity Team and worked with CUURE to create stronger ties with the ministers of UUMOC.

She has mentored scores of DRE’s across the continent, and educated more than a few young ministers (including me) in the value, purpose and best practices of lifespan learning.  She has been a champion of youth and young adult programming. She inspired volunteers of all ages to seek leadership training at camps, retreats, and conferences.

As a key member of the team developing and implementing the CUC’s Shining Lights Award, she has drawn on her broad network of connections to raise awareness of noteworthy programs in Canada during her four-year tenure.

She has assisted in the development of Canadian resource materials by field-testing new curricula and program guides, most recently by her direct involvement in piloting the Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and Youth Reflection Guides for the CUC’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Task Force.

Our honouree is now retired – though I thought that day would never come – from her long and distinguished career with North Shore Unitarian Church the Lower Mainland area of BC.  And she is of course, the amazing Lynn Sabourin.

Please join me in celebrating her achievements.

 

Year	Recipient	Congregation
2023	Lynn Sabourin	North Shore Unitarian Church
2020	Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed
2019	Rev. Frances Deverell	First Unitarian Fellowship on Nanaimo
2018	Dr. E. Lisbeth Donaldson	Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship
2016	Ellen Campbell	First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
2015	Barbara Taylor	Unitarian Church of Vancouver
2015	John Taylor	Unitarian Church of Vancouver
2014	Christine Johnston	First Unitarian Church of Victoria
2013	Rev. Brian Kiely	Unitarian Church of Edmonton
2012	Leroy Dickey	First Unitarian Congregation of Waterloo
2011	Kim Turner	Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax
2010	Ralph Greer	Unitarian Church of Vancouver
2009	Art Brewer	First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
2008	Stan Calder	Unitarian Church of Edmonton
2007	John Slattery	Beacon Unitarian Church
2006	Heather Watts	Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax
2005	Bert Christensen	First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
2005	Anna MacIver	First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
2004	Ruth Patrick	Unitarian Church of Edmonton
2003	John Hopewell	First Unitarian Church of Victoria
2002	Bernie Keeler	Unitarian Church of Edmonton
2001	Herman Boerma	Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon
2000	Helen Backhouse	Unitarian Church of Calgary
1999	Ed Ratcliffe	Kingston Unitarian Fellowship
1998	Jack Wallace	Unitarian Church of Vancouver
1997	Mary Lu Macdonald	Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax
1996	John May	Don Heights Unitarian Fellowship
1995	Charles Eddis	Unitarian Church of Montreal
	Phillip Hewett	Unitarian Church of Vancouver